Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-03-02

through by express from childhood to woman
hood, without stopping at the intermediate sta
ton of girldom. AT seventeen she was grown
woman of mature experience, who had given up
flirting for love, along with her other paythings
and was ready calmly TO discuss nm offer CT mar
rage OF the basis OF its atfording good stlate-
gerical position in the battle OF life.
Here, therefore, we have Mrs. Wimbush, a
comedy widow, with daughter somewhat pre-
maturely developed, on the one hand, and with
q mother persistentlv juvenile and evergreen, on
the other Mrs. Wimbush, and her daughter
Carry living together in Wilmington lodge,
Highgate; Mrs. Marrables, the youthful and un-
grandmOtherly dwelling by herself at Taunton,
and devOting her time 10 collecting subscriptions
for different charitable objects, not forgetting
her own rents Mrs. Wimbush seldom CORE
sponded with her mother. They were on the
best Of terms now, yet, by Il sort Of tacit under
standing, each pursued the even tenor OF her
| wa, very rarely exchanging ecstacieS by post.
In the spring of 1868, Mrs. Wimbush shut up
her house in Highgate, and came with her daugh-
| ter to Bournemouth, where she hired villa
Many of her friends were staying at Bourne
mouth, and, through the assistance OF parties
and jaunts, and picnics and balls, she made a
great many more. Among these the Brook
shanks must be especially noticed as particularly
involved in this brief history.
Old Brookshauk, tso everybody called him a
cheerful old person on the shady side of sixty,
was very rich, but very unpresentable, in the
eyes of the rather rigid society of the place. He
had made his money by the invention of pa
tent medicine, familiar TO us by the name of
Brookshank's Infallible Ointment. 1t brought
him no end of money. But although he lived
in grand house in a fashionable watering
place. he was still sole proprietor of the infalli-
Bile ointment and his London mandatory and
depot was vet in full working, with Crook
shank" over the door, and pictures Of people
with sore limbs all over the windows. All this
society might have winked at-might have ad.
mitted him within its doors upon sutfrance, and
pretended never to wake to the notion of q
''stranger present in the gallery" But The worst
of old BroOkshank was, that, not content with
living on ointment, he talked ointment always,
and pulled it everywhere. 1t was not hypocrisy;
the man believed in it, heart and soul He said
he had sacred mission to alleviate the woes of
mankind, at thirteen pence halt-penny the box;
and he meant it. He believed in all his testmo-
nas-more devoutly than the writers could
have done. He was conscientiously of the opin-
ion that his ointment was, as he said, good for
every mortal complaint, inside or out" He car
ried his bills with him everywhere, and distrib-
uted them as jealousy as though thev had been
tracts "Shall l cease" said he, "whie single
fellow creature suffers agony " hich can cure?"
Society could not stand this; for the man would
have distributed his bills in every ball room,
and at every soiree, and never rested until each
guest was supplied with picture of bad legs
and string of testimonials. He believed in his
mission as much as Mahommed did. He said
he had committed many sins in his lifetime, but
he trusted the good his ointment had done to
suffering humanity might be taken into account
when they were reckoned up. The ointment
was his creed; the ointment his extreme unc-
| ton.
Brookshank's sister kept his house; little,
| faded old maid who believed in him as much
as he did himself; who would move softly in
his presence, from reverent regard for the
| great healer of the people; who would place his
| last published testimonials in her hymn-book,
| and read them on Sunday with every appear
ance OF Notwithstanding up thanks from
| her simple heart for the good work he was en-
abled to do. Brookshank had two sons, both
| getting on toward middle age Thomas, the
eldest, surgeon with a capital practice, used to
| declare that half his cases among the poor were
those of people suffering from the effects of the
| inGalibe ointment; though, OF course, he only
| said so to tease his aunt. His broth r Charles
was lawyer, OF good position and good cir
| cumstances. Neither was married; people said
| they were not marrying men. What blunders
people make, sometimes, on this scorcl
1t was strange what an impression Mrs. VIM
| bush seemed TO MAKE on these two men. She
| met them everywhere, and the attentions they
| paved her were plainly marked by something
warmer than politeneSS, Presents, ioo-howers
| and dollhouse huit-iound their way both from
| MI. Tom and Mr. Charles TO the widows fable.
| OF the two Mr. Tom was the most in earnest.
CT SIlp ttutl iOI some
| tlme preserved an attitude OF strict neutrality
| between the rival powers, and could consclen-
| hously report that she was on terms Of the
closest friendship with each Of the helligerents
| the fact being that the key of her impartiality
was less matter of sentiment than a desire to
ascertain the relative standing of the two broth
| crs in the eyes of their father with regard to
| theh future contingencies.
| 1t was not long before she had an opportunity
\ of satisfying herself on this point. Tee since e
admiration she protested for the infallible ONT
| ment made old Brookshank's sister her sincere
| friend for life, and Mrs. WimbuSh became a
visitor at the big house. She soon found that
| old Brookshank had bad opinion Of his eldest
| son, Tom. Partly, jealous of man who pro-
| fessed the art of healing us derived from books,
| AID expressed skepticlsm as to the inspiration
| of the ointment, and partial distrust of a man
| who might find out its sacred ingredients, and
hold them up to public derision, contributed to
| this bad opinion. Tom was a hereto, an unbe-
| lever in the BtookShank crecd-a scOffer at the
| best authenticated testimonials-and held the
government stamps in open contempt. Charles
was not so. Hard man of law though he was,
he consumed quantities of the ointment, or pro-
fessed to do so, and always said it did him good.
Mrs. Wimbush would talk ointment by the hour
with old Brookshank, and consequently became
a great favorite, besides getting the credit for
being the most discriminating woman. The old
man would even go so far as to show her his I'M
dies of letters in praise OF himself and his medi-
| cine. These the widow would peruse with an
exhibition of rapt interest, which was certainly
very edifying. Working on the confidence so
obtained, she gathered very clearly that the
| younger son would come in for the largest share
of the ungueat property. That being satisfac-
| torily ascertained, Mrs. Wimhush warmed per-
ceptby in her manner toward Mr.. Charles, the
| lawyer, and froze in the same proportion in the
| aspect she presented to Mr.. Tom, the doctor
| The result was something OF an estrangement
| between the two brothers. Tom felt the treaI-
| ment, but determined to know his fate. He came
| 10 the widows house, and, with very little pre-
| face, made her an offer-plump.
| "Really, Mr.. Tom," said Mrs. Wimbush, ''you
| entirely surprise me. Surely, can have given
| you no encouragement toto hope-that-"
"MrS. Wimbush" said Mr.. Tom, 1--WE are
neither of us Chickens" 1.-THE widow minced, J
| although, doubtless, l am a good deal the old
1 er Of the two. | am not sentimental, nor ro-
mantle; so pardon my plain speaking. With
regard to encouragement, you have given me
| quite enough to justify my putting the question
not enough, perhaps, to warrant my expect
| ing favorable answer The plain question is
| will you marry me, Tom Brookshank, NJ. D..
/ aged iorty-two?-a man, though say it, who
| won't make bad husband, as husbands CO."
The widow looked down, and twisted her
| handkerchief around her fingers, plating it in
| knots upon her lap, but did not reply.
Mr.. Tom looked into his hat, and then out OF
| the window. Then he said: pardon me; am
| l too late? Is there prior attachment
| Without venturng to reply by speech, Mrs.
| Wimbush bowed her head.
MIR. Tom slowly gathered together his hat,
| his stick, his gloves and went out. "Confound
| that brother Of mine!" he said to himself when
he got into the street. "Always supplanting
me-"
1t was a large picnic party. Mr.. Charles
Brookshank had drawn Mrs. Wimbush arm
through his own, and strolled away from the
| rest.
"How delightful it would be if one could
know the language of birds, as folks did in the
old Hindu fairy tales! Would it not, Mr..
| BrookshankW
"My dear Mrs. Wimbush, they do nothing the
whole day long but make love and cry, Sweet
SWEET would were bird to make love in
music"
The widow sighed but it was more like pur
of pleasure.
"Wnat did | know of love till you came
here~ continued Mr. Charles. absolutely
nothlng-eXcept" he added with reservation,
"ln professional way. And then we lawyers
generally see the dark side of the picture-the
damages and the DEGREES Risi. But your visit
has frightened my whole life. o, Mrs. VIM
bush, you cannot have been blind to my secret
L.