Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-12-18

word to my aunt (with whom 1
shared the cottage and all other
worldly gcods) Of my little adventure
i'll the avenue. If she had ever had
any nonsense about her, it had en-
tircly worn off before my time.
She would have sought the own
CT of the ring in the same
straightforward and exhaustive way
as IT ii had been stray hoe found in
our garden. Those two lovers would
have been forced to stand and deliver
their names and their secret within a
week.
Aunt Esther had brought me up in
the same way that she did everything
else; she never forgot to wind her
cock on the seventh day, and she
never failed to give IRE good measure
ofhSmc comfort, bnt ii was not press
cd down and running over. gave her
honest liking and respect without
any love, and she never missed it.
Nevertheless it YAvc me terrible
shock when leg: vigorous life was
suddenly arrested by a stroke of
paralysis. Our only servant in her
fright was helpless as her mistress,
but Miss Purdy, who lived next door,
came i'll TO stay with my patient while
+ | ran through the midnight darkness
down the avenue and the lon" village
street for doctor. DR.. Gilmore
was the name of the first door that
had light behind ii. At the first
pull of the bell the handle came off
i'll NV hand, but | opened the door
and found myself in the office. The
doctor lay on lounge, sleeping
heavily, as if he had just thrown
himself down after L hard tav's
work. l called TO him in vain, and
finally laid violent hands on him. lie
must have been dreaming some fearful
! thing. for he seized ny wrist as if in
vice and roared, Nov Ihave you,"
before lie opened his eyes.
"lon are mistaken. doctor, it is !
who have you,' l said laughing. He
released my wrist and sat up with
eyes very wide open.
"And What are you going to dc
with me?'
"Oh, you must come to my aunt al
/ Dovecotes this very moment" and
began to cry more heartily than had
+ laughed.
He took me up rs easily as if | had
been baby, and laid me on the
lounge. "Now lie there perfectly
still until my carriage is ready he
said, as ono having authority. in a
. few minutes he brought me some in.
nocent looking in Il glass, which
drank without a word. and nv
nerves grew steady again. Ic!imbed
into the little old-fa>liioncd sulkv, in
! which there was but spare room fol
its owner, carriage which must
have been invented by some mi.an.
thropic doctor who did not intend tc
drive his own patients. l contracted
myself into about the substance of :
paper of pins, and held my breath
but that sulky was very tight iii
indeed.
wore thin summer dress. Will
onl, straw hat on my head. and as
my :cxcitement lcsscncd, the cool
sharp air of the September night
pierced me like knife.
"You are sl,ivcring," said the doc
tor, wrapping one side OF his rount
cloak about m", holding me close tc
his breast witt, one arm. while lit
drove his horse 1t furious speed Will
the other.
81 give you a great deal of trou
blc,' whispered into his beard.
''Not at all. 1t is all in NV day'
work" he said "rnftly. This was no
very gallant, bur it made me NOR,
comfortable in mind, us it possibl,
was meant to do.
He did all that doctor could fo
: my aunt, which was little enough
Time and patience were all the pre-
scriptions that he gave to her or /,
me, but he came every day, some
times twice, as he perceived tha
time was growing short and patlcnc,
would soon have its perfect work.
The old story-old as when Cail
went courting into the land of Nod
is con ing, as my reader can see will
half au ey:.
did not fall in love with DR.. Gil
more, nor he with me, all at once
but there grew to he an inexprcssibl
comfort in his rough sincerity, an,
the warm hand clasp with which u
every visit he met and stilled m
shrinking nerves.
In the first week of our acquaint
ancr. contided to him my unwilling
listening in the avanuc TO the love
quarrel of strangers. With his ad
= | stCC anu L SCui Cluil
wordcd advertisement to the viilag
paper. I" Judge by the pile q
answers whici, | received describing
every kind of ring that was eve
worn, one would think the cart
should have been scwn as thick wit
them rs was ihc field of Cannn afte
the great slaughter of Carthagina
knights. But not one of the answer
SO much US hiuted ut a violet of sap
pilires with diamond centre.
In these lonely days l saw grca
deal of my nciShho;, Miss Purdy
, she was one of those rare and blcsse
souls who interpret literally the CON
mand to love ones ncighbor II. one
, self. She aud her neiCr, Kate Furdt
lived together, lis | lived with aun
Esther, and a sort of fellow feeling
, from our similar conditions, made U
wondrous kind from the first,
Kate was sparkling brunette, VIII
made love to everybody, "male o
female. Jew or Gentle, bond or free.
. it was ali one to her. am yer
+ meek looking person myself; ligh
, haired, blue-eycd, faded out-yo