Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-08-02

"YOu are blaming Yourself too mach,
| Mollie said, soothingly. '.
'.No. [ am not You do not know
Why, it was only yesterday--can II be
| that it was YESTERDAY? Yes, know,
because was going to Lansdown, and
when | came horne found that, -
pointing to the paper she stfll held in
her hand "Well, it was only yester-
day that | came up to my oftice-came
softly so she would not hear me-but
she did, and came up to see If was i'll
| answered her rudeIy-I was 50 busy |
didn't thinle---and then when she came
and sat down at my feet and put her lit
tie white hand OIL my knee, L moved
away, because it interfered with my
reading. And then she saidTO how it
has rung through my ears all this long.
terrible night Basil, l want to tell
Won something;' and then l told her L
could moi, be interrupted, and added II
| had hoped she wouldn't Hear me-. And
then she got up and went out, but that
was the last word heard her speak.
0, if l had only listened to her then !!
But now Il can never know what my
darling would have told me, never
never! And o Mollie, ! worshipped
her so. She was the one love OF -iny.
life! thought she knew it. | told her
that | loved iler!"
'.When did you tell her, Doctor Dins-
more? she asked, quietly.
"When Is'asked herat0 be my wife !;
and o, never thoughts of taking it
back-it was for ali time.'
at wouldn't have hurt you to have
told her since,'' lMonie said, shortly
''But it's too late to talk Of that now
what shall we do?" o -
Anything you think best-anything
you think will make her the happiest," !"
leaning on the pillow, and shading his
face with his hand. U, so different
from the strong, calm doctor who meyer
deferred weakly to others before.
There was u step on the gravelled
path. and glancing down she saw Mrs.
Hargraye at the door.
cit Is Mrs. Hargrave - what shall L
tell her?" she asked.
'I don't know,p e-said, weakly so
unlike himself.
s'Do you leave it to my judgment?"
Eyes, to your Judgment he repeated, !,
yacantly. And with an anxious, back
ward look, she went down the stairs.
She had seen any number OF weak wo-
men and weak men under the influence
of some great grief, but the sudden
breaking up of this strong. calm. self
reliant nature was so different, that it
|
broken down-he whom she had thought
without passions-that she tremblcd for
his reason. .t5-...- y, 1't.....
Mollie had not seen Celia Hargrave
for nearly two years. and, though hay
ing heard that she was changed greatly,
she was not prepared for the reality.
She had gone down with bitter feelings
in her heart, but they vanished before
the wan face, and great, sad, imploring
eyes. that tywere lHtedzto her face. The
two women looked in each others faces
a moment, and then Mrs. Hargrave put
her hands to her face with low cry of
pain. Her evident distress softened
Mollie's heart still more-she had fam
cied she might have been privy TO It
and she took her by the arm and led her
into the deserted room, with the light
scarf and faded, flowers which she had
worn lying there, and inockiIg their
pain. Celia Hargrave tOttered to chair
and Mollie stood looking at her, doubt
ing almost, if this white, trembling
woman could, by any possibility. be the
naughty, self-possessed Celia Hargrave
she had seen two years before. ".r -'.t
"Ycu ought not to have come out, !"
Mollie said, seeing how weak she was,
and how her hands trembled.
ar could not bear the suspense any
lOuSef, Silt WuiSpoicu, hodi iSCIy, anu
dare not send my servants. o, such a
night as / have passed! have not been
out OF my bed tor three weeks before
this morning." gasping little for
breath, and trying to loosen the ribbons
at her throat.
"When did he 60 away, and what
made YOU suspect % Moilie asked.
go, 1 have been afraid of this a long
while l tried to help it, l begged Of
him not to come here, 1 saw. how it
would be: ibnt Doctor Dinsinore came
after him, and he was too weak to resist.
Last night was not as well, and sent
Stevens--my man-servant-tO ask Doc
tor Dinsmore to come in; He came in
soon after, saving that. Leslie said that
| he would go, and as he had something
some work--I don't remember, what, to
do, he had supposedly wouldn't make
any difference.
| But though waited and hoped-half
/ wild with fear all the time-While the
long hours went by, stil Doctor Dins-
more did not come, nor he did not come.
/ l could endure it no longer, and so |
made Susan dress me, and | got here
somehow, l hardly know how. Ii it
been anybody else but her-anybody
but Walter Hargraye's .daughter,'' she
i groaned. 'f thought my punishment
Il
and j thought 1 might atone for the
past, perhaps she stopped abruptly
AS if Just conscious of what she was say
ling. Then rising with an effort.
/ II must get home while | can. Where
Il is he?''
ssIn his chamber. He is utterly pros
trated. Your sorrows is nothipgT'p'. &
sWhat do you know of my sorrow p
she interrupted, sharply. "What car
you ever know, or think, or conceive?'
She went on, rapidly, her great eyes full
T of unutterable despair. And holding t.
the railing as she went, she passed on
: of the room. and tottered down the steps
t walking with slow, uncertain steps %
from under the shadow of the grea
T elms down the long, hot, dusty rOat'
+, And Mollie Sterne never saw her again
All over Brent, and. far out in til
5 surrounding country, numberless pa
' tients looked the long day through TO
the doctor that did not come. AnXioU
mothers looked in the white faces c
n their babes, and listened to their lO'
wailings, and prayed that he woul
come before it was too late, claspin
= their darlings to their hearts i'm sndde
fear. Wives, husbands and frient
grew anxious and nervous with waiting
, wondering over and over why he iii
HOT COiliS. Ii was iloO ulbii biiC hSAb ~ y
- that the rumor got abroad that Doctt
y Dinsmore was himself i'll. No OF
'n l% thought it particularly strange. b'
," some felt aggrieyed and Indignant, an
wondered what right a doctor had to
sick at all. But all were heartily so
ry, though very little was known col
cerning the nature of his illness. \
one saw him, and when n neighborir
physician called, Mollie Sterne told hi
that Doctor Dinsmore could not see hir
Indeed Moilie was Il sort of dragt
that stood guard 1T the Doctors thres
old to keep people out. All but tw
eer Z two persons had been admitted-On
IT, Luke Varney, the other, a stranger;
tall, gentlemanly-looking man, with
ne pleasant, fair face, and dark gray eye
~ that had habit of looking out suddenl
Is with little sharp, swift glances from u
>, der their dark, heavily-fringed lids, q
~, then yelling themselves almost entire
under those same lids, and looking S
Gu premely Indifferent to all worldly
ny terests and concerns.
If Some of the neighbors CHANGING to s
av him, surmised that he was doctor, a
- straightway the story spread that gr'
;ta city doctor was attending Dinsmo
;lxl< ,,.,t, Il