Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-07-26

,kHf Wo, hours after Asoclof pihs-
okTMA, more took hold of the door ana
TSs1 found it still fast. Twice he
%ISS called, "Lena, Lena" before if
opened.
.sWhat, afraid, little eoward:" he
satd, looking at her through the dusk.
Then added, 81 think when you, come
up stairs, Lena, it will be best to close
the outer doors. Isfound the frentgdoor
ssassiingaopen to-aight. Il II otsrhat Tam
assaid sof being seb},ed, only peEisaps
YOU would feel safer"
Safer! Q, lifshe 4mdyoeiy < Dowa the
dauger she had hed~from = Bat he was
very " cary, aand only y@oHea wien he
touched her hand did he feel at all mn
easy. 1t was cold almost as deslhfia
s'Did, you take. chose powders fSfeft
you this NOR iyifg2' he ,iHq uireDs nwith
rather more tbaa IBIS i,<uaf professional
anxiety. - - l4.>S.r ~
Eyes, =, fssaas said ssepy fs3ntly. q
ssSspsBse,, - he .RlRtteeed. ss: 1N,s1tall
have to:tnake yotp, pssoiHe etttRg else 1t
won't do TO ,bave>y on sick 3sgn y this
summer" And his mind went back to
the marble face among the pillows that
he had never expected toEsee smile gon
him again. MY little darling ", he
said softly to himself, his heart growing
All, IL only he had said it to her. Ii
only he had taken her in his strong
heart, and wooed her once more with
loving words, how nrtrcfrof' all the pain
and anguish OF the future might have
been spared hirnis But he had rode all
day aud was very tired, and sohe quick
ly fell asleep, while she tossed restlessly
npon her pillows, never closing her
ewes until the dawn reddenedsin theeast.
When she went down the next morn
ing, he had gone off for the day, and
Jane said, with a sad face:
81 expect have got to go home, Mrs.
Dinsmore. Two of the little boys are
down with the measles, and the baby
has got the cholera infantum. and Mar
cia--she's next to me-has sprained her
ankle so that she can't take a step, and
mother is almost distracted with the
neuralgia" e
Lena's heart stood still with appre-
hcnsion. Was she to be- left utterly
alone with her temptation? But ualer
such an accumulation ofsdiseases,S what
could she say, but tell her to hasten
| home at once to her afflicted kindred
| And so she went, and she was left alone
alone with her thoughts, with such a
| silence in the great house all day, that
she grew almost distracted with IFS
voiceless presence. -...
| The doctor came home early that
night. He was. vexed that james had
gone, and started out to find some one tc
take her place; but there was so much
sickness about inst then, that it was i'm
possible to find any one that could come
81 am SO sorry" he said. 81 hate tt
leave you here alone so much, but
don't see as we can>do any better thar
to W ait for those ,Davitts to. get well. i
don't think ever saw people that SC
thoroughly enjoyed being sick as they
do; they always manage TO, have some
thing!''- in a vexed tone. A.s -'As+
The next morning he came i'll with ;
beaming face. t-5t'-
"Lena, y he said, '1'ye inst seen Vol
colt on the street, and asked him as:
special favor to run in and sit with yoi
days while Jane was away" .-.--
as he coming?" she asked feelins
herself growing white.
eyes; so you can read and sing, ant
be just as happy as you can till COM
back. Pll try to come 'early-Inayb
I'I be home te dinner. / shall feel bet
alone all day. He hesitated a little,
thought, about coming. but persuade'
him. l should have gone after Mrs
Hargrave, but she hasn't set up any thi
Two days, [ understand.
Lena came up andput her lrand timid
ly on his shoulder.
II wish you hadn't. o Basil, | wis
you would take me with you!', she said
vehemently, bursting into tears.
"Nonsense! Why, child, yon wonl
get all manner of diseases!'
81 don't care-only let me go!
Basil do take me away from here!"
Hennclasped herhands from her arm
and lifted her gently from her feet an
set her in a chair, very much as on
would little child.
"Yon really must try to. control you
nerves better" he said. "By-and-by-
shall have another patient or my hand
and have more than | know what to
with now. There" smoothing dow
her hair with his cool, firm fingers, 81
Ia good, brave little girl" 4
The sobs died away in llerttf1roat, an
a gentle quiet diffused itself throug
her system. 1t came to her to tell hi
all--all her weakness and Temptation
and implore him to save her from he
self-and from him. But just the
there wasya rap at the door; some OF
had come for the doctor, and he We
out, and did not come III again; and
the golden moment was lost.
4 One after another the long summ
days went by, each one drawing clos
and closer the web of terrible ia
about poor Lena. She had tlmo
or faint at the loving words and swe
earesses that grew. more frequent al
more intoxicating. She seemed TO he
self to he incapable of will or resistanc
er sort of soft delirium ehfolded her, e
claiming her senses. The touch of
IN hand, the glance of his.eye, sent AN i
describable rapture through every tib
e. of her being. Her eyes grew btillia
and dreamy by turns, and a titful r
burned i'm her cheeks.
Doctor Dinsmore came nome one q
quite early. AS he entered the hall,
Heard Wolcott's voice reading Sppe
he thought. He slipped @qnietfy up l
n. stairs to his office. 1t was just the c
porrunity he wanted. There was We
strange and complicated case over
,,s Swansdown, that had deied the skill
the resident physicians, and he had be
sion that a case almost exactly coin
dent was described in one of his me
cal books, and he had hastened home
search it out.
But careful as. he had been Lena
heard his step, and sudden fear T.
he might be i'll startled her from y
subtle enchantment which the drea
day, the languorous airs and. the I
slonate poem had all combined, "
tile the irresistible charm of his preser
to enthrall her. Moreover, the sim
presence of her husband in. the no
infused a momentary strength to
will, and, hastily excusing herself,
o"' ran lightly up the stairs. the sud
'red fear bringing back something Of
olden longing for his love, which she
membered still, though as sometf
that had happened such a weary we
;h time ago; and there had SO much c
- between!
But the memory, far away and IN
Sc. tinct as it seemed, softened her hear
wards him. clearing away, for a
ment, the unhealthy mist that en-
oped her. 1t was not too late now,
gold, thought, her heart threhhing. quic
hem She would make one more effort; if
failed-ah, then!
She opened the door softly, a fa
shy flush on her cheek. He looked
the faintest shadow of annoyance
ok. sing his face. He had just got 81
trace of the case he was in search, OF,
his whole heart was in his profes
just then.
"Well, what?" He did not me,