The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-10-07

He was busy day and night, as Miss
Putnam heard by way Of her hired
help; and one morning she saw him
pass, urging his fat, wbeezy horse
along as fast as be could.
What fool ! am she said, reso-
lutely, ito keep that lazy little Sui
tan eating his head off while that
man really needs him. He is good
man, too; the drag of q set of shiftless
relations has kept him poor, but l
guess nobody ever knew him to re-
fuse to help a person in trouble. He
was kind to father;" her eyes soften
ed as she thought Of the long and
weary illness through which she had
depended upon DR.. Walden for ad-
vice and assistance.
I'll give him the colt outright, as
my contribution toward helping the
sick whom he is always serving"
and having reached this conclusion
Miss Putnam, having no one to con-
suit, or even to inform, took card,
and wrote upon it, in her clear, deli
cate hand:
"The poor We have always with
you." To them, through you, may
my life be devoted.
"To Doctor Walden"
She fastened this securely to the
halter, aud told Ebenezer Hollis,
who worked for her, to take that
horse over to Doctor Walden's stable,
tie him carefully, and leave him.
'If you see bis mother she a ided,
"and she askes you anything about
the horse, tell her the Doctor has
traded for it, and that is all you need
to say"
There was no one to wonder at,
or find fault with anything Miss Put
nam chose to do, and yet she had
fretted herself almost into fever
over the one impulsiye and imprudent
act of her life, when in the early twi-
light Doctor Walden stopped again
at her gate, and walking directly to
the porch where she stood, said grave
ly:
"Miss Putnam, have neither elo-
quence nor skill to talk, but / need
you now, and if l could make you un-
derstand how much confidence have
in you, l think you would be willing
to sacrifice something of your pleas
ant life here for the good OF Others y
A rosy flush softened all the hard
lines of Miss Putnam's face, as she
thought how long and how well she
had liked the Doctor. And yet"
she said, in low trembling voice,
II do not think it is exactly right
for a man to offer to marry woman,
only because she has given him q
horse"
"Marryl Horsel"
Inc doctor stepped back aghast,
and looked at the flushed aid down.
cast face before him.
81 declare she looks prettier than |
ever saw her," be thought, and then,
as she did not speak, be said aloud:
You spoke about horsel'
Yes; did you not ind my sorrel
colt, Sultan in your stable tonight"
Il have not been homo tonight, |"
he answered. II have been at the
factory village all the afternoon. A
fever has broken out among the chill
dren, and the parents are nearly fran
tic"
"And you are working very hard.
| knew your old horse wasn't able
to carry you through, and SO to-day
| gave Sultan, not to you, but to the
poor and suffering, whom you so faith-
fully serve"
With gracious geutleness the doe
tor bent and kissed the hand that
rested on the poarch door, and in the
troublous weeks that followed the
only sign of happier heart-life that the
keen-eyed Villagers saw, between
"hern at thirty-six, and "him" at for
ty, was that DR.. Walden drove Miss
Putnam's colt.