The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-07-30

him. As an anatOmist he must have
known for a good while that he had a
heart, but it had never made its existence
evident as it was doing tonight, in the lit
tie lull following on the wear and tear OF
the last few weeks. Once more he looked
about him, and once more it was not the
striped table-coveT for which he looked.
He discovered suddenly how bare the room
was, how empty of all signs of woman's
gracious presence. Painful cleanliness,
ineXorable order reigned from one end to
the other; nothing beside;-no bright
geranium-petals dropping over the wicker
flower-stand; no fanciful wOrk-basket,
with thread of scarlet wool drawn be-
tween the leaves of a volume that held
down the lid; no warm-hued shawl light
ing up duslly corner. Then his mind
went back to house where there had been
many such picturesque trifle pleasant to
the sight; and from them he thought of
! their owner; thought of her as he had
| learned to knew her in the sck-room's
intimacy through many anxious watches
shared together; of the character he had
| seen unfolding under his eyes, leaf by
/ leaf. like a spring blossom-the child's i'm
/ pulsiveness and simplicity, the woman's
/ thoughtful tenderness; he saw again the
| beseeching eyes full of such capacity of
/ love and suffering; heard the arch laugh
| that told how bright nature in happiness
/ hers might be; he felt once more the
/ touch of the little hands on his arm
"Oh, you dear, good doctor! Whose
dictionary do you use, dOctOr?" The
doctor started up suddenly and stared
round him at the bare room and at the
candle burning low on the table beside
! him. Where had the voice come from
| that had repeated those words? Had it
been his own? "Old fool, >" he muttered-
better go to bed!" and with that the
! guttering candle went out.
No doubt twas extremely unreasonable
of the doctor 10 have so strongly resented
his housekeeper's remark about Adele
Deodet's lack of stamina, considering that
it was exactly what he had himself said
some weeks before; no doubt, too. that,
with his medical insight and the Opportu-
mites he had since had of observing the
girls constitution. he should have known
better than Miss Hetty; nevertheless, she
was right and he was wrong. 1t was
Adelc's turn next, and it was not long in
coming. The willow catkins that were
just beginning to peep out on the trees on
that April evening when he rode home
rejoicing over his patient saved had not
yet withered on the ground when he was
again hastily summoned /" "dOwn to
Longs" and this time it was not for the
old man. He was well enough by this
time to be out; well enough to be anX-
iOus, after feeble fashion that was exas-
perating to the doctors strong, over
whelming dread, about Adele-fOr Adele
had tainted suddenly away and lay look
ing whittier than any living face the doctor
had ever seen before.
The day was sultry for Nav, but chill
struck through him as he looked at hei.
He did not like the blue, pinched pallor;
he did not like that obstinate swoOn. The
child was Just worn out. and no wonder,
he said to himself dOggedly-this was but
the natural reaction of the past weeks
strain. But all the while he did not be-
lieve himself; louder than his own words
he seemed to hear the ill-Omened marsh
bird, that, borrowing his housekeeper's
voice, crOaked Out-NOt long fer this
world! not long for this world There,
in the very beginning, he seemed to see
straight TO the end.
In the intimacy of her fathers sick
room, where they had learned to under
stand and appreciate each other, there had
sprung uP a strange kind Of friendship
between these two so different, the fanci-
full girl of seventeen and the blunt, mid
die aged New England doctor; and now,
in her own illness, it appeared to be a COM
fort to Adele TO see the doctors face and
hear his voice: she frightened at his COM
ing and drOOped at his going. and really
seemed to have stronger hold on life in
his presence. 1t was a comfort which he
asSuredly had no thought of with
holding. Once more, as Miss Hetty
fretfully complained, his own peace
and convenience were sacrificed for the
sake of people who were nothing TO him;
but wheRa be further demonstrated that it
was the = fness of the old man right over
again, and this time all to no good, he did
not answer a word-only gave her look
so strange, so wild, that, though she die
not comprehend il, it fairly startled her
into silence. She did not open her lips TO
him again on the subject, but let him come
and go as he chose.
1t began to be whispered about among
the gossips that "the French girl down to
Longs was in galloping consumption,
and that the doctor would never bring her
round as he had brought her father. As
to anything more the neighbOrhoOd was
silent. Had it been young DR.. Price, spite
of the mortal illness with which Adele was
credited. there would have been plenty to
Surmise that such devoted attendance was
not due solely to professional zeal or hui
man compassion, but being ''the COctor"
nobody dreamed of saying anything of the
sort. They only said how good he was in
sickness, and congratulated themselves on
having such a man to trust to when their
own turn should come.
Meanwhile the doctor, with fatal clear
sightedness he could almost have cursed,
saw the end hurrying on. He could have
wished to be blind to hope, even If vainly,
to the very last; but, to his own despair,
not the shadow of change escaped him.
Adele saw as well as he, it seemed, for
once, after long, musing silence, she
asked him suddenly:
doctor, am going to die?''
Prepared as he had thought himself for
what he had watched coming day by day,
the question from her lips seemed all at
once to thrust it upon him as a wholly un-
looked for blow. He scarcely knew what
evasive answer he made, but she quietly
put it aside.
Tell me the truth. please. it won't hurt
me. | am going to die, am Inot?"
"While there is life there is hope" said
he, ''but, my child. L am afraid am
afraid" He stopped short and there
was moisture in the keen gray eyes that
had had to look unmoved on so mch suf-
fering and sorrow.
But Adele did not see it; she was gazing
straight before her as at some vision.
"GOing TO die" she repeated; going to
another world-and it is such little whilo
have been in thisr'
YES" said the doctor with groan,
''you taken and left, and am three times
your age"
I'VE shall be the same age there" said
Adele with dreamy smile.
Something in those words of hers STIR
red him strangely. He lifted his head and
looked at her with kind of dumb entreaty.
He would have liked to say-"Don't for
get me, Adele, where you are going wait
for me there; | shall come to you soon"
His heart was full of painful, passionate
words. but he did not know how to speak
them; he only groaned again, and then,
the professional instinct oddly asserting it
self through all this tumult of feeling, he
said in matter-of-fact-way- 'It won't
do for you to talk any more now, child"
Then after little he stood up, and telling
her that he must leave her for the present,
but that he would come again by and by,
he went away to make the regular round
of his patients.
He had promised TO come back in the
afternoon, and he was as good as his word;
but. though he drove his horse like mad