The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-22
EDWARD BROWN, sTOKER.

! We were very quiet, Mary and i, as we
strolled out of the churchyard, down one
of the lanes, and then crossing a stile, we
went through couple of fields and sat
! down on another stile, with the high hedge
on either side of us, and the meadow that
! they were beginning to NOW at the other
end, one glorious bed of flowers and soft,
feathery grass.
polly | says at last, breaking the
silence, "aint this heavenly ?"
"And you feel BETTER" she says laying
! her hand on mine.
Better says, taking long draught
1 of the soft, sweet-sceEted air, and filling
my chest, "better, old girl! l feel as if l
was growing backward into boy"
''And you fifty last week." she says.
EYES," | says, smiling, "and you are
forty-seven next week" And then we
sat thinking for a bit.
polly" / says at last, as sat there
| drinking in that soft breeze, and feeling
it give me strength, cts worth being i'll
only to feel as do nOw."
For You see I'd been very bad, else /
dare say I'm not the man to 90 hanging
about churchyards and watching ftIner-
ais I'm stoker, and my work lies in
steamers trading to the east. I'd come
home from my last voyage bad with fe-
yer, and been carried home to die, as my
mate thought, and it was being like this
and getting better that had set me think
ing so seriously and made me so quiet.
Not that | was ever a noisy sort of man,
as any one who knows me will say. Aud
now, after getting better, the doctor had
said / must go into the country to get
strong, so as there wac no more vOyaging
] till ] was strong there was nothing for it
but to leave the youngsters under the
care of the eldest girl and a neighbOr, land
come and take lodgings out in this quiet
Surrey village.
| Polly never thought | should get
better, and one time no more did |; for
absut month before this time, as | lay
hollow-eyed and yellow on the bed,
knowing, too, how bad | looked, for !
used to make young Dick bring me the
lOoking-glass every morning, the doctor
came as usual, and, like a blunt English
man | put it to him fiat.
q Doctor. - says, you don't think
| shall get better ~ and | looked him
straight in the face.
q Oh, come, come, my MANI he says,
smiling, I'VE never look at the black
side like that"
None of that, DOCTOR" l says. "Out
with it like man. l can stand it. I've
been expecting to be drowned or blown
up half my life, 50 l shan't be scared at
what you may say"
Well, my man, he says, ''your symp,
toms are of d very grave nature. You
see the fever had undermined you before
you came home, and unless -"
- All right, doctor 1 say, q under
stand. You mean that unless you cal
get q new plate in the boiler she won't
stand another voyage"
Oh, GOMEZ we won't look upon it a.
a hopeless case" he says There:
always hope" After a little more talk
he shook hands and went away.
Next day when he came l had beer
thinking it all over, and was ready fO
him. | don't believe | was bit better
In fact, know | was drifting fast, and
r saw it in his eyes as well.
r | waited till he had asked me his dit
ferent questions, and then, just as hi
was getting up to go, | asked him to 81
| down again.
''Poily, my dear" 1 says, al jus
2 want few words with the doctor" anC
she put her apron up to her eyes ant
! went out, closing the door after her yer.
! softly, while the doctor looked at m
l curious-like, and waited for me to speak
f ssDoctor,' says, "you'ye about give
+ me up. There, don't shake your hea'
b for / know. Now, don't you think In
afraid to die, for l don't believe | am
. but look here. There's seven childre
e down stairs, and if l leave my wife
a widow, with the few pounds have bee
i able to save what's to become Of them
- Can't you pull me through ~
MY dear fellow" he says honestly
GIVE done everything | can for you
case"
Y ''That's what you think, doctor"
V saws, "but look here Eve been at Sc
/. thirty years, and in seven wrecks. 1t
a been like lodging death with me a scol
of times. Why, pulled my wife thel