Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-08-05

| mat sctliee tlc qUestOn, pronounced
Mrs. DR.. Brown, with glitter OF triumph in
her eyes. Vetterline don't sound much
like Coiwell. Besides, the doctor is dark and
she fair They don't look bit alike"
at is outrageous" exclaimed the chorus
Of voices again, and each had some revelation
to make of what they had seen with ''their
| own eyes" and they parted at late hour to
air their conclusions and continue the gossip
at their own iresides
Meanwhile the occupants Of the red brick
| house moved on in the even tenor of their
| way, all unconscious of the excitement and
scandal to which they were daily giving rise.
| The weeks rolled themselves out into months
and little Mrs. Broughton grew thinner and
more feeble until she was almost constantly
seen by the passers lying upon couch by
| the open window, a mere shadow of her
| former self.
One evening, long before she had become
so much worse, her husband had returned
home to find her in tears.
| "Why, love, what is the natter" he ques.
| toned in distressed tones, he lifted her
gently upon his lap with as much ease as if
| she were baby.
For reply she placed within his hand an
anonymous note some one had tossed over
| the gate, and which had been found lying
| upon the walk.
| village were disguised and scandaliZcd by
having in their midst person of such dis
| reputable character, and hoped she would
either regulate her conduct in conformity
| with the demands of decency or leave.
"My dear" said her husband, "you
should have treated the nameless viper as
| all such things deserve. You should have
burned it and never given to it a second
thought, much less a tear"
Chow could help it, Charley, dear, and
what can they meany You see it is not an
illitorate production, but well worded and
| written. And, Charley, there must be some
thing in it. They must have heard some
falsehood, for we are stunned as much as if
we lived in a pest-house, and people stare at
me as If / were a wild ANIMAL" sobbed the
little woman while her husband laughed and
petted her until he had dispelled the heavy
cloud.
ats ignorance, love, and envy. Your
ways are not their ways and some vile wretch
has taken the method to sting you. AS for
their not calling, dear, let them stay at
home. 1t is very doubtful if you could in
the least sssimilate with such gossips or they
understand you"
| Notwithstanding the logical reasoning Of
her Independent husband the little wife grew
daily more lonely and i'll. Typhoid fever
having broken out in the village and sur
rounding country, DR.. Colwell was obliged
| to ride night and day, leaving his little
| home patient very much to herself; and he
was not aware of how very lonely and mser
able she really was until he found her one
| day in dead faint, with blood upon her
white lips, the result Of a terrible hemorrhage
which nearly blotted out her frail life. The
| fact reached every ear in the village and set
every tongue to wagging. DR.. Colwell
| had actually refused to leave the bedside Of
| Mrs. Broughton and his patients might die
| unattended unless DR.. Brown could care for
them
81 shall call" said Mrs. Bridge to her hus-
| band. mo matter what the woman may
| be, she is human and suffering sister, far
| from home and friends"
81 am astonshed, wife," answered the
good man, THAT you have not done SO
| sooner"
81 have tried, but you know the children
| have been down with the whooping cough,
and with all my other duties / have found it
| impossible"
She did call, and found Mrs. BrougAton too
i'll to speak. But the great, appealing blue
| eyes that fixed themselves upon her mother
| ly face for a moment, only to close over the
tears that instantly filled them at the express
sion of womanly sympathy, haunted the wife
| of the minister for days. And when, neglect
| ing house duties, Mrs. Bridge called again
| she found the poor invalid had ceased to
need human sympathy or care. She was be-
| yond the cayil of cnvious tongues and where
| the venom barbed shafts could never reach
her more.
| Mrs. Bridge and the servant robed the still
| form in its last habiments, and after they
had placed her upon the couch in the parlor
| Mrs. Bridge stood regarding her with fearful
| eyes and thinking how much like sleeping,
| innocent, beautiful child she looked, when
| the door opened and DR.. Colwell entered
| He stood by her side and, bending, laid fresh
| flowers over the beautiful dead, and as If
| forgetful of the presence of others, he i'm
| pulsively stopped and kissed the sweet, cold
| face many times
"My poor, darling girl, we might far bet
| ter have left you at home, where mother and
| sister could have lightened your last days by
| sweet ministrations,' he said, as if speaking
! to himself. Then turning with fearful eyes
and sorrowing face to the wife of the minis
| ter, he continued: 81 thank you, madam,
| for this kindness"
at is nothing" she replied, weeping. 81
would have been very glad to have done
| something for her before it was too late--to
| have given her mothers care; but you
know, Doctor, something Of my many duties
and of the sickness at our house. And yet
reproach myself for neglect"
| 81 know; but, oh! Mrs. Bridge, IL you
could only have seen my little sister-could
only have known her intimately-you would
have rejoiced in the companionship:"
"Sister!" calculated Mrs. Bridge, =" was she
your sister? ! thought her name was Vetter-
! line"
at was; yet we had one mother Her
| father died before her birth, and my father,
DR.. Colwell, married Mrs. Vetterlinc when
| Bella was but year old. ! two years
her junior, while every one imagines me much
| Older"
| Mrs. Bridge went forth from the house in
| triumph, and lost no time in circulating the
| truth.
| "Oh" she exclaimed TO her husband, Z" if
| it will only teach these people charity shall
| be glad. Only think how they suffered that
| poor, dear, child-like woman TO live and die
without word of sympathy or kindness
without the care that the most abandoned
| have right to claim at our hands"