The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-08-24

Will you receive it now ?"
did not know what to say, but she
laid the money on the table and departed
ate my breakfast, and having dressed
myself carefully, made my way to the
old ladys house. knocked. The door
was opened by the stout female who had
dismissed me the night before.
"The DOCTOR" | said by way of ex
planation
"Ah !" said sho, "has missus called you
in again ?"
YES" | answered.
There is no need, assure you, sir,
she said. II can't really ask you in
There's no one i'll here. It's whim o.
missus's. I'm better judge Of illness
than she. No need of doctor"
| left the house, Of course partly il
dudgeon, partly in amazement.
Three weeks passed by, when 10 The
old lady again.
She walked into my consulting room
dressed as before, as greatly agitated, al
carefully polite.
Sir" she said "again | trouble you
My poor, poor daughter Come at once
MADAM" | answered, "its doctor (
duty, as it should be his pleasure, to obey
such calls but yon are aware that | have
been sent from your door twice without
seeing the patient. Allow me to ask
you question-are you the mistress o.
that house ?"
"Heaven knows am ~ said the OLD
lady. II have lived there for forty
years. | own it. am the only person
under that roof who has a right to give
an order"
"And the person who sent me away p
"My old servant, Margeret.'
did she do it at your order ?"
"No, sir; it was piece of presump.
tlon. But Margaret means well. She
loves u.s."
Then madam, if | accompany you,
shall see the patient p
"Assuredly. sir"
put on my hat again, and we went
out of the house together We exchanged
very few words as we walked through
the streets. At the door of her house
the old lady paused.
Don't mind Margaret" she whisper.
ed "she means we'll"
Then he ascendod the steps.
At the last one the door was opened to
us by the woman | had twice seen before
The doctor must see my child, Mar
garet, said the old lady
Margaret stepped back.
walk in, sir" was all she said,
The old lady beckoned me to follow
her ! did SO. She went up stairs and
opened the first door we came to. 1t was
an empty bed room. She closed it with
a sigh The next room into which she
led me was also empty; 50 were all the
others. In fact we visited six apart.
ments, only one Of which seemed to be
regularly occupied as a sleeping chamber,
and at last the old lady turned to me
with strange glitter in her eyes.
'Dtvleu." she said, etolen, somebody J
has stolen my girl. Sir, do you know, |
think it must be Satan !"
Then a steady step crossed the sill.
Margaret came in and the old lady
bursting into tears, suffered her to lead
her away,
As | made my way down stairs Mar.
garet rejoined me.
"You understand it now," she said
"You see the poor lady is not in her
right mind"
II do, indeed" | answered.
"She had daughter once" said Mar.
garet, land the girl-a pretty creature
of sixteen ran away with a bad man
She came back home one day and begged
forgiveness. Her mother turned her from
the door in fury. 1t was night; the
rain and hail beat down on the poor
thing, and the wind buffeted her. There
is no knowing what happened to her thai
night but the next morning she lay dead
dress was pinned to her baby's clothing,
and they brought her home. From that
awful day, sir. my mistress-who, in her
remorse and delirum, called in twenty
doctors to bring her dead daughter to
life-has always been doing what she has
done to you. try to keep the secret
generally, but some find it out and Others
think odd things of us. thought would
let you know the truth. If shq contrivcl
20 come again to you, you can always
promise to call, and so be rid of her
Poor soul she has nobody in the worlt
but me now. She's punished for hel
hardness, at any rate, and you'll excuse
her conduct"
bowed. | could say nothing. Mar
garet opened the door for me, and
walked out into the fresh air
AS looked back upon the house, will
all its elegance. it seemed to me to hay,
a haunted air, as though the ghost of thu
poor girl still hovered about it.
"God only knows how many fearful
secrets such handsome homes may a
times shut in," said to myself as
turned my back upon it gladly.
have never seen the poor old lad
since that hour Probably Margaret ha
kept too close watch upOn her.
A. I.;oL .roouo. .,,e1 ;.o.o.lol L..