Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-12-20

dictated to Matty q prescription for
somebody else, she said with real
solicitude.
CDR. Gibson, you will certainly kill
yourself if you keep on at this rate;
and it's my belief that you are over.
worked, and you ought to take q rest"
s'Do appear to be at deaths door,"
he inquired, Strengthening up, and
squaring his shoulders, as if proud of
his proportions. ''No, Matty," he con-
tinued solemnly, though with a merry
twinkle in the honest eyes, "work, as
Mrs. Bowers frequently remarks, is a
pannaky." Matty understood him and
colored crimson.
At last Tom was pronounced out of
danger, and now the doctor felt that he
must remove himself and his belong
Jugs from Mrs. Kellicott's house to his
own. Matty, hidden by the honey
succle-vines over the piazza, watched
him go and cried a little. @52
The morning after, Tom and Matty
sat on the piazza; he reading, or pre-
tending to read, while she sewed dill
gently. Neither uttered a word for
more than half an hour.
Presently Matty shook out the mus
her work-box put her little silver thin.
bic aside, and dropped her hands, one
over the other, into her lap. Then she
looked up.
Tom was staring straight at her. She
colored violently, and SO, for that mat
ter did he. as1
"Tom," she began, "don't be angry.
Oh, do forgive me !" She paused try
ing to tell him softly; but she went on
bluntly, !" I want to end our engage
ment."
$50 do l." rejoined he, with difficult
ty suppressing a whistle. Then both
burst into hearty laugh.
You see, Mat" said Tom when he
could speak, 81 love some one else."l
Matty appeared to be taken quite
by surprise at this declaration. iHu 4
"But 1 couldn't help it, indeed l
couldn't. She is e yues8j
"She is q young lady whose name is
Kate, and her eyes are the blacklist and
her cheeks the reddest, and she sings
under the Stars with guitar-accom-
pa1liment," ratified Matty all in a breath.
! It was Toms turn to stare. "Where
did you find all this out?" he asked.
T. "My dear little bird, etc. Think I'll
go and write to my future cousin" and
off she ran glad TO escape the questions
which she feared he might prop O ind
tssBut you haven't told me-" he call
ed after her. :, ,.f,s 5ris. e..s.,a.rsa-,
"And never shall,'' she returned,
whisking into her own room. a,a. y.
In less than an hour she had recon
ciled her mother to Fate's decree, and
written to Miss Kate Spencer, and per-
/ done much toward informing the
whole village of her altered prospects,
In due time Tom was married, Mat
ty officiating as first bridesmaid. e7Hs-
Matty, after the excitement of Toms
wedding, bethought herself what she
should do. There were her summer
dresses to be made up, her music
scholars to attend to, the sewing circle
and the flowers; but these occupied
neither all her time nor thoughts.
| There ought to have been DIR. Gibson,
too, she could not help thinking; but
that gentleman, instead of falling at
her feet as soon as he heard she was
| free, paid her no more attention than
before. Sac waited for him, in grow
ing wonder and worry, an eternity
two Weeks-and then took measures to
bring him to his senses. g.
| She employed only recognized and
ladylike means, however. she be-
gan by flirting a little with different
gentlemen. 05@
There was Will Ellis. This young
gentleman had offered himself to our
heroine, on an average, four times a
year, ever since she was Is. She had
invariably refused him, decidedly and
emphatically; but they were the best
of friends in the world, She now told
him in so many words, that she would
accept all the attention he would offer
her during the next week, taking care
| to remember that this singular declara-
ton proceeded not from any speaial re-
gard for him, but was made in pursu-
ance Of some occult design On her part.
Forthwith the pair embarked upon
what seemed to be the stormiest firta-
ton Skinnersville ever saw. In the
long morning they drove or rowed to-
gether; they dined at Mrs. Kilic otis,
and Immediately after sailed forth on
some other excursion. Both were ex-
cellent equestrians, and Matty gloried
in galloping over hill and dale, on one
of Wills handsome horses. 81 Will, by
the-by, was the son of a rich MAN,
Then they drank an early tea on the
veranda and spent the evening at the
piano or in reading. At the hour of 9,
Matty always sent Will home, without
particle of ceremony or regret at his
departure. In short, what appeared to
Skinnersville as serious courtship, was,
in reality, pure business matter, and
so understood between the two parties
to it.
This state of affairs continued for a
week or so, during which time the
Doctor ignored Mat1v's existence az