American citizen., 1876-09-09

surgery to amuse yourself with until
come back. Capital article where the
leaf is turned down-a man blown al
most into pieces-but find it for your
self.n
"Thank you," said Payne; "but if
it's all the same to you, old fellow, l
prefer something not quite SO anus
ing"
When DIR. Stone crrived at the dwell
ing of the Phillipses, the nurse-maid in
formed him, rs she opened the door,
that " the baby had taken q turn for
the better, dear lamb, and had been
sleepin' peacefully for the last ten min
utes."
"I'll take look at the little fellow"
said the Doctor, springing lightly up
the stairs and gently opening the door
of the nursery.
The baby lay in its crib fast asleep,
and by its side, holding one tiny hand,
sat a very pretty woman, who, at the
first glance, the Doctor decided to be
about 2O-at the next, at least 25. Her
golden hair was knotted with artistic
carelessness at the back of her small,
shapely head, a few pretty, tendril-like
eurls escaping to lie like little sunbeams
on her low, broad brow. Her eyes were
large. soft, bright, dark brown, and
shaded by long silky lashes. Her nose,
slightly "top-tilted, as Tennyson has
it, lent an archness to her face, which
otherwise, with stch eyes and so per-
feet mouth and chin, would have been
" "faultily faultless." Her dress, of
some lusterless gray stuff, with bright
blue ribbon at the throat and soft lace
ruflles at the wrists, clung close to
beautiful form; and the hand that held
the baby's was small, snowy white, and
daintily shaped. All of which did the
doctor take in in three quick glances,
after the manner of his kind.
ga seamstress-a princess!" was the
judgment he pronounced mentally as
he drew of his gloves, and, with unusu-
al urbanity, proceeded to make some
professional inquiries about the child.
The seamstress answered in a won-
derfully pleasant voice and in re-
markably well bred and sef-possessed
manner. 'sBaby seems to be all right
now,'' said she; 'sbut l think you had
better wait little while, Doctor, for
fear the spasms might RETURN
Tho Doctor seated himself, not at all
unwillingly, it must be confessed, and
while the baby still slumbered entered
into converse with this beautiful COM
panion. In few moments he found
himself turning over the leaves of
Browning which he had taken from a
small table by her side, and then, in an
other few moments, giving her, to his
great surprise, his opinion of that writ
er and his works.
I say, to his great surprise, for the
Doctor was really q shy, reserved man,
and not at all given to talking poetry
to pretty women but this woman was
50 pretty.
As he went on, waxing eloquent, it
suddenly struck him that needle
woman would not be familiar with
these poems, and he paused, to have
her, to his greater surprise, take up
the subject, and deliver a criticism far
better and cleverer than his own.
From Browning and that more re-
splendent genius, his wife, to Tenny-
son, Dickens, Thackeray, and at last
George Eliot, of whom the seamstress
spoke with q deeper crimson on her
cheeks and q brighter light in her glori-
ous brown eyes. :" Silas Marner," she
said, ssis the loveliest-" But by this
lime the Doctor had become so interest
ed in watching the play of the prettily
curved lips and the betwitching dimples
hat came and went with every smile, |
he ceased to hear what the enthusiastic
speaker s0as saying; and when she,
looking him straight in the face, asked,
'sDon't you agree with me, Doctor?"
he was obliged to stammer, 81 beg a
thousand pardons, but what yas your
last remarka''
g It is I who should beg PARDON"
said the pretty seamstress, with a
charming little grimace. "How
I have been! OF course |
you have patients waiting for you. How
could I go ON soP' The Doctor wished |
she'd go on forever. But pray don't
stay another minute; only tell me what |
% do if baby is taken sick again, and if
find can't manage him, I'll send for
you Immediately. hope, however, to
be able to get along without you."
The Doctor hoped she wouldn't-in-
ernally, of course-and then he said,
g I assure you, madam, have still an
hour at your service" Oh, wicked DR..
Stone! and old Mrs. Aspen groaning
With rheumatism and expecting you by
this blessed moment! 81
hall be only too happy to stay-I mean,
think it necessary 1 should remain.
These childish complaints are, as per-
,aps you are not aware, often very dan
,erous.'' And again, oh, wicked DR..
stonei for you know you are quite sure
iothing serious is the matter with baby!
,rescribe for yourself, Doctor. It is you
Who have caught dangerous mala-
". IL spite of your sneers and SCOTS
III your life long at the tender passion
in spite of your emphatic declaration
lot more than an hour ago-you haue
allen in love, and she isn't sweet six
cen, and she is-a seamstress.
" A princess" he repeated to himself
gain, and then he said, aloud, 'sI will,
a Iooot ,,or,a In ,,pts1 the ho hy., rrranJ |