Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-05-31
"And so you are going to take this medi-

II suppose So"
He put the glass into her hand. and she
drank its contents with half-defiant, half-
resigned air. Then few minutes silence
during which she pointed several severe NOR
al reflections against herself, and waited TO
see what would happen next What happen
ed next was another piece of clairvoyance on
the part of DIR. Ritchic.
II see you think the transformation n long
time coming We have reverted to the TH0u-
mRd and one Nights, and that was doubtless
n bewitched draught."
II don't see that it has any effect at all &"
answered Margaret, obdurately.
''Oh, that is because your mind has not yet
been diverted. just mention some cheerful
subject and will enlarge upon it,"
"Prayer-meetings, suggested his patient,
promptly.
The doctors eyes twinklcd. every good.
bowling prayer-meeting in Virginia, for
instance. Have you ever attended one 2"
"No; | never was in Virginia"
They may be held wherever there are any
colored people of the Methodist persuasion,
for aught l know but the one 1 saw was
near Harper's Ferry"
II went into a Methodist church once with
my brother when we were both little chill
dren," said Margaret speaking with some an
imation. I'VE had no idea what they were
going TO do and when the 'Amens began to
30 up all around we were frightened nearly
out Of our wits. 1t was a crazy old building,
full of echoes, and the responses were so con
fused they sounded like groans We thought
half the congregation were taken with the
cholera"
DIR. Ritchie laughed THAT was mild CONF
pared with the proceedings among the uned-
ucated colored people. At the meeting at
tended, half n dozen benches at least were
broken up in the course of an hour l should
be sorry to speak disrespectfully of devotion
al exercises, but really it don't seem TO me
that jumping up and down as high and fast
as ones muscles will permit can be classed
under that heading"
Il should think not" said Miss Rowe,
rather scandalized.
But that is what they did. And every
hop came to an end with 'Praise the Lord =
There was one young fellow standing near
the pulpit who jumped so high that he actu-
ally came down inside of it But the climax
came when the minister stood up TO address
them. 'Bredren" screamed he 4 can see de
Lord dis minute. | can see him step to de
edge oh de cloud, tip one ear up an de odder
ear down to listen to de cries oh his chill
dren""
Such start as Margaret gave, and such in
credulous eyes as looked up at him!
Il do assure you that have not exagger-
ated word. l saw and heard all that-to
say nothing of much more like it-with my
own eyes and ears. And those people had
not the least idea that they were guilty of any
irreverence. They were simply prasing the
Lord, as they thought, in the way most ac-
ceptable to Him"
Acceptable :" calculated Margaret. "Why
don't somebody go and teach them betterl"
Are you planning to go yourself? Better
think twice 1t was again the same careless,
jesting tone that had made her doubt every
word he said at the first. She felt bewildered
Surely there had been a strain of earnestness
in it II minute before. But perhaps thnt had
only been assumed to entrap her into the
same thing. He should not succeed again.
not even though he had succeeded in curing
her headache. On the whole she wished the
headache would come back it would prove
him in the wrong.
You must make a good deal of allowance"
coolly continued the enigma who had installed
himself as her physician" allowance, |
mean, for their temperament, their Oriental
fervor of imagination. 1t is not like ours"
Very fortunate that it is not, Dr. Ritchie."
answered Margaret, with resoute indifTer-
ence. She was not sure but she was begin
ming to feel sleepy. Suddenly n thought
struck her that reused her for a moment and
made her feel doubly provoked with herself
As if that were not enough, another piece of
clairvOyance from the enigma
Il fully understand that you don't believe
yet that | have any claim to my own name
and that you addressed me by it involuntarily
Let me beg you not to be annoyed by that,
but to go to sleep us soon as possible. You
will feel the better for it when you reach
Pittsburgh"
Very we'll, she said, not knowing what
else to say. Possibly he would not be able to
read her thoughts when she was asleep and
had none. 1t was not strictly true either
that she disbeieved his statements He
might be DIR. Ritchie-yery probably was, her
common-sense told her Almost any other
man in the car she would have believed if he
had made similar assertion. But in the case
of the problematic doctor, the very atmos-
phere around him seemed to be unreal
There was n steady keen light in his eyes that
might be mockery, or it might be only hu.
NOR. She doubted whether he meant any
thing that he said whether he was not con-
tinually playing with his neighbors, and ex-
perlmenting upon them even in his lightest
words. There are people who get the credit
of such mental chemistry whether Justly or
unjustly DIR. Ritchie-if that was his name
might deserve it, or it might have been in
a manner forced upon him by the pressure of
opinion. If II man makes good joke once
or twice, he is supposed to do nothing but
joke forevermore. If he plays II part few
times, he is set down as n perpetual actor to
the end of his days. Perhaps it might he "A
little hard sometimes, but who could tell in
any particular case whether they were not
wasting theirpityy
These ideas, or rather these impressions
passed through Margarets mind vaguely as
she lay back in her chair What n comfort it
was to be comfortable she thought with
more drowsiness than brilliancy. Presently
the brown face of her neghbor opposite her
began to waver before her, the noise of the
train grew fainter, and the sleep she coveted
fairly settled down upon her for the remain
der of the journey
She was awakened by the cars stopping
with sudden bounce. Have we run over
any body" she wondered, dreamily. No;
they were in Pittsburgh, and it was only the
usual jerky method of putting down brakes
The brown hand of her eccentric acquaintance
was on her travelling bag
Let me carry it for you, if you please"
he said, marching on ahead of her without
waiting for an answer
As there was nothing else to do she follow
ed him meekly cogitating whether or no he
would make of with her property No. he
apparently had no thieyish propensities He
restored it to her ON the platform, and looked
down upon her with the same careless smile
on his lips,
Probably you do not care to tell me your
name, and give me the pleasure of prescribing
for you again z"
Probably don't" thought Margaret, OBJ
stinately. Yet she knew that she should like
him for an acquaintance she always liked
odd people butdid he think she was going TO
tell him her name in that uncdremonious,
school girlish fashion?
Apparently he did not "Ah! | see YOU
don't" he added, as if it was a part of the
same sentence And l forgot, you don't
know what my name is either Allow me,
then, to wish you good-evening, and express
my pleasure over our short railroad acquaint-
ance." He bowed politely and walked off,
not without another amused glance-at what
At the letter she still held in her handy
why, it has been in my lap all the way!"
she thought. Unless he is blind, he could
not very well help reading the address doz-