Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-08-07

more cheerful,
Good heavens, how can ] 7 Listen
for q few moments, As | have said
before, | am engaged 10 be married,
but swear to you | don't know TO
whom
The old physician sat up, his face
suddenly elongated and ho stared at
his partner IN pills with open eyed
astonishmcnt, Presently no said, to
himself
The boy Is as mad as q March hare,
NO, | am not--wish to thunder !
was lie related miuutsly everything
that had occurred under tho porch aud
screening vines at Mrs, Goodwins,
and continued, Whoever mlstook
Tor Mary Norris evidently believes in
and loves me, She folcmnly yielded
herself to my caroSses as my hethroth'
cd wife, thinking that worshipped
her, and her only DR.. Collins
groancd, aud ran his fingers through
his hMr until each particular iibro
stood on end. His partner yainly at
tempted to control his risiblcs, One
glance at tho disconsola,e ylsagc OF
biz friend was too much, aud 10 use
IN Ilibernianism) he let of roar that
shook the very foundation Of Brown
vile, ard it was a good halt hour be-
fore h. could sufficiently control him
self TO give his friend the comfort and
advice he needed.
No doubt, was the reply, 1T is q
laughable matter, and It's ridiculous
sido exceedingly funny, And now,
as a gentleman and man Of honor,
what am ] to do ~
Doctor Peters wiped his eyes, set.
tied himself TO considering tor u time
before replying, and then said
IfI were in your place, ! should
first find out to whom | Was engaged,
aud If she proved agreeable or desir-
able, | should marry her, unless my
heat was firmly set on Mary Norris.
Fortunately that spell is broken. |
SEQ that I was merely intatu ated.-
Besides, find that she is already en-
gagged. But that does not matter
now suppose n"o ne yo""s '"'J
the very reverse of my expectations
and hopes, what shall do then ?
Make yourself so dcvilish disagree
able and exacting that you drive her
to the extremity ofjilting you,
'rhat advice is very sound, no
doubt, but how in the name of COM
mon sense am to find the girl 2
You would make a poor detective.
Evidently her name is Mary. If /
understood you correctly, you called
her that alone with few epithets
thrown in
4 had not thought of that
well, think owe: all the girls in
Brownsville by the name OF Mary, and
the one most likely to be she. Then
visit her at once. There is Mary
CATER
1T wasn't she,' interrupted Doctor
Collins, with a gesture OF disgust.
How do you know Remember,
you proposed in the dark
Don't you think l should know if
l was hugglng saw-log ? Didn't |
tell you her form was slight and deli.
cately moulded ?
'Oh, ifyou had ocular demons'ra'
ton of the fact, yield. Might itnot
have been Mary Lewis ?
NO, she IS too tall.
Then clearly, it is as suspected-
Mary Frazier-and | congratulate you,
my dear boy, tor having so stumbled
upon happy fate in the da'k. She
j., doubtless, the dearest little woman
in the world, and perfect lady with
al. The handsome face Of the young
physician cleared, and he redeemed
visibly, as he answered:
Il had not thought of her other
than to admire her gentle and sweet
manner and radiant, intellectual face.
Somehow she is always so reticent
and retiring that I have found it rath-
er hard to get on with her
If you had been better read in the
ways of woman, this alone would have
convinced you that she was more In
teresled in you than she was willing
to acknowledge, even to herself
"A thousand thanks, Doc. l confess
that you have helped me wonderfully,
and if it is indeed the lovely Mary
Frazier to whom | am afianced, and
by whom believe myself greatly be-
loved, l will try not to be wholly
miserable
The next morning, according to
the advice he had received, DR.. Collins