The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-04-20

to blows and made night of it.
"It's good time to think of our
SINS" said my grandmother.
80 dear, | don't think so; it's the
very time want to think of other peo-
pies sins-anything but my own"
"Well, chirk up the fire; We'll keep
it company till the storm slackens.''
81 hope you don't mean to sit up for
that somebody who is coming. All
signs fail in wet weather."
The words were scarcely spoken when
we heard the tread of horse running
at full speed down the steep hill above
the house, then a crash of the fence and
all was still.
We held our breath and listened.
Soon a mans step sounded slow and
heavy on the walk, and my grandmother
rushed to the open door.
"Don't be scarf" said the familiar
voice of one of our neighbors, and he
stumbled in, carrying man, pale and
lifeless, in his arms.
Lay him right on the lounge-get
the camphor- bottle-here's somebody,
sure enough-don't tell me again that
sign ever fails. Who is it, JobP"
Il dunno his name; city Teller, l
reckon; said he'd pay me most any
price to get him to Meriden tonight.
The mare did well enough till we got
to that ere hill, then a flash scared her,
and she never stopped till she brought
up agin your fence. If he hadn't been
fool and jumped out he might have
been as spry as | am; but some folks
don't know nothin'."
THAT'S so that the rest can get a
Twin out of en- said my grandmother.
Meantime she was vigorously chatting
his hands and feet. while l dashed the
camphor in his face and bathed the
broad, white forehead, which certainly
promised well for the brain behind it.
He must be dead said l; "he
don't come to at all"
"No, he amt. Folks can't be killed
so easy. He'll give you trouble enough
before you're done with him. Now I'll
60 after the doctor; tain noways like
ly he'll know any more what's the mat
ter than we do; but he'll pretend to,
and if the man dies it's his fault and
not ourn.'
The doctor found no bones broken,
but the head was injured internally,
and he must be put to bed and kept as
quiet as possible. Now was my grand
mother in her element.
"You couldn't work any harder"
said |, eff he were your own son.
"He is somebody's own son. we
mustn't never forget that, you know"
Our patient fell from his first faint
ing fit into fever; and from morning
till night, and night till morning again,
he tossed and turned with one contin-
ual cry to drive faster, for he must be
be in Meriden that night. My grand
motherwas nurse-in-chief, but she often
made me her deputy when the labor
began to wear upon her.
The doctor had found some cards in
the notebook of our patient, with the
name John Jacob Deane'' engraved on
them; but we had no other clew to his
identity. It's impossible to watch over
a patient, day and night, striving to be
both brain and hands to him, without
growing into very strong feeling to-
ward him of attachment or dislike. 1t
was so with me, though scarcely dared
whisper to myself to which order of
feeling my own should belong. |
thought of him all the time, and if he
had died it would have been a blow to
me, albeit had never heard him speak
a conscious word.
My heart had always been singularly
empty of furniture; no boy had ever laid
surreptitious apples on my desk, or
dragged me home on his sled; and no
boy of larger growth had ever so con-
Quoted himself that L could rightfully
cherish his image as being more mine
than my neighbours. | had always been
on Cupid blind side, and felt that in
time l might come to envy even the
younger Miss Spenlow q hope nobody
has forgotten her), who was always de-
ferred to as an authority in love affairs,
because certain dry old whist-player
had shown signs of preference for
her; not that he ever proposed, or came
anywhere near it, but her sister thought
he might have done 50 had not prema-
ture death at the age of fifty or sixty
nipped his suit in the bud. An old love,
though it may be dead as the flowers
thato keeps in memory of it, has still
a faint perfume always clinging about
it.
[ pondered these things more or less
sat by Mr.. Deane's bed, trifing
with bit of fancy work that | could
lay down at once when he needed atten-
ton.
1t was the tenth day of the fever, and
he had been motionless a long time; a
sudden movement made me look up.
His eyes were fastened on me with a
new expression. l knew that he saw
me for the first time.
Don't leave me-" he said, family,
as l was about to call my grandmother.
| gave him the cordial which had been
kept for this crisis, and he revived at
once.
"Tell me all about it, he said. 81
was bound for Meriden, what then?n
"You jumped from the wagon when
the horse was running near our house,
and were brought in insensible."
Last night, l suppose; must go on
to Meriden to-day"
I" We suppose it was ten days ago,
and you could go to the moon as easily
as to Meriden. The doctor says you
must be very quiet
Jupiter Tonans! ten days! Whose
house is thisP"
90 If haIonorc tO ny orrondr,otbor NT,e