The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-05-22

unhappy because L nateo IL; IL seenleu
ungrateful."
Tilly thought this delightful trait.
1--WE often have custard," she pursued.
" It's SO hard to think-up- new kinds OF
desserts"
"And a great waste of brains"
"Perhaps it is. | often wish | had
more time for improving my mind"
You should take the time" dogma
tized John. He had had it on his mind
to say this. 1t struck him that Tilly's
education was shamefully neglected.
She wrote wretched, scratchy little
hand; she stumbled in reading aloud an
ordinary newspaper paragraph; she had
once committed herself to the opinion
that Vienna was in France. 1t was
strange that beauty could be so illiterate
strange and shame. The poor child
was kept drudging from morning till
night, cooking, sweeping, busting. Why
didn't those two sisters of hers put their
shoulders to the household wheel? 1t
was all they were good for. Some one
had said that lilly was not old Green's
own child. The more fool she to wear
herself out in his service; but women
were apt to be fools they would slave
themselves to death for any man who
gave them kind word. At least so his
mother had always said. And old
Green was certainly affectionate enough
to the girl. Poor little thing, who
could help being good to her? All this,
while he kept up at the same time an
animated conversation with lilly. r.
Nor was that the last drive they took
together, He asked her all the oftener
when he saw it made the "wicked sis
ters," as he dubbed them, angry AS it
proved, he asked lilly far oftener than
was good for her. This was. only an
episode with him with Tilly it was the
most real experience of her life. John
Leonard seldom talked of his plans, but
she had mapped out his career for him,
When he graduated in medicine he
should become her fathers partner, and
finally relieve her father of the burden
of his practice. and then-and then
lilly always herself shared these air
castles with John.
This was long, long time ago--be-
fore the war, almost accurately, at the
drives occurred during the April and
May when the first regiments were put
in the field. At first John Leonard,
who was an Englishman, escaped the
war fever. Let these brothers fight out
their own family quarrels. But gradu-
ally the soul of the war clarons passed
into his blood" He must have hand
in this himself A man must belong
somewhere. So he cooily informed DR..
Green one day that he had enlisted; he
was going to fight for his shoulder
straps. AS for my diploma, I'll wait
awhile for that"
The doctor told him he was mad, and
urged him at least to wait a year. But
much Tecked John; tits q waste OF
words to answer a young man except ac-
cording to his folly. John was an ardent
soldier by this time. He had come to
America to seek his fortune; perhaps the
way to it lay along the path of glory.
When he came to bid Tilly goodbye,
she burst out crying. That settled the
question as to their manner of farewell.
He took her in his arms and kissed her
repeatedly. This was decidedly wrong,
decidedly imprudent, although they
were only atfectionate, brotherly kisses
Miss Rosie came in as he released her
Well, Matilda Green!" she cried, with
an intonation that meant anything but
well. But Tilly was too heart t-broken to
eXtenuate her conduct. She left that
to John, who said, good-naturedly
" You'll give me a kiss too, won't you,
Miss RosieP Remember. you may nev el
see me again"
And he actually kissed her too. He
wanted to put it out of her power to
tease poor Tilly. She had been guilty OF
the same impropriety herself.
Poor lilly was wretched, wretched,
after he was gone. But she was buoyed
up by hopes and visions. She had a
brave picture, too, of John which he
1,o ho 10
ant. Oh, how proud she was when that
came!
She never forgot that speech of Johns
about improving her mind. She tried
hard to find time to do so. Her favorite
method was the composition of letters
to John, which were never sent, in the
course of which she would laboriously
hunt out in the dictionary nearly the
words she wanted to use, to insure their
correct spelling. She also endeavored
to find time to read such light literature
as was contained in the weekly paper OF
the household. She read the love
stories, to be sure, with an especial zest
apart from their purpose as educators.
They struck kindred chord. .......
One day John Leonard received in
camp copy of this same paper-the
Woodbridge NeaCs. 1t contained mark
ed paragraph. "Good gracious!' he
said, reading it, "old Green's dead.
How fearfully sudden!'
His particular chum, Lieutenant Phil
Ross, was standing by. This gentleman
was a cormorant of facts-a trait which
the thoughtless are apt to confound with
curiosity; but | contend that there is Il
difference between inquisitiveness and
acouiSitiyenesS. Mr., Ross stretched ont
his hand for the paper.
"Old Greenp Hum! ah, yes--Dr.
Green! BY Jove! .Philbrick Green, for,
merly of Greenbrier, New York !
knew the man. | hail from Greenbrier
myself. So he has turned up again, has
hep Woodbridge, Rockland county,
Pennsylvania. Been in Woodbridge,
eh? What ever took you there?n
II studied medicine in DR.. Green's
office. There was an excellent opening
for country practice"
" Let us see: he had two daughters
Rosie and Posie."
"Three."
"The third was only an adopted
daughter. She accounts for my interest
in him. Her mother was a distant
cousin of mine. Left a widow with
three children, utterly destitute Sewed
for her living. The Greens took fancy
to her little Tilly, and offered to take heI
off her hands. She agreed, rather than
let the child starve. The Greens moved
away shortly afterward. The last time
| was in Greenbrier Q run up there
every summer to see my mother) / found
that my cousin had married-a very
well-to-do man, too. Her other children
had died meanwhile, and she had set hel
heart on reclaiming Tilly. Her husband
had made Inquiries for DR.. Green, but tC