Litchfield enquirer., 1879-09-25

member you with gratitude"
 MT. Balingail bowed over her hand. He should have liked to kiss the hem of her dress Then he passed quickly through the car, catching snatches of conversation that, like the odor of the carbolic acid, brought to him re- alization of what all this meant. Merely to offer spiritual consolation to the dying" he heard the pale priest say.
 And one of the doctors, gay, boyish- look ing fellow, lifted his cap as he caught Mir. Balingalrs eye.
 ''Mor1turs te snEutamass!' he said, lightly.
 Curiously shaken and bewildered, Mir. Bal ingall watched the train plunge forward into the darkness. 'f
 ''lt's d bad business" said gloomy voice at hls elbow; and turning, he saw the girls late companion. ''I wish to Heaven that 1 were not mixed up Tn it. You see, the way of it was this her mother and father and all the family are spending the summer up in Minnesota. And when the fever broke out, she insisted on coming here that she might get news more quickly. She rules the family you noticed what temper she had ?-so her fatker brought her here to some friends, and hurried back The old gentleman wanted to get as far off as possible" said the young man, with chuckle; ''said there were too many refugees here to suit him; and he didn't want l and supper dish But Miss Idal, you see, had lover down there and he wouldn't run awaY-got crazy about his duty, staid to help the people, What queer streaks there are in some fellows! We'll, he took it at last, of course. Lord bless you fever doesn't dis criminate, you know It just hits out like blind man fighting ID a crowd-martyr or pigger, it's all the same to yellow Jack. Soon as ever Miss Idal heard that he had it, she made up her mind to go to him. She has sent a dispatch every hour, and the last one from his doctors said, Doing we'll That was enough for her. We've noticed that they al- ways die when the dispatches say, Doing we'll Her friends did everything but lock her in her room. So she bounced on me, and forced me to help her. Of course she will die they all do-and I shall be blamed for it." u MT. Ballngall bit his tongue in the effort to avoid asking q question. He would not take advantage of the strange chance that had led him into this young girls life. Yet he did not even know her name, except Miss ldal," which was no name at all. Somebody's ''Idol" he could well believe but not this loquacious young mans, whose chef regret about the whole matter seemed to be that some one might hold him responsible.
 They had reached the cab that had brought them to the station, and which Mr. Balingall had ordered to wait. .E ]:
 ''Will you get in 2" he said to his compan- lon.
 ',.No, thank you. I won't go home just yet; Pm all upset; 1 must get some beer. Goodnight. hope you won't regret this bus mess.
 Mr. Balingali gave the order for home, and soon reached his rooms. As he got out of the cab he noticed a shining something caught in one of the Tapping curtains. He was remind ol oe l,ol had t,o lady's throat, and quickly disengaged it. In his own room he examined it with singular interest. It was scarf-pin shaped like a sabre, with the name 'Idalia" engraved deli cately in the handle.
 ''Idalia !" he repeated; ''and they call her Miss Idal.''
 Mir. BalingalI was an engaged man. He had engaged himself with the deliberatcness that up to this time had characterized every action of his life. He was an ambitious young fellow, with fixed determination to make himself a man of note and position, and while he never demanded help, he was quite as far from disdaining it. He was poor, but had friends of influence. He had graduated at the best medical college in this country, and had practiced two years in the French hospitals. While in Paris he had made the acquaintance of Dr. Vancourt and his daughter. Dr. Van court was the leading medical man in the Western city where Mir. Ballngall thought his chance was best of making a brilliant name. Miss Fanny Vancourt was pretty, sprightly, winning, kittenish-the adjectives are almost as plentiful as the type. Naturally Mir. Balin- gall was attracted toward her, and quite as naturally, being practical man, he understood the advantage that such marriage might be to him. The result was an engagement pleas ing not only to Fanny, but to Fanny's papa. He accepted MT. Balingall with admirable promptness, and offered to take him into part nership as soon as he should call him son-in- law. From that time the young physician saw his way clear. His future was blocked out as squarely before him as geometric fig ure cut into marble. He was accustomed to say that there was no such thing as chance or fate, as some people named it-that every himself he declared that nothing had ever happened to him, but that every effect in his life could be traced directly to it's cause, which was always his own deliberate action.
 On the night succeeding his adventure, MT. Balingall went as usual to call on Miss Van- court. He found her flashing some long nee dies in and out of glittering stuff that she called ice wool. She held the sparkling mesh es before her face, laughing through them, and her lover was struck anew with her beauty.
 Come, admire me, " said she, sauciy.
 ''l am so glad you are pretty, Fanny" he said, with a smile ''it does you so much good.'
 Don't you like it yourself, George?" she said, with slight pout.
 ''Of course, dear. But in the abstract don't care so much for beauty. l like some thing grave and noble in woman's face"
 Something very grave will come into my face if you are not more complimentary. Why, you do not seem to be thinking of me at all"
 "I have thought of you all day, Fanny. In fact, l do not believe there has been a time since have known you that 1 have thought of you more. 1 have been wondering if you loved me we'll enough to die for me-"
 "What very queer mood you are in this evening !" said Miss Fanny, slipping her hand into her lover's arm, and looking up into his face with little coaxing smile.
 Her endearments were not to be resisted, and George pressed the yellow head against his heart.
 Fanny was never too impassioned to observe details. "What have you in your waistcoat pocket?" she said, rubbing a small pink ear against it.
 stOh, nothing-a little box" said he reluc- tantly
 F It was Idalia's scarf-pin that he had that evening taken to a jewellers to have fitted to box.
 ''Ahl you have brought me present" cried Miss Fanny, smiling, and slipping her privileged fingers into his pocket.
 ''No, dear; do not open it," he exclaimed, |impulsively, but too late. She had drawn out the pin. .,ra. 4 ..- .a..
 ''Why, Gecrge!" she said, in round-eyed surprise.
 Mr. Balingall had been the master-spirit through all this courtship but, for all that, he stood abashed before that innocent "Why, Georgel" He wondered why he hated to have her hold the little sabre pin, and why he felt like placing his hand over the name she was deciphering slowly, holding it close to her near-sighted eyes
 !" sJ'-is it or an I?-I-d-a-li-a'-lda- lia. What does it all mean, George?'
 George felt like foolish figure in witness stand. The sensation was not agreeable Besides, he did not wish to tell Fanny of his adventure. . M -
 Fanny said he, slowly, ''I would rather not tell you-just yet-what it all means. It io e