Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-01-07
''But know nothing about nursingp'
I said, my heart sinking again.
ftXor, II ~ ~ bo ,-ort1ira1 IN Epnvu ', u.


/ said, my heart sinking again.
"You will not be required to know any
thing about it. Mrs. Hoffman has a
nurse, but she wants some one to read to
her, to go out with her, a companion for
the hours when she can ENJOY companion
ship. Her terms are very liberal, hall
promised you would call.
/ gladly made the promise good, and
called upon Mrs. Hoffman.
found her an old lady, feeble and pale,
refined in manner. very gentle and pa
tient, under the suffering Of an incurable
and painful illness.
She seemed pleased with me, and after
some little talk we agreed upon terms and
duties, and | returned home, having at
last secured the long looked for employ
ment.
1t was a sore wrench to leave Mrs.
| Green, and the home where letters might
come to me; but when it was all over, 1
was made very happy in my new position.
| Mrs. Hoffman was very wealthy aud lavish
in all expenditure in her pursuit of any
alleviation of her sufferings. Her nurse,
an elderly lady named Hester, cared for
her in every attack OF positive illness. and
| slept in her room at nights.
But my task was simply to share in all
her pleasant hours, when she was well
! enough to ride out, to hear the piano, to
| listen to reading.
She would let me sit beside her some
times when she was forced to lie in bed,
but usually Hester drove me away, jeal-
ously anxious TO usurp all nursing duty.
We were an attached trio within week,
both the nurse and myself giving true
affection to our gentle employer, who gave
us every advantage in her power to bestow,
and was touchingly grateful for the at
tentions it was our positive duty 70 show
her
We crossed the ocean; we journeyed
slowly from city to city seeking health,
giving change of climate, and finding
pleasure in every new scene.
For in the intervals when pain loosened
its hold, Mrs. Hoffman was like a girl in
her eager delight in every pleasure travel
affords.
Leaning upon my arm, she would ex-
plore all the points of interest in every
large city where we sojourned, would
seek information and pleasure in all the
sightseeing open to tourists, ever sharing
with me the pursuits and enjOyments she
found
Nearly two years had passed, and we
were in Germany, where Mrs Hoffman
was deriving great benefit from mineral
baths.
| had become reconciled to the changes
IN my life, accustomed to the forlorn sense
of having been forgotten by my uncle and
lover, and did not look forward beyond
the present.
While Mrs. Hoffman lived felt sure of
friend and home, and the physicians
had given us hope of her slow but certain
relief, though she would never entirely re-
cover health.
Still we hoped she would live for
years, and | rested in the certainty of
her affection for me and my usefulness to
her.
One day in early Summer, when the
baths had greatly strengthened my en-
ployer she proposed drive to a cele-
brated cemetery in the outskirts of the lit
tie town where we were staying.
We mentioned to the chambermaid, wbo
cared for our rooms, where we were GO
ing, and she gave us touching account
of a grave we would find in spot she
designated N
"The young LADY, she told US, ''died at
the Golden Fleece the rival hotel of the
town; not this one. She was very beauti-
full, but l cannot speak her hard name
Her poor father was like an insane man
when she died, and the most beautiful
stone in the cemetery is over her grave.
For weeks the poor old man spent the en-
tire day at the cemetery until the doctors
almost forced him away. have heard he
went to America, but do not know. The
death was published in the papers, and
after the father went away a young MILFORD,
English or American, came to seek the
grave.
''Oh, how pale he was, and how he
grievedl He has come again and again to
the Golden Fleece, and he has left an
order at the florists that fresh flowers are
to be put upon the grave every day, win
ter and summer. He Is true lover
After which romantic story the girl
gave us most minute directions for finding
the grave, and we drove away.
The cemetery was very lovely in the
fresh verdure of the young summer and
we strolled about the shady walks, care
fully following the directions given by the
chalnbermaid, and looking for the shaft
Of marble she had described.
We turned at last into a shaded walk,
seeing i'll front of US the pure white monu-
ment, with the angel, whose folded wings
and bent head had been described 50 fully.
The light iron fence was covered with
climbing roses, and growing plants sur
rounded the base Of the pure stone. But
l saw none of this at first.
My eyes were fixed with an awe
stricken fascination upon the raised letter
ing against the tablet of the shaft. 1t
read:
''RosAMoND ETHERINGToN,"
AGED 90"
A I'd that date was less than .-nnr