The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-02-12

had decided that he would have it.
Nevertheless she was unjust; his feeling
had been genuine. The penalty of his
nature. always following him, was that be
peruade everybody else that they were I'M
real.
One can get used to almost any thing. 1t
seemed to her at first that it would be in
tolerable to have DIR. Richie guest in their
house, friend of the family, if he really was
going to persist in treating them all as so
many subjects for dissection.
She was mistaken. The uneasiness soon
wore of. although there was no better
guaranty OF his sincerity at the last than at
the first. From an occasional visitor he
slipped into a regular one. BY and by he
was going In and out of the house like
tame cat, especially evenings, when his pro-
fessional duties were oyer. Yet she never
believed that he had any genuine, warm.
hearted interest in them; it was only de-
vice 10 make her believe 1t, and sometimes
she smiled to think how impossible that
was He amused and interested her old
father; and that was great thing in his
favor. les, and she was perfectly willing
to acknowledge that he ammused and in
terested her, too.
About once a month he would weave an
argumeDtative net TO entrap her into SAYING
that she trusted him. She always broke
through it with an emphatic negative. Yet
at such times she would think, with much
quiet amusement how easily she could end
this acquaintance, if only she could bring
herself to equlvocate little! Give DR..
Richie his triumph, and she felt sure she
should soon see the last of him. He was
neglecting his profession a good deal, too, in
order to spend SO much time at their house.
What pity that wasl
So two years went by, and then one day
asked Miss Rowe TO marry him. This did
not surprise her, either; she bad rather ex-
pected him to use this as LAST expedient.
She said No very promptly indeed and
wondered what he would do next But he
did not relinquish this point as easily as she
expected.
why do you give me such an answer"
he demanded, like an injured man. You
have not said you do not care for me-"
mo need to say it when tell you that I
do not believe in you. You are a perpetual
actor, and the world is your stage"
Then you do not believe that love your"
mo, do not believe you. You may think
you do"
What will make you believe In me? 1
have tried my own way; now tell me yours,
and l will try that"
His face and voice were both so earnest
that they startled her, till she remembered
what an actor he was
Wei, | hardly know" she replied, de-
lberately. "If you were once SO thoroughly
in earnest as to forget yourself, it would be
something. Ii | knew of some generous,
self-sacrificing thing you had done, without
other peoples knowledge, suppose 1 should
be more ready to trust you. And If could
see you in some thoroughly ridiculous pesi-
ton, disconnected and helpless like common
people, with all your defenses down, might
be still more ready to trust you"
Not very easy conditions to comply
with"
81 never expected you to comply with
them"
So the subject dropped. The doctor still
came and went, but seemed to have aban-
doned his fruitless project. There were no
more word-traps set to catch her. Then, as
was natural, she began to feel little more
confidence in him. The mere fact that he
still remained their friend after finding tina t
he could not have his own way had some
weight.
About this time there was a change in
their servants, one of them leaving to be
married, and new girl coming to take her
place.
The girl, whose name was Molly, had not
been in the house three days before come
one CHANGED to mention DR.. Ritchie's name
before her. 1t was like the pulling of q
shower bath. Molly dropped her buster,
and nearly dropped herself in her astonish-
ment. Did they know the good doctor, then,
who had been her benefactor when she had
no other friend in the worldwide had
found her when her mother was almost dead
of fever, and the children were starving,
and her father could get no work? Did they
know how he had cured her mother and fed
her children? how he had never forgotten
them, until even the baby, which was so
starved and thin, was now as plump and
and pretty baby as there was in the whole
city?
And so on, an hour or more; indeed
Molly would never have stopped as long as
she could get anybody to listen TO her.
l rha-a her 90
was pretty faced, shy little Irish girl, who
| was speaking out of her very heart.
Margaret thought with a curious thrill
| that here was the first of the conditions she
had named fulfilled. Would the other one
be too? Yes, and with marvellous rsridity
Happening to look out of the window one
! laborers' holiday, confused, angry sound
arose from the upper end of the street. II
| grew louder, grew nearer, resolved itseli
/ into a semi-mob of excited maicontents
rushing through the streets, vociferatine
curses against their employers. And there,
in the very heart of the rabble, his hat miss
! ing, his immaculate collar rumpled, his face
all red with exertion-there, Of all men in
the world, was DIR. Richie. He certainly
| looked disconnected and embarrassed enough
| TO satisfy any one.
Margaret almost jumped in her astonish.
ment. Here was condition number two
met.
| que Was very UNEASY ~ LISt iOr niS ptIcOH
al safety. He seemed to be trying to re
strain the mob from further mischief, ant
in consequence was receiving some rather
rough usage st their hands. But messen
ger dispatched later in the day reported tina
the doctor had reached his own home with
out Serious injury. though much bruised anG
battered.
He did not come to see them that night
nor the next. When at last he was wei
enough to make his appearance there were
few hours in which Margarets thankfulnes
for his safety lulled to rest the old uneasy
suspicion.
Before those hours were passed he asked
her again to be his wife, and she consented
Three months afterwards they were marie,
in very quiet way. and, dispensing will
any wedding tour. began housekeeping il
the same cosy establishment where the doc
tor had SO long presided alone.
Margaret never asked herself now IL sh
believed in her husband. She knew tina
/ nd Eapf he 9TH