Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-10-27

OA3 AVb Al u1o 4ctoti tuo uoohOt
carelessly answered. "They are all IN
different stages of pathological disor-
der; but I don't despair of any Of
them"
So / stayed on. They were all kind
and pleasant to me. There was one old
gentleman who used to call me 'sLittle
Blue Eyes !" and an old lady who used
to insist on my reading poetry to her,
after my dining-room work was done,
because she said that my voice was like
the tinkling Of the little brook in the
glen.
And they all noticed me very much,
and asked me questions, and were SO
good. that after a little while I ceased
to be afraid. / had read somewhere in
book that insane people were very
docile, if only they could be under the
right system of management.
And I concluded that Doctor Sedge-
wick's method must be very successful,
and left off being nervous and startled
when I met Mr.. Neville in the corridor,
or came across old Miss Sedleigh walk
ing for exercise under the pine-trees.
One afternoon, however, when was
gathering wild roses by the brook : L
liked my tables to be gay and pretty
with wood-blossoms all the time-I
heard voices in the summer house above,
which was built out over the ripple of
the water. Naturally enough sank
down among the rose-thickets until
they should be gone, and SO I could not
help hearing what they said.
"Yes," said Mrs. Mixell, ssshe. is
prettyl"
ga perfect little forget-me-not! r. said
Mr.. Denham, enthusiastically.
"One can easily excuse Neville's in
fatuation," said Mrs. Mixell. sand,
besides, she is not common servant.
had quite chat with her the other
day, when she was spreading table-nap-
kins on the grass to bleach, and it seems
she is farmers daughter from Green
field, and has been carefully brought
up. She is an fat in Tennyson and
Milton, and knows Macaulay's history
by heart, and there isn't a single gram
NAUTICAL error in that shy, pretty speech
of hers, if you've noticed it."
So they passed on, across the rustic
bridge, and left me, coloring and trem-
bling, among the wild-rose briars. For
/ knew quite well that it was myself
they were talking of.
had told Mrs. Mixell all about my
self, one day, in answer to her kindly
questionings. and-and, if truth must
be teld, I knew that Mr.. Neville, the
tall, stately young clergyman, with the
dark, wistful eyes, and the deep, sweet
voice, was beginning to like me-a
little.
As to whether I liked him or not,
I had hardly dared to ask myself.
For was he not under the dark shadow
of mental alteration that clouded all
of Doctor Sedgewick's guests? He had
never said to me in words, sI love
You r. But if he should, oh, what
should I answer him?
And SO I was growing quite unhappy
at the sanitarium, where I had once
been SO innocently contented and I
decided, after two or three sleepless
nights and many tears, that I had bet
ter go back to mother and the dreary
old pasture lands, where the mulleins
upheld their yellow stalks along the
stone fence, and the blackberry bushes
wove tangled canopies across the
$50 you are going to leave us. Kitty
Kent?"
1t was Mr.. Neville himself. He had
found me out, in spite Of all my poor
little plans, whereby had coaxed Alice
Atkins, the other, waitress, to take my
table, and kept persistently out of his
path in every possible way and manner.
He had surprised me even in that
lonely glen, where had come to tell
good-by to the trout-pooI and the clus-
ters of dark-green maiden-hair fern
that grew under the rocky ledges.
eyes," I answered, with resolutely
downcast eyes and averted face.
"But you cannot go. Kitty he said.
quietly, "until I have said some things
that are in my heart-until 7 have told
that you have been anew revelation to
me since you came-that / love you.
Kitty, with all my heart and soul r.
That you love me f'a' 7 repeated,
vaguely, scarcely knowing what / said.
And then all of sudden, like q
mountain torrent overiowing its boun-
daries, came the sudden overwhelming
conviction that T loved him-that all
my precautions had been in vain.
could feel the scarlet sufuse my
cheeks, neck and brow-I knew that
light flashed into my eyes, the tell-tale
gladness surrounded my lips, and
then my hands wer orisoned in his. my
face hidden ON his shoulder.
I did love him? 7 would be true to
him, in sickness or in health, madness
or sanity.
I cast aside all other considerations
than the promptings Of my own heart,
and accepted the future as il il had been
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