The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-09-28

1t was fully three minutes before
Fred Housted spoke again.
"See here, Bessie" he said, at last,
az am learning something, too. 1
never believed the gossip before now
"a moments pause, and his smothered
doubt burst forth. "Bessie, why did
you quarrel with Tom Halifax p
"Oh, Fred, don't p she said.
"Don't cry" said Fred. 81 want
to know the truth"
have said Bessie Ashby never did
anything by halves. In her grief and
excitement she forgot she had flirted
with her cousin; forgot about the
position :" forgot everything but that
she was frightened and miserable and
tired of acting.
81 have been so horribly selfish" she
sobbed 81 didn't think / cared so
much, and he was poor, and we quar-
relied, and l thought l could like you
well enough. / don't think I should
have been so wicked, but he was so
proud, and things got worse every day ;
but lately it has all come back, and 1
can't help it."
"You have not treated me well,
Bessie" said the honest young captain,
after a short silence. "Men don't want
women to marry them because they
think they can like them well enough )
but l think you see how you have
wronged me. 1t is all over now, so we
will say no more about it."
have said before that hearts do not
break. They may stretch and perhaps
suffer little in the rebound, but really
breaking is out of the question and
warm and true though our brave cap
tain's might be it was not likely to dis
grace the general india rubber reputa.
tion by swapping, even in this painful
strain 50 pray do not blame poor, pen.
itent Bessie for any misfortunes which
may hereafter befall him.
The next morning DR.. Halifax met
his rival on the street.
81 prophesied rightly, old fellow
said the gentleman, quietly. "The
Affirmative proves to be a negative
after all"
Mademoiselle is changeable," said
Tom. q hope 1 am not going tC
have you for a patient, Housted. You
are as pale as ghost"
Broken heart" laughed the cap.
tain. "No, l don't think you will
The warmth gives me slight head
ache; that is all"
But there was something more. As
the day grew the slight headache be
came severe one, throbbing ant
pulsing, the pale face flushed and the
| 81 ,1N., Il laI fas1
they had never done before.
At about 6 o'clock, as Tom sat iI
his Office writing out some prescrip
tions, Captain Housted entered tht
room and staggered into chair.
q am afraid you are going to havei
patient, Halifax" he said, smiling fee
bly,. 81 feel rather faint" And "a
he said this he dropped his DEATH,
face upon the table and lay there with
out moving.
He had braved it a long time, bu
the dreadful pest had come upon hin
at last. Tom sent for Colonel Ashby
and the sick man was carried home. a
the door Bessie met them with pal
face but steady eyes.
"She ought to have been sent away,
said Tom.
"But | am not afraid" she an
swered, firmly. "Please let me stay.
l dare say you will decide that DT
Halifax was shockingly unstable whel
| tell you that from that time hi
mind began to wayer as regarded
Bessie Ashby. Meeting her every da,
in her cousins sick-roOm it was no
easy to feel cold and stern. She wa
50 sweet and girlish in her nev
humility, now the old capriciou
coquetry was thrown aside, and in al
her appealing obedience to his order
, he could not fail to see a little sensi
tive fear which sometimes troubled
but always stirred his heart. Hemus
take care of her, too; every shadow
that crossed the pretty face must b
inquired into. He was not going t.
fall in love again, of course; he wa
merely doing his duty, as medica
man. Still, it was rather interesting
Captain Housted was the last serloul
case of sickness, but it was a very Sc
we're one. For weeks the poor fel
lows life lay trembling in the balanc
-oliC uttJ lCNCISi anu uclillOuS, Cll
next seemingly sinking into deatl
But in time he began to struggl
through it, and, thanks to Toms skill
. and patience, the shadowy face begal
to light with faint glimmer of re
= turning strength.
Gradually the fearful scourge weak
ened its power, and little by littl
seemed passing away. There wer
still patients to be visited, and wor
to be done, but the awful rage of tn
pestilence had swept by. Then it wa
, that Tom Halifax began to reap hi
reward. People who had never hear
= his name six months before sent fo
: him in all critical cases. Men o
wealth and high standing courte
bis acquaintance as the BRAY
young doctor who did his worl
so nobly throughout the sick
ness at Dorning. Men and wonel
pointed him out to each other on tn
I street, saying: Z" But for him / shoul
4. have been laid in my grave" HWhe
| my old mother died he was the las
, man she knew" "When we were i
, trouble he worked for us day an
l night. God bless himr' Had ther
been nothing else, the warm, loyf
1 young heart would have thrilled wit
tender thankfulness at the simpl
= gratitude of the humble sufferers t
| whom he seemed almost Savior, bu
3 apart from this, reality came to him.
! ~ l. q A.