The Penn's Grove record., 1882-12-23
In the Glass.

that gathered every Sunday at the
parish church came chiefly from the
farms that were scattered broadcast
over the country.
The vicar WAS the Rev. Herbert
Gardner, and he was the happy
father Of some half q dozen children,
the eldest of whom, Matte, was a
charming girl of twenty. There was
little society In the village, and Mat
ties chief ideas Of the world at large
were drawn from the occasional visits
she made to a relative who lived In
the neighboring country town. Still,
though she was homely and u%nsophis-
ticated, there was none of that affected
simplicity you so often see In girls.
She was a frank, fearless, outspoken
girl, full of life and spirits, and never
SO happy as when rambling about the
old vicarage garden, picking basket
fills of roses for some sick boy or girl
and carrying them with sunshine into
some darkened home.
And in such works of real love and
charity the last few years of her life
had been mainly spent. Her father
called her his "curate - and, as the
living was a small one, she was the
only curate he had.
Matte had been free as yet from
"heart disease" though q neighbor-
ing squirrels son had made several
awkward attempts at )Gvemaking,
and, though Matte quite recognized
the compliment he paid her, she
never for a moment regarded him In
any other light than as a friend, and
remained herself perfectly heart
whole. This had happened when she
was eighteen, and time had gone on
smoothly enough, and at twenty she
was still happy In her u%neventful lot.
But the smooth run of life's wheels
was interrupted at last, and the wheels
were jolted out of their usual tracks /;
for about this time there came to the
village a young surgeon who was look
ing out for o good opening for prac-
tice, and had determined to settle
down here. AS q matter of course he
and Matte often met in the houses of
the poor, aud, although not q word of
love hsd passed between them, people
began to associate their names to-
gether, and to speak OF what might
happen as q certainty.
One day when Matte was as usual,
among her roses, u servant came to
say that DIR. Robertson had asked for
her father, and as he was from home,
for her. When she entered the room
with her basket of roses on her arm,
the doctor might well be excused if ne
wondered which were the fairer-the
roses in the basket or the rose with
the basket. If such thoughts passed
through his mind he quickly put
them aside, for he said
II came to ask Mr.. Gardner IL he
would step down to old Silas Jones's,
who is very ill with fever. They are
very poor, and any help you could
give them would be of more use than
medicine"
Papa is from home" shs said,
sand will not return till to- morrow.
But 1 will take them some beef-tea
and port. If you think that would be
good for him."
"Nothing could be BETTER" replied
the doctor. "But you..must not go
there yourself, for fear of infection.
am going past the house, and will take
them myself, If you will give them to
me-"
"No, thank you, DOCTOR" said Miss
Matte. 81 never shirk my duty nor
delegate 1t to others, so I will take
them myself"
Anyway, let me walk with you, If
you are going now, and we can talk
about the case as we CO."
In a few minutes the beef-tea and
the wine were ready, and Matte sal
lied forth with the doctor. And this
was the way they talked about the
case
It's q beautiful day, isn't it,"
"Glorious I" said Matte.
What has become of you In the
evenings lately? / used to see you
frequently, but now you are never to
be SEEM"
"Minnie has not been well lately, SO
/ have stayed at home on her account.
1t is pleasant to know that some one
misses me-" she said, laughing.
III miss you a great deal, Miss Mat
tie-almost as much, II not quite as
much, as your own people do. This is
Jones's cottage SO now let me take
the things in"
"Nc. Indeed / shall GO In myself"
said Matte.
"No, decidedly no." said the doctor.
SIT can never be your duty to rush
into uncalled for danger. / am Obliged
to see these people, SO let me take the
basket in"
From that day began to dawn on
Mattie's heart that here was n man
who had missed her when she was
absent and who tried to keep her out
of danger.
And little by little this thought
grew bigger and took root, until there
came q sort OF echo to it, which said,
81 miss him, too" 1 wish he had not
to risk his life by going to see fever
cases"
And from that day there was less
cordial friendship and there vas more
shy reserve in her intercourse with
the doctor. And sometimes DR.. Rob
ertson did not know what TO make
of it, and one evening he said:
"What have / done to vex you,
Miss Matte 2"
To which she replied, "vex me.