The Osceola times., 1882-05-20
AIRY FAIRY LILLIAN.
The Chicago Tribune's Bewitching wayof
Teiliug What Allied the Old Man.

"Can You save him, doctor?'
"Damfino."
Winsome Lillian Mcclure looked up
with rare blue eyes, dewy with tears into
the face of the young physician who had
been summoned in hot haste f,om the
restful quiet of poker game to the pala-
tisl residence of Stuyvesant Mcclure in
order that his skill and knowledge-the
fruit of years of study and toil-might If
| possible bring back to health the gray
haired old man who now lay tossing in
mortal agony.
Lillian Mcclure had known Aristides
| W. llennessey since the days when they
were both little children, and not six
months agone had she stood before him
in all her regal beauty, her velvety ewes
draped in mist of tears, and while the
soft, pearly flesh of her beautiful arms
touched his neck with pulsing warmth
that would make your head swim, had
said that she could never love him, ex-
cept as brother.
| As Aristides had three sisters, and had
passed the greater portion of his life
sparliny with them, this statement did
not strike him favorably, and he went
away with dull, dead feeling in his
young, blithesome heart, and large
chunk of plug tobacco in his merry spring
pants.
And now he was back again in the
| house-tbat house from which he had
erstwhile so often stolen silently away
when the proprietor was unexpectedly
found at home, and which he had left
as he supposed, for good, in the balmy
DAYS of June, when the sweet-scented
| h..atL Of Il l. ico, int,
| life the myriad forms of floral beauty
that lie with such silent sweetness upon
the verdure-clai bosom of the earth,
These thoughts had surged through his
mind AZ he mounted the front steps in
obedience to the hasty summons OF liy-
cried servant. He saw the cid familiar
door-mat with the word welcome"
worked in its centre-that fateful word
that had cleaned up at him in all its lur.
id distinctness and mockery, one night
when old Mr.. Mcclure opened the door
in response to Aristides' timid yank at
the bell, and said, in the cold, county
Antrim tones he knew so well how to
use, that Miss Lillian was not at home
and wouldn't be for seven or eight years
In the hall stood the hat rack, beside
whose gaunt form with its spectre-like
arms he had so often fingered in the
mellow half light of the tnrned down
pas, with Lillian's head resting trustfully
above his liver-pad and her coraline cor
set pulsing gently against his suspender
All these scenes came back to him with
vivid distinctness as he stood by the bed
side of the sick man and looked tender
ly down at Lillian, who, with pale face
and rumped bangs, had knelt by her
fathers side, and buried her nose in the
pillow which supported his head.
Presently she looked up at Aristides
with weary, yearning st. Louis look,
that would have melted Charles Francis
Adams.
The young man bent quickly forward.
LILLIAN, my love, "ihe said "can it be pos
sible that"
"Kueel by my side" said the girl in
tender. porterhouse steak tones that
thrilled his very blood.
Unmindful of the bagginess in the
knees OF his pants that such an action
would certainly produce, unmindful of
everything but the fact that he loved
Lillian Mcclure with wild passionate,
Dearborn avenue love, that reeked not
matinee tickets or ice-cream, Aristides
knelt by the girls side placing his strong
arm around her tapering waist, he kissed
her tenderly Just aft of her starboard ear.
1t wasn't very easy job to settle this
young man.
"Do YOU love me still, Aristides ?" said
Lillian, making bluff to blush as che
spoke.
"You know l do" was the reply, "and
that | would risk my very existence to
Gain yOur love in return"
The girl smiled glad six button
smile.
81 believe you," she said. "and tell
you now here in the presence of sick
ness, perhaps death, that il you save my
fathers life my darling, idolized sour
mash papa. will marry you ere the cro-
Gus sprouts"
Enough" replied Aristides, rising to
his feel. "Your father shall be saved. l
swear it, by my halidom. don't know
what halidom means. and like enough i
haven't got one, but swear it all the
same. Bring me bottle of Riordan's
Railroad Relief"
The medicine was brought, and the
sick man cuaffed it. In two minutes he
was well.
"You have saved him, my darlingw
said Lillian, kissing Aristides, fondly,
"and will redeem my promise. But
tell me. sweetie, what ailed the old
man."
"Colic," was the reply, and with wild
mocking laugh, Aristides fled into the