The National tribune., 1882-06-03


down to the compass of her sick room, wa:
singularly musical and tender, without one
repulsive suggestion. Every possible pro-
| vision for Lute's comfortable and even luxu.
riOus maintenance was literally made by
the asylum people, and everything done that
could he done to save us annoyance and IN
convenience during the poor child's enforced
residence with us. Then, by and by, hel
father and step-mother came to visit her and
thank US. They were grateful, and could
see by the working OF the careworn face OF
the millionaire, that his heart was wrung
with renorse for his treatment of his neg.
! lected, unhappy girl.
Lutes leg was saved, but it was three
months before she was able to be removed
Then the ahenist in charge OF the asylum
came to see her and study her condition
Lutte said no more to him than she had said
to others, simply, Lutte! Lutte! Lute!" in
| pititullest minor strain, but [ saw her great
blue eyes watching him anxi0usly, stead
fastly, with an obvious inkling of his pur-
pose. The great man observed her long and
closely, felt her pulse and studied its mi
nutest variations, looked into her eyes
then, rising abruptly, motioned me to follow
! him from the room.
There is a change here" he said; "a
/ change for the better. Suppose D
/ My wife came into the room just then, and
asked to be excused for interrupting-" l
/ hope the doctor does not intend to take poor
/ Lutte away yet awhile" said she to me; it
Will break Franks heart"
"Who is Frank L? y the doctor asked.
'The little 8-year-old boy you saw in the
room with Lutte just now"
"Well madame" said the physician po-
Iitely bowling my wife out, "we are discuss
ing the question of removal just now"
Then, as he closed the door, " See here, Mr..
Sears" said he that young lady is great
burden to you, is she not?"
a burden? no. A great charge"
"Oh, a charge! rve six hundred and
fifty of them, all charges, all responsibilities.
If they do not get better when they orcht 10,
if the treatment makes them worse when il
should make them better, l feel like crimi-
nal And that brings me to the point. l do
not know what it is, whether the shock, the
illness, or some subtle influence of your
wifas or Franks, or turn IN the disease,
but anyhow, Miss label Forster, or Lutte,
as You chose to call her, is getting better. |
do not say she will get well. But l know
that il I take her back to Beechwood she
will get worse Her friends are rich They
cannot deal with her. viii you name your
own terms and take her fer a year, or two
or three, till we find out whether this i'm
provement is going to be permanent"
81 will take her. l said. l did not make
merchandise out of poor Lute's afliction. but
1 took her, as my wife said, both for Franks
sake and her own.
The strangest, most romantic and touch
somehow sprung up between poor Lutte, with
her dazed and enfeebIed mind, and our quiet,
sedate little boy Of years. She was a
grown woman, though slight; he a short
boy for his years, with big, black, solemn
eyes full Of questions, and a reserved man
ner, seldom dropping into laughter, seldom
trimming with tears-a bookisb, thoughtful
boy, yet still boy hearty and healthy
The two became from the first however,
equals, companions, Flaymates-she giving
him unbourded affection and implicit obe-
dience, and he exercising over her the faith
full guardianship of an elder brother, tenn
pered by the warmest love. / have seen
such an attachment between animals some
times, but never between human beings It
began during the early stages of her illness,
when the boy would climb upon her bed,
aud by holding her hand and touching her
brow, quiet her in the worst paroxysms of
wound fever. lie never said much to her
but by degrees she came to talk with him.
first a syllable or two, then words, then SEN
tences, long before she would notice any one
else, except to utter her cry Of Lutte! Lutem
He treated her as his companion and friend,
and exercised the utmost control over her in
every way, while she seemed to look up to
him rs a superior being.
By degrees, as Lutte began to get better
and go about the house, first upon a crutch,
then with a cane, Frank, and Franks infa-
ence brought her into and within the family
circle. She talked only little, but always
nationally; took some interest in our every
day affairs; was genuinely afTectionate and
obtdient 20 all, and controlled all her actions
within sphere of mild and qualified lucidity
that naturally left you disappointed, yet
always spared the girl from being offensive,
even to strangers. But with Frank, and in
his society, she Was transformed. Her eyes
g!6wed and sparkled, if not with ACTUAL in
telligence, at least with sonlething that afTec-
tiOn had supplied her with instead of it-and
a very good substitute it was. al the house
thought and spoke of them when together
as tine two children" and Franks control
over Lutte was so perfect that we never had
any concern for either VIXEN they were to-
gether.
more charming companionship I have
never observed than theirs. Lutes good
hearted, fat nurse used to say: It's rood as
a play to see dem chillun together" But it
was more than play 1t was q poem, de-
picting entirely new phases and relations of
life. To see the grave little boy, ever alert
upon his sturdy legs, accepting in good faith
the guardianship of the willowy, slender
woman, who, for all her years and stature,
was younger in mind than he, was as quaint
and pathetic a reversal of the natural order |