The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-09-14
A YOUNG WIDOWER's STORY.

row, and strange to say, [ am not in
the least consoled. am not anxious
TO attack any body of professional
men, but do think the doctors killed
herr
was i'll myself for some time before,
and when / met her, poor girl, l had
been i'll with nervous prostration, malaria
and dyspepsia, the doctors said. The
heat was intense. just such heated
term as we have had this summer, and
the. brokers' Office of Ackerly, Mackle-
bury q Cords was not the coolest or
most salubrious environment. [ had
the ticker in my hand, it had just
marked wabash Preferred" when l
heard the CHEEKY, musical voice of my
fellow clerk, Arthur Clark, say: ''Hullo
there goes Horatio, y and was dimly
conscious that l had tumbled into his
long arms, and up against rather
warm waistcoat which covered the best
heart in all this wicked world. Arthur
had a house in an uptown street, while
only owned weekly interest in a
second-pair-baek in a boarding-house;
and when / succumbed what did this
prince of good fellows do. but have me
put in an ambulance, and brought to
his fathers house, where bed was
made up for me in The empty parlors.
His voice again was the next thing
heard inT u88
You see, old fellow said Arthur,
''my mother and sisters are out of town,
and only the boys and the governor are
at home; so as we didn't want to put
the governor out, we concluded to give
you the parlors, where he rarely comes
in summer. So you are to lie here and
get we'll; fine breeze through when the
library door is left open, straw mating
(rather the worse for wear), few old
pictures, of suspected authenticity, on
the wall, gas fixtures done up in brown
paper, mirrors covered with mosquito
net, Horatio Bronson stretched on
hastily-improyised cot, ice on head,
taken down pretty bad, doctor recon-
mends quiet, Arthur Clark, ESQ.,, master
of the situation. Dost like the picture?
Moths, cats and mosquitoes thrown in,
hand-organs subsidized; be still and get
well No emotion, if you please
forbidden, my dear boy, by medical adj
vice. "
Arthur ratified on and put me grad
uallY into possession of the facts. From
his lively investiture of my case, pres
entity sank off into fever and lost all
sense of time, place and circumstance.
A doctor and a woman nurse became a
part Of my imperfect consciousness,
and the large, deserted parlors of CITY
house, with its numerous pictures, be-
came in dreamy way the horizon of
my confused and distressed vision.
There was a cattle piece in front of
me, and large dark red battle by
moonlight in heavy Venetian frame.
There was view of Venice, and pref
ty little copy of Helen Froment,
Rubens' wife, There was, of course, a
Madonna della Seggiola, and Cenci.
MIR. andAlrs. Clark had been to Europe
about twenty years ago, when no re-
spectacle American ever dared come
home without the two last-named cop
les.
Oyer these pictures, and little
group of the LAGOON in the corner, did
dream, and perhaps rave. Arthur.
dear old boys used to come. in and see
me every evening. His personality
stood out distinctly, and he has told me
since (bless his hearty that | ALWAYS
SAID: " You are doing your work and
mine, too, | know you are, and that
once or twice | was weak enough To-
well-let that pass, we do not love each
other any the less.
got to listening to the sounds at
night, and wondering what they meant.
A loud, metallic thunp on the pave
ment, as if some one had thrown n
crowbar, which occurred about once in
live minutes, amazed and puzzled me.
Why should any one throw down a
crowbar with marked periodicity?
There was little tinkling bell that
came at three o'clock, just after the
clock at 18th street had struck, which
was singtilarly puerile and foolish. /
thought. Then there were queer peo-
pie who walked and stopped, and others
who walked and didn't stop. Whv
didn't they all stop, or else walk on? I
heard condolences of Young lovers
Many q marital reprisal, not meant for
my ears, came through the closed
blinds. Many q group of young men
went by with song and jest, and then
came the long weary time from two
O'Clock to four, with only the episode of
the crcwbar, and the bell, and the
clock, and now and then some other
entirely inexplcable sound.
g think we will leave his blinds open
tonight to give him more air. said the
familiar voice of my nurse to Arthur,
one hot night, Us my friend paid me his
usual visit.
"Who is sheP" I whispered feebly
to Arthur. If l had a grain of sense or
consecutive thought left, it always came
tome when Arthur was in the room.
. One of the trained nurses from
Bellevue, old boy. A nice Girl. She is
bringing you through splendidlv How
do you feel tonight temperature rath-
er high" and sank off into sleep or
something, with Arthur's cool hand on
my brow
When | awoke the cas- was turned
up, and my nurse stood over me with a
wine-glass full of medicine.
" You must take this. said She, in a
mildly authoritative voice.
looked ut her for the first time. She
was a neat, elderly person, not at all
handsome, but large and very power
full. lit seemed to me at that moment
as if she were Boadtcea, or the Maid of
Saragossas or Miss Jex Blake. or some
thing Of that order.
As she poured down the drauoht /
felt my whole internal economy obey-
ing her. / swallowed, gasped, breathed.
because she told me to. Then She left
me.
The blinds were open, and moonlight
streamed into my room. | saw the
clouds, and the cats; saw the passers-
by. There was q balcony outside my
windows, and several people clambered
up on it and looked at me. There was
a. newsboy whom l had offended, and a
member of the Stock Exchange whom
had failed to please. At one time the
balcony became unpleasantly crowded,
ana again it was empty.
The sounds went on, and the crowbar
fell with dlsagreeable persistency. Just
then lady stepped on the balcony and
calmly entered my room.
HWould you be kind enough to fell
me what that noise is outside. : i asked.
ssOhi'' said she. oiyino littla Sc,.ao,,,