Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-11-01

dtteutlon was given 70 gettlnS tne ualr-
pins out of her hair.
Capri is beautiful island. The old
Romans had good taste, and Tiberius
built twelve villas on it wherein to amuse
himself during leisure hours. At the
same time middle-aged women will get
the rheumatism in damp places. We had
not taken more than dozen donkey
rides, assembled Mount Solario, and made
the trip to Anacapri, when certain
twinges in my joints warned me of the
probability of being laid up six weeks
in little pension perched on one OF
the steepest rocks in the Mediterranean.
My experienced eyes also informed me
that Miss Sutherland was not precisely
herself. My diagnosis of the case was
soon made out to my own satisfaction.
She was trying to live up to the lines of
her mouth, and at the same time giving
way round the heart. The doctors stu
pidity had undoubtedly cost him a re-
lection. But when young lady fees to
an almost desert island to avoid the
proximity of an obnoxious suitor, and
then spends most of her time gazing
across the sea in the direction where he
is supposed to be, it may explain the
matter perfectly to say that she is ad
miring Vesuvius; but if it does, the per
son who accepts the explanation has not
much experience of young women.
Is there anything in this world much
more excruciating than an attack of in
flammatory rheumatism? This was pre-
cisely what Miss Sotherland's caprices
in regard to her lovers had brought me
to. For two weeks 1 lay upon my bed a
hideous mass of rcd flannel, racked with
pain and hating Capri with the intensity
of one of the eaptives of old Tiberius.
During this time Miss Sutherland devel-
oped into one of the gentlest and tender
est nurses that ever took care of the VIC
tim of her own imprudence. The pro-
cess of torture was going on, six weeks
being the alleged period for the infam-
matory demon to hold sway, when one
morning the familiar face of DR.. Man
ming appeared above my bed For two
minutes positively lost sight of the pain
in my joints to wonder if he had been
sent for. Miss Sutherland took the very
first opportunity to inform me that he
had not. We were indebted for his
presence to the fact that some residents
of Capri had told him that both the En-
glish ladies at the pension were i'll. the
elder one very i'll.
If anything will alleviate the pangs OF
acute rheumatism it is having two young
people about one both of whom arc
clearly in love with each other, while
each is ready to die rather than make the
first sign. The attitude of the doctor
was magnificent. He had clearly come
to Capri to save if possible the lives OF
two women imperiled by the abominable
willfulness of one. His recovery from
the effect of Miss Sutherland's fascina-
tons appeared to be complete. He ad-
ministered cough mixture which
nauseated the young lady, but took no
further interest in her ailments. Me he
nrrsed with an enthusiasm and devotion
not to be described. l doubt if any
rheumatic spinster in red flannel was ever
so cared for before For four weeks
was the object of the most assiduous at
tentions from two young people scarcely
on speaking terms with each other. At
the end Of two weeks more was able to
walk about. Another fortnight and |
was pronounced able to ride donkey.
By this time it might have been supposed
that as Dr. Manning felt no interest
whatever in Miss Sutherland, the attend
ance Of a physician might have been dis
pensed with. The Baroness Burdett-
Coutts had just married man forty
years younger than herself, to be sure,
but the case was not parallel. Nobody
on earth would have imagined for mo-
ment that the doctor was in love with
me-
There is nothing to do at Capri but
make excursions on donkeys. Ny return
to health was to be celebrated by donkey
excursion, and the arrangements for it
finally brought out from the doctor that
after the day was over he would betake
himself to Naples. Up to this time Miss
Sutherland's imperturbability had been
almost equal to that of her lover This
announcement brought feverish color to
her cheeks, and from the magnificent
repose Of her usual manner she took to
exhibiting what in an elderly woman
would have been described as "fidgets. y
The objective point of our excursion
was the villa of Tiberius that is in the
best repair. There is great choice Of
them, each one more like mass of
dilapidated brick cellars than the last
We started on sunny morning, on two
of the most obstinate and refractory
donkeys that Capri produces. The
doctor preferred to walk, which he did
by my side. Each donkey was con
Quoted by peasant woman with i'm
mense earrings and no shoes. Now to
these creatures had been given the direc-
tions by an obliging landlady to take
US through the most beautiful portion OF
the island to the villa. The donkey
woman of Capri is an indescribable
mixture of man, woman and beast. They
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