Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-12-01

Vaccinations appeared to be complete he
administered a cough mixture which nau-
seated the young lady, but took no further
interest in her ailments. Me he nursed
with an enthusiasm and devotion not to be
described. l doubt if any rheumatic
spinster in red flannel was ever so cared tor
before. For four weeks l was the object
of the most assiduous attentions from two
Young people scarcely on speaking terms
with each other. At the end OF two weeks
more was able 90 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 in
terest whatever in Miss Sutherland, the at
tendance of physician might have been
dispensed 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 moment that
doctor was in love with me.
There is nothing to do at Capri but make
excursions on donkeys. My return to
health was to be celebrated by donkey
excursion, and the arrangements for 1t
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 al
most equal to that of her lover. This an
nouucement brought feverish color to
her cheeks, and from the magnificent re-
pose of her usual manner she took to ex-
hibiting what in an elderly woman would
have been described as "fidgets.
The objective point of our excursion
was the villa of Tiberius that is in the
best repair. There is a great choice of
them, each one more like mass OF dilap-
idated brick cellars than the last. We
started on a sunny morning, on two of the
most obstinate and refractory donkeys
that Capri produces. The doctor pre-
ferred to walk, which he did by my eide.
Each donkey was conducted by peasant
woman, with immense earrings and no
shoes. Now to these creatures had been
given the directions by an obliging land
lady to take us through the most beauti-
ful portion of the island to the! villa.
The donkey-woman of Capri is an indie.
scribable mixture of man, woman and
beast. They are as strong as men, as To-
quacious as women, as stupid and obstl-
nate as their own donkeys. In this IN
stance, however, they did as they were
bid.
We had been riding an hour or more,
Miss Sutherland in advance, and the doc.
tor with his hand on my saddle, exhibiting
all the devotion that young man naturally
feels toward a wrinkled spinster of fifty,
when there was halt on the part of the
donkeys, and chorus from the women {:
"Signora! signora Val di Matromania ;
signora Val di Matromania !"
Miss Sutherland had not caught the
words, and indignant at the additional
outburst of patOis, inquired "What is
the matter with them? Is it anything ex-
traordinary?"
have wholesome terror of Miss Suth-
erlands moods, but the doctor had appar-
emily survived his, for he answered, very
coolly, 1--WE are apparently upon the verge
of the Valley of Matrimony, and the don.
| KEY women are calling our attention to the
fact.
There was silence that, under the cir.
cumstances, was painfnl. Miss Suther.
land tried to look dignifed from the top of
her donkey-an impossible thing even for
her. The doctor succeeded without trying
in looking savagely bitter from his position
at the tail of mine.
/ deker:
''' The so called Val di Matromania,
sometimes called Matrimony by the island
ers, descends eastward to the sea at the
| base of the Tuoro Grande.
"Ah," said the doctor, cit. certainly
does descend eastward.
! l went on:
"sThe Grotto di Matromania, or Grottc
of Mithras, shrine of the Persian god Of
the sun, to which one hundred and thirty
steps descend"
This time Miss Sutherland was ready
with remark
4" We must see the grotto by all means.
/ | shall always think that it was the pc.
culiarly chilly and disagreeable tone of the
| doctors voice that sent Miss Sutherland SC
precipitately TO the brow of the hill. In
half moment she was off her donkey and
explaining in her choicest Italian to a
group of women and small boys that she
would not have either their assistance OF
their company in descending the ragged
stepa. The peasants shocks their heads
doubtfully and shrieked, half in warning
half in fury, at being disappointed of theil
soldi. The doctor never moved muscle
and in two minutes more the girl was ou
of sight. By way of relief to his minC
and my own nerves, we began to discourse
eloquently on italian scenery. Finally tn,
subject could not be avoided any longer.
doctor" said /, find out if you car
from these women how long it ought tt
take to descend to that grotto and CONF
hack again.
The labor of this investigation was dread
full The doctor talked and the womei
screamed. Time enough was consumed t,
have lost dozen lives, when he announced
as the result of his struggles that Mis-
Sutherland should have returned long ago
doctor !" 1 exclaimed, THAT girl ha
broken her neck"
"Wen?'
"Well :" shrieked, is it possible yol
don care anything about it p
con the contrary l am rather pleased q
such an appropriate denouement. She ha
broken my heart, nearly lost you your life
and what could possibly be more suitabl
than for her to finish by breaking her owl
neck ?"
This was pretty speech from man il
love
"Wiu you go down and look for her ?"
Certainly, if you will 90 with me
We shall probably find her sitting on
rock, politely Indifferent to our feelings
and meditating on her next new bonnet.
He positively declined to 60 unless
went with him. Further sohcitude oil
Miss Sutherland's behalf it was not in DR.
Manning's programme to bestow. HauC
in hand, and assisted by sturdy peasan
woman, we scrambled down that horribl,
precipice The shrine of the Persian god
a cave with arches and walls of brick, wa
passed, but no sign Of Miss Sutherland
presence.
Presently, looking over a small cliff, VI
saw the young woman, half sitting, hal
lying on a rock.
sis anything the matter the docto
called out.
"No, nothing-not exactly" The word
were exactly those Miss Sutherland would
have liked 20 utter in her firmest tone
The tone she did utter them in was on
that denoted an agony of suppressed pain
The doctor heard it quite as well as
did. but he did not move.
"Win you come up, or shall l com
down TO you y
BY this time we could see the whit
drawn face. The doctor took two step
forward and stopped.
Miss Sutherland, Spartan that che was
had borne all she could bear. Both arm
4 Tho lest I M