The Mineral argus., 1884-09-04
THE SEAL RING.

Gray to himself, as he guided his shaggy
little horse round the sharp turn of the
road and checked him under the spread
ing shadow of the giant cherry tree,
whose broad boughs were all sparkling
with the ruby pendants, and then
walled to the house.
'Hellool" said the doctor.
He shaded his eyes with his hand,
and looked i~ntently in at the kitchen
window. There wa the trim figure of
his pretty daughter standing at the
kitchen table, her sleeves rolled back
and a pink checked apron tied about
her taper waist. apparently deep in the
saccharine mysteries of pie making.
That was nothing surprising; but DIR.
Grey could have sworn that a minute
ago the appdrition of a young gentle.
man was manifesting a remarkable de-
gree of interest in the pan of sliced
apples and various spice boxes and SUI
gar bowles that fianked it; and yet,
now that he looked again, Kittie was
trimming off the edges of her piecrust
all alonel he walked into the kitchen,
where the oven fire was glowing so
hotly that Kittie's cheeks were like twin
carnations as she worked away at the
pies, sitting showers of powdered CHINA
mon and nutmeg owe the juicy slices
of July apples, and drenching them in
snowy sugar.
Exit where's Harry Browne?"
Kitty stopped to cut n little star in
the centre of the white sheet of pie
crust wherewith she was covering her
pastry before she answered in a low
tone: IL don't know papa"
"You don't, ell ?" said the Doctor.
quietly pursuing up his muoth in a shape
suggestive of whistling. 81 suppose
notl"
And the Doctor proceeded through
the hall into his little study, where sat
his hopeful young student, Harry
Browne, deep in the ponderous pages
of a medical dictionary,
Been hard at work all day, ell ?"
said the old gentlemen, taking off his
hat and tanning himself with its broad
brim.
Eyes, sir" said Browne; Give writ
ten out that abstract you left, and looked
over the papers on fractures, and"
"All right, all right; you're a most in
dustrious fellow" said DR.. Gray.
"You don't leave off work on all sorts
of frivolous p~1etexts, do your"
mo, sir" said Browne, demurely.
"You are convinced that nothing but
steady perseverance will enable a man
to succeed in the science of medicine? 2"
eyes, sir, " replied Mr.. Henry Browne,
moving a little ~uneasily in his chair.
Every sensible of you, !" said DIR. Gray,
Struggling his shoulders. "And now
but what are you looking for?"
MY seal ring, sir; 1 thought it was
on my finger but a minute ago. You
have not seen it, 1 suppose"
mo, not that 1 know Of" said the
Doctor, taking snuff just as briskly as
he did everything else.
II hope it is not lost" said Harry.
II value it very highly as my fathers
gift. Where can it have gomez"
Don't know" said the Doctor.
"Just give me that list of patients we
expect this afternoon, and then go and
ask Jack to look for your trinket. That
boy has more eyes and ears than most
[ believe. 1 know he has more
mischief"
Harry Browne adopted his precep-
tors suggestion; and the old gentleman
was left alone, alternately taking snuff,
rubbing his spectacles and cogitating
whether his fair daughter was really de-
him as to her innocent love af-
"Confound i'll" ~soliloquized the Doc
tor p~etulantly, SIT takes sharper eyes
than mine to see through womankind's
m~aneuvers. I'll ferret out the mystery
yet, though; hanged if I dont!"
The brazen throat of the old kitchen
clock had just uttered, in a sort of shrill
the fact that it was two, post
meridian, and dinner was nearly over
at DIR. Gray's. Somehow dinner tasted
better in the long, shady dining room
of the Gray mansion house than it did
anywhere else, for the climbing honey
at the window stirred so pleas
antly in the wind, and held back their
green wilderness of leaves to admit such
delicious scents of new mown hay and
blossom sprinkled woods that the most
delicate appetite could not help being
tempted. And Kitty Gray looked so
pretty at the head of the table, her brown
halr brushed back and her white throat
edged with dainty lace, and the faint
color coming and going on her cheek
IKE rosy Shadows. No wonder Harry