The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-08-14

Miss Eldridge looked severe disapproba-
ton, bat she said nothing. Nicodemus had
an eel.like slipperyness under rebuke, and
she had ceased to waste her efforts. But
reflections upon ministers were, to Miss
Eldridge, them most trying form which Me-
odemus' ungodliness took. She had q
special reverence and regard for ministers.
She had been betTothed to onein her youth,
and had given him up to devote herself
and her worldly goods to her brother, after
he had squandered his own patrimony in
riotous living, and it had been a lifelong
sorrow to her. She meant to guard Phyllis
from sorrows. 1t was the dearest wish of
her heart that Phyllis should marry Q min
lister. She was not conscious of any intsn-
ton TO attempt to interfere with the DEGREES
OF Providence, but if : frivolous minded
yo'1ng nan should appear upon Phyllis
hor1zon-as, alas was only too likely, for
was not Phyllis calculated to draw such,
as a candle drawsa moth?oshe did mean
to use all her energy to put him to rout.
As Bucephalus trudged perseveringly
over the long Dad to Norwich, Nicodemus
INDUCED in some further remarks.
"That was a powerful discourse that Par.
son Godfrey give us last Sunday mornin',
about the man with the one talent. I ha'n't
sence," said he, with a deeply meditative
expression of countenance.
"I'm very glad that it impressed you,
Nicodemus," said Miss Eldridge, with q
radiant face. Here was at last Q hopeful
sign in Nicodemusl
aBeen thinkin' of it ever seuce,n said
Nicodemus. "Parson Godfrey, he made out
that every man has his talent, even If tits
q leetle mite of q one, and ] calkilate ,tis
SO, only he don allus seem to get the lay
of it exactly. pye been runnin'of al idea
that min want diggin' the sile and doin'
chores. I wisht I hadn't never put my
hard airuin's into that tarnal rock-heap of
a farm over to Stony Crick. My tarlent is
for luck. There never was such a Teller for
findin' things, n guessin' things, as I be.
If pda put my money into lottery tick
SO Nicodsmus!. exclaimed Miss e.
bridge.
Her tone Of horror did not seem to affect
Nicodemus in the least degree.
1Well, now, Miss Eldridge, there's aman
over here to Norwich has made his fortin'
out of q lottery. Give ten dollars for a
ticket and drew fifteen thousand dollars in
cash. l tell o Norwich is lively over it
Jim Shattuck did Goblin by odd Jobs.
Don't s'pose he's known half the time
where he was goin, to git the next meal of
v%ictuals. He found somebody's purse and
got ten dollars reward for it. He hadn't
q suit of clothes to his back, but he bought
the lottery ticket; had sense enough to
know that his tarlent was luck, you see.n
LIS GlQIluSS, dCbudbou DY u SC6fn sense
OF duty, delivered q long moral and relig-
ious discourse upon the sin of gambling,
to which Nicodemus listened with rapt at
t%ention, and remarked calmly, when she
had finished:
Eyes, there is them that thinks lotteries
is sinful, but it kind Of seems to me that
when a mans got a tarlent that way, it's
accordin' to scripter for him to use it.o
Miss Eldridge sighed heavily, and aban-
doned her attempt. Clearly Nicodemus
had not a "tarlent" for morality.
By this time they had reached the one
Eldridge had the landlord summoned to
the carriage.
"Have you a gentleman here who is very
ill?n she asked him.
"The Teller that got hurt is here" said
the landlord. SCOT thrown of the train.
Caught his boot-heel somehow, and hit his
head on a rock. He don't seem to know
much Of ANYTHING yet, but the doctor says
he's likely to get well If he has careful
nursing. I got old Mrs Plummer to take
care of him. She used to be q first rate
nurse, but she's gettin' DID,"
"Do you know what his name is?o asked
Miss Eldridge.
"No, we can't seem to find Tout. He don't
know enough to tell, N there was nothing
about him to give us any clew except the
initials ]. L. @. on his pocket-book."
"J.L. G. 1t was probably John,n thought
Miss Eldridge. The telegram had said i'll,
and had not said anything about an acct.
dent, but messages were arranged with a
view to employing the fewest words posi-.
BILE, and the man was certainly i'll at pres.
emit.
as there any other man in Norwich
lying very ill?" said Miss Eldridge, who
liked to be sure.
"Not that I know Of. Norwich is a terri
BILE healthy place. Nobody pindlin' here,
but the doctors, as a general thing" said
the landlord, facetiously.
"Then Think this gentleman who has
been injured is a friend of my brether,'
sale Miss Eldridge; "and we would like to
do all that we can for him.
"pm sure Pm glad, ma'am. He needs
friends" said the landlord, Frightening in
a manner that might have suggested to q
cynical mind relief concerning his pros,
poets of having the strangers bill paid.
"Mr. What did you say his name was,
Miss Eldridge"
ST didn't say,'' said Miss Eldridge, curt.
ly. Then her gentle soul approaching her,
she FASTENED to add, with q rising color, "a
really don't know anything but his first
name. My brother has not seen him-at
least, he thinks MOTOR a long time."
1t was awkward and embarrassing even
where the landlord was concerned; what it
would be with the stranger himself Miss
Eldridge, with her small knowledge of the
world, trembled to think.
"The doctor said he must be Kept per.
fectly quiet, but he don't seem to notice
anything, anyway said the landlord,
ushering Miss Eldridgs into the sick-room,
and entering after her, on tiptoe.
With her first glance at the figure on the
bed Miss Eldridge's doubts and embarrass.
ment all vanished. It looked SO white and
hushed, so far removed from all petty jars
and discords, and, as she was afterward
heard to say. "Them man had such g fine and
noble face, n was so moved TO sympathy
one could think of nothing else.n He was
a young man, under thirty, and of a refined
and high-bred type.
Who and what could he be? Miss Ell
bridge wished thai her brother could have
| his old friends. But that mattered little.
The thing to be done was to save him. Only
tenderest care and attention would do that
Miss Eldridge had not been devoted to the
suffering of Greenvale for twenty years no
to be experienced in such signs of danger
as were to be seen in this face. She was al
heart a Sister Dora, n she felt deeply
| grateful to the Providence that had brought
her to his bedside. From the moment when
the young man opened his eyes, and looked
at her, without consciousness, but ith-or
SO she fancied-an expression OF appeal
| Miss Eldridge was resolved that she would
save his life if utter devotion could achieve
that end. She would have done as much
undoubtedly, if he had been the most re
pulsive and degraded of human creatures
| u 0O4Obl4l HAOunOI oa0 WOulu udNt
felt the same zeal.
"a man with that face must lead a nobl
life, and be of use to humanity" she sale
to herself.
She cast a glance at the nurse, . torpid.
looking old woman, doing in her chair by
the window, and went downstairs with 8
decided step.
At the door the landlord and Nicodemus
were talking together.
"You dom say so, now? If that amt 6
streak of luck that I should kind of gel
mixed up with him sop Nicodemus ex
claimed.
"But he amt much better than . dead
man," said the landlord. 9
you'd better believe he'll come round
lively enough when Miss Eldridge takes
hold of him. They always do. Nobody
ever thinks of dyin' with her a-doctorin' OF
en-. Folks in this world can be ginerally
divided into them hat fetches things t.
pass, and then that don't. Miss Eldridge
she's one of them that does. If ever yor
hear Of me joinin' the church 1t won't be-
| D.-e0, n4Iforr1. IosrE, -ak H. H.,