The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-06-19

he always spoke to her.
MY dear little girl, you are nervous
and irritable. Go to bed, sleep soundly,
and wake up in the morning yourself
again"
Mia said nothing but her arms crept
higher and clasped the doctors neck.
you are not angry? You will for
give me ?" she insisted, piteously, all
the RIGHTEOUSNESS gone, and with the
peculiar pathetic look in her eyes again.
The doctor stopped and kissing her,
said, Eyes, of course, dear child" and
went out; and the girl, as the door
closed behind him, threw herself face
downward on the lounge and burst into
apassion of tears.
After that night life did not go on
quite as before in the doctors house
hold. There was a difference. Mia
had ceased suddenly, through some
mysterious process, to be the weird,
curious, elf like child she had been;
she seemed to have developed into q
woman. If possible tho was more 81
lent, more reticent than before. Her
eyes, in her small, haggard face, looked
more intense than ever Her manner
toward the doctor had changed a little.
She watched for his coming Just as eager
ly, but when he appeared she
would shrink back with a shyness
new to her. At times she had passion
ate outbreaks of temper which consid-
erably startled the old housekeeper,
who had always known her las quiet as
a mouse )" at other times she would shut
herself in her room all day, and the
liousekeeper, listening at her door out
side, would hear the sound of mufiled
sobs.
DIR. Irving apparently took no note
of any of these things. But he had a
way OF seeing and studying much with
out giving any sign of having done so.
He came in one night bringing with
him to dinner a young man. The lat
ter made himself rather agreeable to
Nita and seemed bent upon producing
q favorable impression. He returned
after that many times. He called in
the evening while the doctor was max
ing his rounds. and when the doctor
found him there he discreetly disap-
peared after a few pleasant words and
left his ward to entertain her visitor UNI
AboiGootus. Ilva IClUucE eApTtSSeu
pleasure nor the reverse ct this new
state of things, and thus a few months
passed.
Quite abruptly one day the doctor
said:
"Nita, Henry Payton has proposed for
you"
Eyes, 1 know" said Mia, and said
no more.
"Well," continued DR.. Irving with
n of the rare, peculiar smiles his lady
patients found so fascinating, what
answer are you going to give the poor
feliow?"
Instead of replying Nita looked
steadily ut her guardian a moment.
do you want me to accept him?"
she asked,
IF you think you might be happy
with hint might be q good thing"
said DIR. Irving in a quiet matter-of
fact way.
The girl turned %brusquely away.
DR.. Irving took up his newspaper and
feignednot to SEQ that she was fighting
against one of the passions of sobs and
tears that had become almost habitual
with her of late.
"Payton," he went on in the same
tone. lis o very fine fellow; he is ex-
tremely fond OF you; he is we'll enough
off to give you y most desirable home.
I, my dear child, shall in all prob
ability, not live forever. In ten years
time, when you will be still, as things
go now. counted as ayoung lady, shall.
be-well, probably, a stoutisll, ford.
prosaic old fellow with a look of more
or less comfortable middle age stamped
all over me and plenty of gray hairs in
my head. II anything happened to me
you would BIZ quite alone in the world.
Moreover, / might marry myself some
day, and then | could not give you the
same care l have hitherto always been
too happy to bestow on you"
DR.. Irving was a very clever man he
had had aset purpose in his mind as he
talked, but he had for once made a ms
take; he had o~verlone his part; he had
gone too far. With a cry like that of o
wounded animal the girl sprang to him
and grasped his arm.
Don't say tiiatn-the words came
thick and indistinct between short
gasps-"you shall not marry! Mono
onel Do you hear? You shall not!'
The fierce italian blood blazed in her
great burning eyes and her
thin small fingers closed over
his arm like q vice. "You
shall not hurt me so! You have no
heart. no pity, no mercy-ohw her
hands relaxed their hold suddenly
and she threw them over her face.
What have you made me say" she
moaned; ooh, forget it, forget it'll For
the merciful heavens sake-I am not
WE'LL don't know what l said"
DR.. Irving had stood m~otionless all
through the scene. He looked down at
the covering figure OF the girl one mo-
ment and came to a decision.
Firmly, almost sternly, he took her
by the arm, and leading her to q chair,
made her sit down. He waited one in.
slant, standing erect in front of her,
then he said:
"Once-years ago-I loveda woman.
Are you listening to me? I have not
spoken Of her for twelve years. would
not now but that I want you to UNDER
stand. She:was the wife Of another man,
and she had a child. She was beau
tiful. I loved her the first time my eyes
rested on her. I loved her till she died
only one short year after-as I new
er loved before, never have loved since
and never shall love As long as there is
breath in my mortal body. I told you
she was married. Well, she loved me.
She left her husband. She fled in the
dead Of night. She expiated her sin.
In a few weeks, or months, she began
to sicken. Remorse killed her ut the
last. 1t was all wrong. I have expiat-
ed, too. Ny life has been lonely, ever
will be. The skeleton in my closet
| paera at me day after day nipht aftar