The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-06-11
SHE UNDERSTOOD.


She UNDERSTOOD.
The last chapter Of Story.
By EVELYN THORPE
For the New York Mercury.
DR.. Irving was in some respects q
peculiar man: Other men were not al
ways snre that they liked him: With
women il was generally different: They
lid like, him; There was no possible
doubt of that. They maintained that
he was handsome; q statement which
never failed to call <:forth from their
husbands or lovers an emphatic protest;
and they still more vehemently affirmed
that his manner in a sickroom, the
stimulating magnetism of his presence,
the soothing influence of his strong yet
gentle touch, were unique and I'M
rivaled and more than sufficiently &C.
counted for his extraordinary suscess
in his Professional which the hus-
bands would again. below their breath,
pish ard pshaw.
DR.. Irving was thirty-nine and still
unmarried: 1t could be said Of him, as
in the case Of sundry young women;
that this was not from lack Of chance.
TO those to whom he ever spoke on the
subject he would laughingly assert that
his profession was his mistress, and
that he should never marry at all. But
there were very few persons indeed to
whom DR.. Irving unburdoned himself
IS to his Utmost thoughts. Perhaps
there were none at all. He was not q
communicative man. Some of his lady
patients were sure he had history !;
there was something mysterious about
him, the more imaginative would aver.
Had DR.. Irving known of these things
he would have been amused; but they
never came to his ears. His brougham,
with tho superb pair of grays, now
drew up before his door and he came in
Tor his dinner and evening office hours.
As his key turned in the lock a shad-
ow passed across the curtain that yelled
the lighted interior from the asser-by,
and q small, slight, dark, pale girl,
scarcely more than q child, pressed
close against him the moment the door
opened.
"Well, Nita," he said kindly, and
bent down to kiss her on her forehead.
The girl had his hand tightly clasped
in both her own narrow, slim ones, and
was looking up at him with the dumb,
pathetic eyes of faithful dog. She
had no beauty save her eyes. Those
were large, black, full, luminous, with
IN intensity of expression that some
hines half-startled and half-amused
strangers who CHANGED to see her. Tho
rest of the face. with it's swarthy skin.
its irregular features, was quite plain.
She s,as q singular little thing, this
ward of the doctors, whom he had
brought to his home twelve years be-
tore, after an absence of some time in
Europe, fatherless and motherless
hid, the daughter of Italian parents.
People understood that DR.. Irving had
taken the weird little foreign girl under
his protection to fulfill the last wishes
of dead friend, and then they W ell
nigh forgot her existence. She was so
quiet, so mirthless and almost speech
less at all times, so unlike other chill
dren in every way, that it was not diff
6cult to do 50. And 80 Nita had grown
up to the threshold of womanhood, and
had had few or no companions of
her own age, but spen the long days
in the quiet house on Lexington avenue
in the company of the doctors old
housekeeper, all rolled up in ball on
the lounge in tho library with book
on her knees.
Something in her face that night as
she sat opposite to him at the dinner
table, perhaps the fact that her cheeks
had a flush of color unusual to them,
which Frightening her skin, made her
look for the moment almost pretty,
causing the doctor to look attentively
at her an instant and then to say laugh
ingly; 49,
woman, and nice looking little woman
too. We shall have to be hunting up q
husband for you very soon."
The girl dropped her fork, opened her
lips as if to speak, suddenly got up and,
without uttering word, rushed from
the room.
Doctor Irving looked after her in
considerable surprise for moment.
Mia had always been odd; but she had
never done anything Of this sort be-
fore. It was Edwin Irvings way al
ways to look for the cause of things. He
went on quietly with his dinner, but he
pondered various subjects in his mind
while doing so. When the door OPEN
ed and Nita came back to her seat as he
was eating his dessert, he raised his
eyes with one keen, searching glance.
The color in Nita's cheeks was all gone
now; they were paler even than usual,
and the heavy eyebrows were drawn to-
gether in way that made the face
quite old and hard.
After his Office hours, as DIR. Irving
was preparing TO start on his night
rounds, he called the girl to him. She
came, still with the same look in her
face.
"Nita," he said, II want you to ex-
plain your rather extraordinary conduct.
What on earth is the matter, child ?
You don't suppose I want to marry
you off to any one you don't care for,
or"
II do not want to marry any one, "
said the girl, brusquely and fiercely.
Upon second thought, I doubt wheth-
or any one would want to marry You, "
remarked tho doctor dryly, taking up
bis hat. Mia stood sullenly, with drawn
brows, until he had reached tho door,
then she suddenly flew after him and
caught him by the arm.
"Oh, don'-don't-dont be unkind
to mel" she cried. There was q sharp
sound Of pain in her voice which caused