The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-06-11
downward on ths lounge and burst int0O
passion Of team. !,

!: ;: :
After that night life did not 60 On
quite ~ before il the doctors house
hold. There was 4 difference; Nita
had ceased suddenly, through some
mysterious process, to be the weird,
curious, elf-ike 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 little.
She watched for his coming just as'eager-
~, but when he appeared she
would shrink back with 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
q mouse :" at other times she wonid gbnt
herself in her room all day, and tho
housekeeper, listening at her door out
side, would hear the sound of muffied
sobs.
DR.. 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 young man: The lat
ter made himself rather agreeable to
Mia and seemed bent upon producing
o favorable impression. He eturned
after that many times. He called in
the evening while the doctor was maxi
ing his rounds, and when the doctor
found him there he discreetly disap-
peared after few pleasant words and
left his ward to entertain her visitor I'M
molested. Nita neither expressed
pleasure nor the reverse at this new
state of things, and thus few months
passed.
Quite abruptly one day the doctor
said:
"Nita, Henry Payton has proposed for
you"
eyes, I know" said N,ta, and said
no more.
'Wcll," continued DR.. Irving with
one OF the rare, peculiar smiles his lady
patients found so fascinating; ''what
answer are You going to give the poor
fellow?".
Instead of replying Mia looked
steadily at her guardian moment.
DO you want me to accept him o.
she asked,
IF you think you might be happy
with hint might be good thing"
said DR.. Irving in a quiet matter-of
fact way.
The girl turned brusquely away.
DR.. Irving took up his newspaper and
feigned not to see that she was fighting
against one of the passions of sobs and
tears that had become almost habitua!
with her of late.
''Payton," he went on. in the same
tone. lis very fine fellow; he is ex.
tremely fond of you; he is we'll enough
off to give you most desirable home.
l, my dear child, shall in all prob.
ability, not live forever. In ten years
time, when you will be still, as things
60 now, counted as young lady, shall
be-well, probably, stoutish, forid,
prosaic old fellow with look of more
or less comfortable middle age stamped
all over me and plenty Of gray hairs in
my head. If anything happened to me
you would be quite alone in the world:
Moreover, 1 might marry myself some
day, and then I could not give you the
same care have hitherto always been
too happy to bestow on you"
DR.. Irving was a very clever man he
had had a set purpose in his mind as he
talked, but he had for once made mis-
take; he had overdone his part; he had
gone too far. With cry like that of
wounded animal the girl sprang to him
and grasped his arm.
Hnon'% oov +I,okU &lo ~~1~I.
thick and indistinct between short
gasps-"you shall not marry! Mono
one! 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 vice. "You
shall not hurt me so! You have no
heart, no pity, no mercy-oh" 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! Fo,
the merciful heavens sake-I am not
WE'LL don't know what I said"
DIR. Irving had stood motionless all
through the scene. He looked down al
the covering figure of the girl ono mo.
ment and came to decision.
Firmly, almost sternly, he took he1
by the arm, and leading her to chair.
made her sit down. He waited one in
slant, standing erect in front of her,
then he said:
"Once-years ago. loved woman.
Are you listening to me? I have not
spoken of her for twelve years. Iwould
not now but that want you to under.
stand. She:was the wife of another man.
and she had child. She was beau
tiful. loved her the first time my eyes
rested on her. I loved her till she died
only one short year after-as I nev-
or 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 few weeks, or months, she began
to sicken. Remorse killed her at the
last. It was all wrong. have expiat.
ed, too. My life has been lonely, ever
will be. The skeleton in my closet
peers at me day after day, night after
night. I thrust it back, but it is there.1
He stopped; his face was very pale.
We'll, shortly after her death her hus.
band died, too-died of a broken heart.
The child was left alone in the world.
took it. I swore to myself that l
would be father and mother to it. The
woman was your mother, Nita.
There was dead silence in the room
for the space of several seconds. Then
DR.. Irving moved, and took up his
hat.
snow you understand" he said, "You
understand why you can never he any
thing to me but daughter, Nita, al.
though as daughter dearly loved
He hesitated a moment, and came owe,
to her: The girl stood up and put he,
hand in his.
Eyes, I understand" she said, in
voice that sounded unlike her own. She
bent over his hand and kissed it softly.
Her lips we're cold.