Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-06-11
SHE UNDERSTOOD.
The last Chapter OF q Story.
nv EVELYN THORPE


oeculiar man. Other men were not al
rsys sure that they liked him. With
romen it was generally different. They
Ala like him. There was no possible
,oubt of that. They maintained that
IA was handsome; statement which
,ever failed to call forth from their
husbands or lovers an emphatic protest (;
and they still more vehemently affirmed
hat his manner In sickroom, the
.timuiating magnetism OF his presence,
he soothing influence of his strong yet
yentle touch, were unique and I'M
y;yaled and more than sufficiently ac-
counted for his extraordinary suscess
n 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
N the case OF sundry young women,
hat this was not from lack of chance.
al 70 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 we're very few persons indeed to
4 whom DR.. Irving unburdened himself
= As to his inmost thoughts. Perhaps
y here we're none at all. He was not a
communicative man. Some of his lady
III patients were sure he had history;
IA here was something mysterious about
him, the more imaginative would aver.
Had DR.. Irving known of these things
# never came to his ears. His brougham,
with the superb pair of grays, now
III brew up before his door and he came in
for his dinner and evening office hours.
As his key turned in the lock shad.
ow passed across the curtain that yelled
~ The lighted interior from the passer. by,
md small, slight, dark, pale girl,
scarcely more than a child, pressed
close against him the moment the door
opened.
well, Nita," he said kindly, and
III bent down to kiss her on her forehead.
The girl had his band tightly clasped
I'M IN both her own narrow, slim ones, and
: was looking up at him with the dumb,
pathetic eyes of a faithful dog. She
had no beauty save her eyes. Those
we're large, black, full, luminous, with
an intensity of expression that some
tines half-startled and half-amused
estrengsrs who .chaneod to see her. The
rest Of the face, with its swarthy skin,
its irregular features, was quite plain.
She was a singular little thing, this
ward of the doctors, whom he had
brought to his home twelve years be-
fore, after an absence of some time in
Europe, a fatherless and motherless
hid, the daughter of Italian parents.
People understood that DIR. Irving had
taken the weird little foreign girl under
- his protection to fulfill the last wishes
Of dead friend, and then they well
nigh forgot hGr existence. She was so
quiet so mirthless and almost speech
less at all times, so unlike other chill
dren in every way, that il was not diff.
fcult to do so. And so 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
: housekeeper, all rolled up in ball on
the lounge in the library with book
on her knees.
Something in her face shat 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 attentivoly
At her an instant and then to say laugh
ingly:
why, Nita, you're getting to be a
woman, aud nice looking little woman
200. We shall have TO be hunting up q
husband for you very SOON"
The girl dropped her fork, opened her
ups as If to speak, suddenly got up and,
without uttering a word, rushed from
The room.
Doctor Irving looked after her in
considerable surprise for moment.
Mia had always been odd; but she had
aever done anything Of this sort be-
tore. 1t was Edwin Irving's 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
I'd and Mia came back to her seat as he
was eating his dessert, he raised his
ayes with one keen, searching glance.
The color In Nita's cheeks was all gone
aow; they were paler even than usual,
and the heavy eyebrows were drawn to-
gether in a way that made the face
quite old and hard.
After his Office hours, as DIR. Irving
was preparing TO start on his night
POUNDS, he called the girl to him. She
zane, still with the same look in her
face.
Nita," he said, II want you to eI-
pam your rather extraordinary conduct.
what on earth is the matter, child ?
lou don't suppose / want to marry
you on to any one you don't care for,
do not want to marry any one"
'aid the girl, brusquely and fiercely.
upon second thought, Il doubt wheth-
- any one would want to marry you"
Unmarked the doctor dryly, taking up
sis nat Nita stood sullenly, with drawn
orows, until he had reached the door,
hen she suddenly flew after him and
caught him by the arm.
oh, don't-don't-don be unkind
20 me-" she cried. There was a sharp
sound Of pain in her voice which caused
ioc,or Irving to look at her attentive
Y. Then he said, gently and kindly, as
ne always spoke to her.
MY dear little girl, you are nervous
'na irritable. Go TO bed, sleep soundly,
ma wake up in the morning yourself
Sita said nothing ;but her arms crept
uigner and clasped the doctors neck.
Ion are not angryP You will for
I've me = she insisted, piteously, all
sae righteousness gone, and with the
peculiar pathetic look in her eyes again.
Ine doctor stonned and Kissing her