The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-09-24
THE DOCTORS SECRET.

Dr. irving was thIrty-nlne 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 as
sert that his profession was his mis-
tress, and that he should never marry
at all.
But there were very few persons in
deed to whom DR.. Irving unburdened
himself as to his Utmost thoughts. Per-
haps there were none at all. He was
not communicative man.
Some of his lady patients were sure
he had history; there was something
mysterious aboC- him, the more mag
NATIVE would aver. Had DR.. Irving
known of these things, he would have
been amused; but they never came to
his ears. His brougham, with the su-
peru pair of greys, now drew up before
his door, and he came in for his dim
ner and evening office hours.
AS his key turned in the lock, q
shadow passed across the curtain that
yelled the lighted interior from the
passer-by, and a 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 the forehead.
The girl had his hand tightly clasped
in both her own narrow slim ones. and
was looking up ut him with the dumb
pathetic eyes OF a faithful dog.
She had no beauty save her eyes.
Those were large, black, full, lumin-
Gus, with an intensity of expression
that sometimes half-startled and half
amused the stranger who CHANGED 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 time abroad, a
fatherless and motherless child, the
daughter of Italian parents.
People understood that DR.. Irving
had taken the weird little foreign girl
under his protection to fulfil the last
wishes of dead friend, and then they
well-nigh forgot her existence.
And so Mia had grown up to the
few or no companions of her own age,
but spent the long days in the COM
pany of the DOCTORS housekeeper, or
rolled up i'll q ball on the lounge in his
library with book on her knees.
Something in her face that night as
she sat opposite to him at The dinner
table, perhaps that her cheeks had a
flush OF color unusual to them, which,
Frightening her skin, made her for the
moment almost pretty, caused the doe
tor TO look attentiyeiy at her an in
slant and then to say laughingly:
why, Mia, you're getting to be Il
woman, and a nice-looking little wo-
Imam, too. We shall have to be hunt
inc up husband for you very soon"
The girl dropped her fork, opened
her lips as if to speak, suddenly got up.
and, without uttering a word, rushed
from the room.
DR.. Irving looked after her in con-
siderable surprise for moment.
1t was Edwin Irving's way always
TO look for the cause of things. He
went on quietly with his dinner, but he
pondercd various subjects IN his mind
while doing so.
When the door opened 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 than usual, and the heavy
eyebrows were drawn together in a
way that made the face quite old and
hard.
After his office hours, as DR.. Irving
was preparing to start on his night
rounds, he called the girl to him.
'Nita." he said, Il want you to ex.
plain your rather extraordinary con-
duct What on earth is the matter.
child? You don't suppose / want to
marry you off to anyone you don't
care for, Or"
81 don't want to marry anyone,
said the girl brusquely and tiercely.
Upon second thought, | doubt
whether anyone would want to marry
vou," remarked the doctor dryly, tax
ing up his hat.
Mia stood sullenly, with drawn
brows. until he had reached the door
then she suddenly flew after him ant
caught him by the arm.
"Oh, don't-don' t-don' be unkinc
to metn she cried.
There was a sharp sound of pain il
her voice which caused DR.. Irving tC
look at her attentively. Then he said
gently and kindly, as he always spoke
to her:
"My dear little girl, you are nervou:
and irritable. Go to bed, sleep sound
ly. and wake up in the morning your
self again"
Mia said nothing; but her arm:
crept higher and clasped the doctor,
neck.
"You are not angry? You will for
give me?' she insisted piteously, al
| the RIGHTEOUSNESS gone, and with tn
peculiar pathetic look in her eye
again.
The doctor stopped, and kissing her
said, Yes, OF course, dear child" an,
went out; and the girl, rs the doc
closed behind him. threw herself fac
downward on the lounge and burst in