Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-11

4 as she spoke:
How did you find Chistina's babyf'
| John was unduly alarmed. 1t was a
! very mild attack"
! And be let you drive twenty miles for
| nothing? An, poor father! 1t was shame
| fulr,
March was standing near. drawing his
| gloves thoughtfully through his hands.
| We country physicians have our trials,
| sir" said DR.. Van Cleef, addressing him,
/ yes, yes, we have our trials" He
! seemed 20 muse for a moment. ''Come,
! Constance, dear" be exclaimed, rising
/ deliberately and throwing back his head
] as If to east OF his fatigue, lit is supper
| time. Go in and say to Barbara that we
! VIII sup in the arbOr tonight, and let
I your aunt know. It viii be warm enough
1 l think. dear"
/ IL had been one Of those warm days
/ which occasionally brighten the sullen
1 Northern spring, and the sun was bid
/ ding me earth goodnight with a suavity
/ which it had not used since the last De-
/ tObeT.
/ Constance left them, and the doctor mo-
/ toned the young man to a seat on the
/ bench, ami he sat down beside him. Each
/ or his companions expressions, and the
/ smiles with which be emphasized them,
| seemed to March to repeat: you are
/ very welcome. sir;' and as they talked,
/ ana March watched the figure in gray
Z
+ face the warm light of the setting sun
/ playing through the hedge and budding
trees and shrubs, he felt that there Were
| several facts upon which he might fairly
! congratulate himself.
/ Constance came out to the table, which
! a maid servant was setting in the arDOr,
I with tall slight lady of a certain age,
/ dressed in the garb of the society, who
4 was presently made known to March as
+ Miss Cynthia Van Cleef, the Doctors sis
1 ter.
1--WE are glad to see you, sir" she said
/ precisely as they were introduced, and
! giving his hand a single, sharp, down
/ ward impulse, quickly released it, and
/ folded her own shTivelled palms about her
slim waist. During the meal which fol-
I lowed she remained wholly silent, except
to give occasional laconic orders to the
young waitress, who seemed to stand in
awe of her. Constance took her place at
the head of the table, but it was clear
that Miss Cynthia directed the domestic
government.
you have seen my garden, sir; at least,
in partE' said MaTch's entertainer, amia- !
bly,, as they sat drinking their tea in the |
warm, fading light. Yes, Constance, | !
think, is fond of it herself; she is not I'M !
willing 10 show it,
The sun bent its last soft rays upon the |
four persons gathered about the hOmeIy !
table, and stamped their long shadows on !
the beaten earth floor, and beyond through |
the lattice work on the rich brown soil Of |
a newly upturned flower bed. The hedge !
Of silver behind which Constance sat /
scintillated IN the mellow light, and the /
glassware grew pink under it. Miss Cvn- !
thia, who faced the sun, sat defending her
weak blinking little eyes from its level /
glory with one thin hand, which was itself /
transparency pink in the light.
FROM where they sat they could see
most Of the village street. The house to
which this garden was attached bore a
certain family resemblance to the others,
but i was easily the hauds0mest in sight.
-Four tail chlmneys sougnu ,uo ar a''',,y,
IL IKE exclamation points, and an equal
hul..UeT Of buttresses rosG massiyely to its
stone tlauks as il 90 emphasize the honest
firmness and squareness with which the
building faced the observer, in a street Of
which il was not the only notable object
The houses in it were at considerable
distance apart. and in the vacant Stiffness
that falls upon most villages at the cessa-
ton Of labor, in the next hours before
nightiall, each seemed standing in sep
arate silence. The occasional sound Of
footsteps on the hard-beaten earth walks
scarcely disturbed the slumberOus quiet.
Two noble lines Of naples threw out their
branches over the roadway, and nodded
their vagraut shoots with the limited
foliage of early spring 20 the many-paned
windows. The larger limbs dropped IN
sturdy curves upon the roofs, which were
by no means the least striking thing in
the street. Those which reached the
caves by an uninterrupted sweep turned
up their noses at this point with q saucy !
tlJunce, and were Jranshxed in perpetual
retrOuSe; others more d6cOrOusly sur
rendered to the dwellings, front portion
of their forms, which stralghtway became
cOncaVe and were dotted with windows.
Tie least fantastic mode in house tops
seemed to be that angular structure, with
the appearance Of a carpenters rule at
odds with itself, known as the ''gamDrel."
From all the dOrmer window cleaned, !
prOpped at anguishiug Inclines, and upon !
occasion lying prone along the shingles, !
ike basking alligator. Most OF the
buildings were of stone, though occasion
aliy one was simply framed Of heWn logs.
With inscrutable parsimony, in the midst
of an ample vegrOte of open land, all were
placed full upon the street, and beside
each door rose d flight of steps, terminated
by little square of flooring.
Il don't keep the garden for exhibit
tiou.,' said DR.. Van Cleef II am glad
that any one who cares for flowers should
see it; but its design is perfectly selfish
one, sir" His benehceut smile belied
the statement. 81 am content to admit
that ] keep it up for my private gratitica-
ton. That is not a laudable object, you
Will say: no, il would not look well in a |
text. But at certain age man must |
try to get along with fewer Iaudable OBJ |
iects: one must treat oneself with respect, |
even indulge oneself, perhaps. That IS my |
plan"
'sYou should begin to carry it out, |
father" said Constance; lone who goes /
out Of his way to assume others burdens, |
and drives twenty miles TO remedy an |
imaginary complaint is hardly doing bat |
tie for the cause Of seitshness."
swell, well; the theory holds good still. |
was speaking Of my pleasures, dear. My |
duties are different matter. Do you hap /
pen q know the RepubAcY" he asked of |
March, suddenly.
The young man flushed.
"Tht-a London dailyw stammered !
he; certainly, sir"
"That is one of my indulgences. You |
know they sympathize with us. The |
United States has no better friend. Yes, !
| write them-OccasiOnally some |
regularity. | may say. 1t Is great in |
terest for me-yes, yes, quite an interest,""
continued the old man, absently, rubbing |
the snowy stubble on his chin, alter /
habit he had. Il have an intellectual |
recreation and a physical recreation. you |
see: that and my garden. Yes, / enjoy it. |
But l suppose l shall have to give it up !
after WHILE" he said, abruptly, looking |
at March, whose eyes Tell. They Will be |
sending over a younger man to replace |
me before long. l have my ideas, of |
course, but they are the ideas of the past. |
We have been growing very rapidly over |
here lately, Mr.. March"
March was spared comment ey an acct |
dent which at the moment befell dish in |
the hands Of the servant; but for the re-
mainder of the meal his thoughts were |
extremely uncomfortable.
When they rose from the table he pro- |
posed to retire, but the MOravian was OBJ |
durately hospitable.
ssThe inn, sir! Have you not learned !
1 that the Americans have other ideas of
hospitality" inquired he gravely. Il viii
send for your pOTtmanteau at once, sir. 1t
/ is for you to say only how long you can
consent to remain with US, - the doctor end !
ed with his beaming smile. "No, mop he
cried. at March's protest, Il shall take it
as an affront sir, if you return to the
inn. That is very well FIR the moment
until we could meet, but nOw-you are
Lady Amprey's friend, sir. and therefore
NINE"
March could only submit. For the day
or two that he felt il right TO remain, as !
tribute to Lady Amprey, this arrange
ment was clearly pleasanter than his own.
The inn he had found a trifie stutfy,
though marvelously clean, in the Nora