Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-04-02

how to take care of him, and Of her
self, too.
She was very pretty thing, this
young Dorothy Merle; not very tall
and rather slender, with dark brown
hair falling off the low, white brow
in natural waves, with brilliant, hazel
brown eyes and small, fine features,
among which was mouth whose rosy
lips parted over her teeth like seed
pearls. She very seldom smiled she
was grave little body, intent in her
beauty, farmers's daughter, brought
up to work, brought up to be a lady,
toe, with good common school edu-
cation and simple manners.
Often when the doctor returned
from his visits he left his study and
vent out into her little sitting room,
where the fire was bright and the
hearth was clean, and sat down there
to have glass Of milk and a bit of
ginger bread, and to speak first Of
soAe household matter, and afterward
of some patient; and presently he
found himself discussing his most
perplexing case with her, aud deriving
more or less benefit from her commoa
sense.
Somehow, this brief rest ia thelittle
sitting-room became to hia very
pleasant, and, learning more every
day, Dolly loved to listen. Often,
when her cheeks flushed, and her
brown eyes lighted with interest, the
doctor would say to himself:
''By Jove what q pretty creature
she is Why wasn't she born in some
other station Of life?"
And again, when out in cold and
stormy night, he would find himself
hurrying to his horse, and pictur1ng
the pleasure Of a seat by tho fire OPP
posite Dorothy. And then again he
was saying:
"Confound the station in life A
perfect woman molly planned IS 8
station in life herself"
And one night, as he looked over at
her, sitting opposite, demurely darn
ing on a table-cloth there, he wonder
ed why he should not cross over and
sit beside her. Still, he said nothing
of all this thinking; he was not a
swift man at speaking, his purpose
formed slowly.
If only women could be patient!
What had it been to pretty Dorothy
these evening hours, this familiar talk,
these friendly words, these long 81
lenees, Illuminated only by flashing
chances. He never knew.
One day ne came home and found
aR angular spinster in pretty Doro-
thy's place. Miss Merle had engaged
her, she said; and Dorothy was no
where TO be seen. It was no use for
everything to rush over DR.. Tredickar
then, In oNe torrent Of remembrances
and thunderbolt of decision-reraem
kranees of all her sweetness and sense,
of all her charm and delight-decision
of long faltering purpose.
It was of no use for him TO rage and
imagine vain things; nobody knew
anything of Dorothy, and search as
he might, far and near, high and low,
in all his acquaintance with the coun-
try side, neither he nor anybody else
came across any trace of her.
DR.. Tredickar, for some reason Or
other discarded his little dark pills,
now, but he plunged back into his
business with a sort OF madness. He
tried to forget himself ia killing or
curing; he never Looked at a woman
except from a scientific point Of view
he never spoke to his spinster If he
could help it; he studied as if his life
depended on it; practice he had been
on the point OF surrenderiHg to the
new doctor ne retained, and he rode
far into the night to exact1ng people
on out lying farms, and was up. in the
day break for his laboratory expert
ments and books; he forgot to eat, and
he was unable to sleep.
Of course such devotion to work
had It's own reward in one way, for
DR.. Tredickar was becoming a COM
fortably rich man for county prac-
titioner, and was reaping rich har-
vest of fame, that was, however, as
worthless to him as was the breath of
the idlest breeze.
And so one year followed another
till twenty had slipped away, and the
babies to whom he had given their
first bolus had babies Of their OWE
and fevers and consumptions, and am
putations, and autopsles filed up the
measure of his days; and there seemed
10 LIZ. lloulChaF uOGHlug WOrUu living
for; and, worn with work, irregular
food, unhealthy hurries, sympathies.
disgusts, fatigues, one morning, DIR.
Tredickar discovered that he was
without appetite, without strength,
without a hope Or wish, looking on
the world as mass of disease, and
saw, with hardly surprise Or regret,
that there was ao health in him.
DR.. Triedickar had scarcely the en-
ergy left TO set about curing himself;
he really did not care. He took one
lille dose and another, and would
not have taken them if his aged
spinster had not set them by his plate
As he looked about his dull and
desolate home he thought that this
" as the time when man needed a
wife to cheer him, and cursed himself
for not thinking Of it twenty years
ago.
DIR. Fellows came to see him and
told nina he must do SO and SO, and he
did, and grew more listless and melan-