The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-10-15
THE DOCTOR's SECRET.

THE DOCTOR'S SECRET.
DR.. Irving was thirty-nine 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-.
trcss, and that he should never marry
at all.
But there were very few persons in
deed to whom DIR. Irving unburdened
himself as to his inmost 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 about him, the more imag-
inative would aver. Had DIR. Irving
known of these things, he would have
been amused; but they never came to
his ears. His brougham, with the su-
perb pair of groys, now drew up before
his door. and he came in for his din
ner and evening office hours.
As his key turned in the lock, a
shadow passed across the curtain that
veiled the lighted interior from tho
passer-by, and q small, slight. dark,
pale girl, scarcely moro than a child,
pressed close against him the moment
the door opened.
"Well. Nita," he said kindly, and
bent down to kiss her on tho forehead.
The girl had his hand tightly clasped
was looking up at him with the dumb
fhafi ~ 20 81, f,,l
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 chanced 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 u dead friend, and then they
well-nigh forgot her existence.
And so Nita had grown up to the
threshold of womanhood, and had had
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 a ball on the lounge in his
library with Il book on her knees.
Something in hor 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 doc.
tor to look attentively at her an in
slant and then to say laughingly:
why. Nita, you're getting to be a
woman, and a nice-looking little wo.
man, too. We shall have to be hunt.
ing 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 a moment
1t was Edwin Irving's way always
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 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 9
way that made the face quite old AND
hard.
After his office hours, as DIR. Irving
was preparing to start on his nigh
rounds. he called the girl to him.
'.Nita," he said, al want you to ex
plain your rather extraordinary con
duct What on earth Is the matter
childP You don't suppose want t.
marry you of to anyone you don
care for, Or"
81 don't want to marry anyone, '
said the girl brusquely and tiercely.
Upon second thought. l doub
whether anyone would want to MARI,
| you," remarked the doctor dryly, tax
ing up his hat.
Nita stood sullenly, with draw
| 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't be unkin'
to mer' she cried.
There was sharp sound of pain il
her voice which caused DIR. Irving t
look at her attentively. Then he said
gently and kindly, as he always spok
to her:
my dear little girl, you are ncrvou
and irritable. Go to bed. sleep sound
ly, and wake up in the morning your
self again.
Nita said nothing; but her arm
crept higher and clasped the doctor
neck.
You are not angryP You will fol
give mep" she insisted piteously, a
the rebelliousness gone, and with th
peculiar pathetic look in her eye
again.
The doctor stopped, and kissing he
said, "Yes, of course, dear child" an
went out; and the girl, as the doc
closed behind him, threw herself fa1
downward on the lounge and burst il
to passion of tears.
After that night life did not go c
quite as before in the doctors hous
hold.
Nita had ceased suddenly throug
some mysterious process, to be Il
weird. curious. elf like child she Ia
been: she seemed to have developed il
to woman.
If possible, she was more silen
more reticent than before. Her eye
in her small haggard face, looked mo
intense than ever. Her manners
ward the doctor had changed little.
She watched for his coming just
eagerly, but when he appeared 81
would shrink back with shyness ne