The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1885-10-17

have lived in the village of Hampton AZ
child, boy and man for nearly 7Oyears. II you
were to start from Exeter and travel north
ward say matter of 50 miles, and were then
to look around you would see circle of pleas
mt hills, afar the spires and the smoke Of a
city, and at hand large well-to-tlo village.
That village Is Hampton, my native place.
Surprising the month July. and the time 10
O'Clock Ut a sunshiny morning. you might
also see a shabby genteel old fellow, with
white hair, stoop good strong shoulders,
five feet eight inches from the beginning to
the end Of him, leaning ON a sixrenny oak
stick, and altogether giving you the impress
sion Of q man ek!ng out not uncomfortable
existence ON something like pound week.
You might be interested enough to ask some
passer-by who the old gentleman might be,
shudiing along for his morning air and SUM-
shine. The answer would be, ''Dr. Book.
The shabby genteel old fellow would be my
SELF
kept small chemists shop in Hampton
for many years, and the inhabitants called
me doctor" Doctor is that doctor does,
and have cured half the village, first and
last; but tell YOU plainly that never wrote
NJ. r. G. 8. or r. G. P. or any such rubbish
after my plain John Book. All, dear friends
it might surprise you were I to tell all that
has happened in Hampton during my time,
our population, you observe, being q matter
of two thousand, more or less. There has
been deal OF wickednes-many an aching
heart, many a scalding tear, many a cruel
deed-few and simple folk though we seem.
But why should recall anything of the sort,
when all my present concern Is to describe
the way the story here following came to be
written! Our squire's daughter, as pleasant
spoken young lady al you could meet,
writes novels, 80 am told: and one day,
knowing her we'll, ventured to say to her:
''You don't spend much Of tho year in
Hampton, missH
mo; Hampton is dull. DOCTOR Besides
this she said with laugh and a bit Of q
blush-''you sec, like to see life There is
life in London, i'll Paris, in Madrid, hut not
in Hampton"
''No!' said.
mot bit, y she replied. "An is quiet and
regular here, and people sleep and wake as
quietly ms butterfly opening and closing its
wings rs it basks in the sunshine"
Now. well l knew what the young lady
meant by life" and why she wanted to see
life"
''See here, miss said l, pointing across t,
the churchyard; ''thele Is matter of two
or three acres Of green grass there, thin AZ
carpet. II YOU could just roll that green
coverlet aside. and read the hearts that are
going back to dust there SO quietly, you
would find enough life, as you call it, to
keep Mr. Shakespeare busy for score of
years.
'Ah, dctt"r," she said, pleasantly; ''but
YOU and don't mean the same thing when
We talk about life"
perhaps not. miss" said !.
For all that. when told her had written
sort OF novel out of my own observation,
how pleased she was and how kind of her to
read 1t, striking out one word, writing in
another sometimes making y sente nee or two
out of her own head. How gay my dull old
parlor looked, with that young lady sitting
at tho table, quill in hand. touching" '.,., lip
with the feather while she thong. ,hinys
over!
Now, that's Irettv!!" she exclaimed one
morning, as she had INT in Il line Of her own
lis 1t not pretty, ,iM orr
''Well, miss answered, there's some
thing pretty about omcwhe.e."
And 50 the novel VA. made ready for
print Fancy old DR.. Book in print--oid Dr.
Book. with corrections and additions by u
beautiful young lady who talks French and
Italian. aud was not born i'T years after he
had marked his first gray hai'
So here Is the whole story. from first to
last. ('y DR.. Book. revised and corrected by
Miss Millicent Hervey Whatever in the
writing is plain. straightforward natlurnel,
useful for the purpose, just like u gray home
spun sock that keeps mans leg warm, by
DR.. Book: whatever is dainty. pretty. catch
ing. elegant, like a silk stocking on u pretty
foot. hy Miss Millicent Hervey. If there's
amy vulgarity, y0, observe. that's me. All
the firs.>itte language and waysle language
by DR.. H.s'k: the dictionary department un.
der the sol. management Of Miss Millicent
Hervey. But while ranhle on like this the
story waits.