The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-03-13
hiscella11entts.
without ANY Counting.

acnes, ana lie nateu the dusty streets, in
which the summer heat burnt and the sum
mer sun shone before the green leaves had
draped the trees and potted geraniums which
York, lent their summer freshness.
"What shall do, doctor?" he said to the
white headed old physician. "You say moth
ing ais me, but can tell you what my feel
ings are better than you can. l know shall
be down with something soon. rode in
car with half dozen dirty children, the
other day-to the small pox hospital,
haven't doubt-very red and nasty look
ing, all of them; and while / was buying
something in a store down in Broadway the
other day, horrid old woman begged of me
because her husband was sick with typhoid
fever. No doubt I've caught both diseases
and it's the complication that puzzles you.
Couldn't relish my coffee this morning left
my milk toast untouched. Hateful life, that
OF bachelor at hotel. Oh, dear me y
"Why don't you marry, then?" said the
doctor.
They need so much courting," said Pat.
terson. "You spend six months or so, at
least, dangling at a woman's apron strings.
You must go to the theatre and opera, if she
is gay and to church meeting if she
is pious. At fifty a man likes his slippers
and dressing-gown and chair of an evening.
II it was just stopping over to the clergy
mans and getting married, putting ring on
her finger and saying or nodding yes two or
three times, why wouldn't mind it, you
know"
"Ah, well, counting is the fun of it all in
my opinion" said the old doctor, "but every
one to his taste. And my advice to you is to
get out into the country"
ITO another hotel and more mercenary
ifaro u cnil W.
NO." said the doctor, Ego to nice private
home. know one-a motherly widow lady
who cooks dinner fit for king. River
before the house, woods behind it, orchard to
the left kitchen garden to the right no fever
and ague; no mosquitoes. Heavenly am
going up there tomorrow and I'll see if
she'll will take you"
very well" said Mr.. Patterson, II think
| will try it,"
"And you must drink plenty of milk, and
eat plenty of nice homemade bread"
Eyes, will, said Patterson overjoyed at
last at hearing something that sounded like
a prescription. "And you would advise
milk? ?"
Quart oft every day." said the doctor.
"Pll take mote of it," said Patterson, land
if should be very i'll she'll nurse me?"
"Splendidly," said the doctor, and went his
way.
Mr.. Patterson thought the matter over and
thought better of it every day, and when the
little note informing him that the widow
would be willing to 'take him in and do for
him" reached him, he had his trunk and
portmanteau already packed, and was all
ready to start that afternoon, AS for the
widow, the doctor had prepared her for her
boarder's peculiarities thus =
"Nice fellow, social, plenty of money;
thinks himself i'll, but isn't ought to be mar
ried told him So but lie hates the idea of
counting; marry off some day no doubt
will you Lave me ? Yes Call in clergyman.
Over. Very peculiar old bachelor; but then
old bachelors are peculiar generally"
The widow was what the Yankee calls an
amazing smart woman She had married at
sixteen and had never failed to have washing
over when other people were banging out
theire. Her bread always rose her cake was
always good, and her butter always sweet.
AT forty five she had married off all her
daughters, was well to do, buXom and hap
py.
Her son and his wife boarded with her,
and she added to her plentiful savings by
taking summer boarder or two. ifthey hap
pened to offer.
FIFTY and bachelor" said Mrs Muntle,
looking In the glass. "Well, it seems pity
but when elderly gentlemen marry, il is to
some nifty tity girl that leads them terrible
life, and likely it's for the best"
Then she looked in the glass again, for the
widow was but woman after all.
Mr., Patterson came to the Widows and
obeyed the doctors prescription carefully.
He ate bread and milk, robbed the orchards
like q school boy. and acclaimed over the
strawberry short-cakc after fashion that
would have made his reputation at the bar.
Then, too Mrs. Muntle did not smile at his
aches and pains, and insist that he must be
perpetually well because he had fresh COM
plexion and dimples In his cheeks She had
savory herb teas and potions which she pro
duced when he complained of feeling misera-
BILE, and she had that blessing of all hypo-
choDdriacs, homeopathic box in the house.
There were remedies in that box for every
thing; and it was pleasant to find that when
there was crawling sensation in your flesh,
or kind OF uneasy feeling in your legs,
there were daily little glCbules TO be had Just
suited for your symptoms that to find your
self very angry about nothing indicated pull
satilla, and that even for unrequited love
there was a medicine.
For two months and more Mr.. Patterson
boarded with Mrs. Muntle, and happier
months he had never lived through. Then
he went back to the city for a few weeks, re-
turning in urgent need of more pellets from
the medicine chest, and stayed until the last
pink chrysanthemum was blooming ON its
withered branches. He had grown so fond
of his little room, with its white curtains and
fresh grass bleached linen, of the country
good things, and of the buxom Mrs. Muntie
that he could not bear the thought of parting
with them altogether 49,
After all why could he not buy house and
trtyf rraf Mrn l., "a a