Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-11-02

NhNfH NAAl lsl 'fHtftffN" - 1850 49,
ful ihAnk.. Jane. who thought 90 one
equal 20 her master. waved fairly slo.
qaeni when rela,ing ho~ he hal tended
her mother and helped alons her smaller
brothers and sister. And u the many
God bls.. you," called forth by the
doctors kind act. were registered above.
their record mus, have been a glorious
one.
A year had passed since Mrs. SphinS
bad entered upon her duties az house.
keeper TO Doctor Reed; and 10 fairy
Wand could have worked greater changes
than iha, lady. clever hands had doue.
The old.f.shioned furniture had taken
on a polish upon which no Hy dare TO
risk footing. Pretty lace curtains
srsesd the windor which looked out,
no, upon weed. any mor. ba, frsgrAn,
fl1~er bed, and velys,y grass and ru..
,is seat meath the exchanging b'anete.
OF an ancient oak. Jane. no lonser Slip
.hod. bu, in q nea, gown aud dainty cap
waited upon "the mis,ro.'." . she al.
way. persisted in ealling Mrs.. Sphinx.
20 whom she bad become Almos, a. much
attached =. TO the doctor. Aad the doc
tor himself Probably be woald have
though, no worse fate could bsf.ll him
than the loss Of Mrs. sphinx. VIA, Of
,ha, lady hsr.elf' From the hr, day
when the doctor gave her 90 kindly q
welcome and bade her make herself quite
q, home And IL anything was wanting 20
her comfort TO let him knoS, she had
grown 10 love her duties and the quiet
old house and hoped ,ha, she nigh, al
way. stay. although. Of course. that
would no, be possible when the doctor
brough, home bride. which naturally
be would DO some day. Somehow she
dii no, like 10 think Of ,hs, hour And 90
.uove TO pat IL out Of her mind. Ye,
the doctor. truth 10 tell. had hardly given
such an idea a thought III. was too
busy mAn TO have much time 10 de.
vote 10 society and the appointments OF
hi. home suited him 20 . nicely eon'e-
qaen,ly he never fel, the need Of wife
lie had grown quite attached to the qai.
e, little figure IN black. whose brown
eye. .parkled 30 meuily a. time. ABOVE
their gold. bowed 'pse,aelss. and woald
have sorely missed hi. good housekeePsr.
For even outside OF her housekeeping du.
tie, she va. Of greAI help 10 him. assist.
ing TO keep hi. account. and sorting hi'
p.per 50 elsverly. PsrhaP' he was
thinking Of ,hi. a. he 'lid oae afternoon
rather abruptly;
81 am afraid you are working too
hard. Mrs. sphinx. How would YOU
like = holiday"
What. YOl mean me TO 20 away F"
she exclaimed 10 = startled, imploring
,one.
"Goi forbidw The words dropped
from his lip, almo., unaware. before he
added. "Jast a little trip. Sy TO the
country. for your health although how
We shall &c, along wi,hOa, yol. do not
know
Then. IL you please. sir. ! had rather
no, co." was the quie, answer. and 10
more was said.
In hi. heart the doctor was pleased
that Mr.. sphinx had elected no, to
take holiday. Somehow he liked her
TO welcome him when be Came home.
and once be had said to himself. as he
motel the gray hair % smoothly tucked
away beneath her snowy cap
~ am as fond Of her almo,, As II she
we're my mother"
Toward the latter part Of tha, summer
q virulent fever broke on, among the
poor Of the di.,rie, where the doctor lived
aud hardly an hour could the doctor then
call hi. own. And Mrs Sphinxs help.
ful hands were always busy those days
of soothing q fretful little sufferer
where other. had failed. until her name
also became beloved Of the poor that
learned to know-,ill one night. when
the doctor came in TO snatch = hurried
mou,hfal, Jane met him. circulating. {.
best she could between her sobs;
"Oh, master. the mistress s awful
bad. and she's locked in her room. and
she won't let me 10. and-oh! !" she adj
ded, with . gulp. "she's been a.talking
to herself like anything. and-oh mas.
ter. IL she's been and gone and took the
fever ?"
For a momsn, the doctor did not
speak something about bis heart
seemed to have eeased its motion then
pushing open the siiting.room door he
gsred in. With . shudder be turned
away.
How empty the room seemed wiihou.
the little figure that IL had known 90
long! Putting the weeping Jane aside,
he hurried up stairs. As he listened
outside his housekeepsrs door, her voice
bsbbling disconnected sentences fell up.
on his ear then, with white Get ex.
preston about his mouth he, pressing all
weight against the door. bunt IL open.
A startled look OF smszement gather
ed in the doctors eyes ~ hs bent over
the slisht figure Of his hoasesseper. who
still bsbbling wildly. gsrsd with an un'