The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-12

TO your same advice. got the Elegant gentle
to help me wild the pegs. he'll not be refusn'
the same TO help me wild sphreaden the apples.
But whatever possesses We. Miss Dulcie. 10 want
to the Elegant sowl o. him In sech perdicka-
ments7 Faith! the shoes O. him was that shiny
could read mo own freckles in thimN
He had scarcely begun the title page OF the
Theory of History when Bridget knocked timid-
~ at the door Of our cousin Rossiter's study.
THE SAINTS forgive me-. sorr, for the likes
O. me to be throublin' an Elegant glntleman ike
yersilf And. indade. sorr, if yen be afther
assistnin' me a bit jest the waust more, wild the
kind Irish heart o ye that ye have. the Lord
save vel I'll never be throublins We again. But
every man and bly, o. thin has left the house
and left me to be sphreadin' the apples on the
roof alone-the Lord bless the kind Irish hears
o. yer
Whether our cousin Rossiter had gone tenn
porariy insane with suffering and loss of sleep.
or whether life appeared to him all at once to be
of small moment. he rose without a word and
followed Bridget and her bag of sliced apples up
the attic stairs.
Bridget opened the scu,tle or trap-door Of the
roof. "And now, sorr, if wan OF Us IL be handin'
thin to the other jest, it's as aisy as talkn-"
But he, whom we must now call our noble VIC
tim. was man, though he eazed dizzly up into
me. Bridget" he said solemnly, screwed 10 his
eye-glass and disappeared through the celestial
door.
Now the roof was by no means steep, but it
was slightly slippery from the late rain, and
our cousin Rossitsrs eymnastic prowess had
always been that of the mind rather than the
body. and his shoes were very bright and
smooth. and when Bridget mounted the
Steps with her bag of apples and stuck her head
out OF the scuttle she looked about Tor her
newly adopted companion in vain, for swiftly,
voicslessly as dream in the night he had dis
appeared from the roof
With shrek of terror Bridget drew in her
head and rollad, and fell and tumbed down one
flight of stairs after another. "Ocht he's kilt
he's kilt entirelyl Och! pick him up. or ever
me eyes get down to see him lyin' all in PAGES!
Och! save the poor elegant sowl O him, or ever
he's Kilt all over entlrelvi'
But our cousin Rossiter not killed. He
lived indeed to write moro than the Theory of
History. He had fallen on the soft turf of the
lawn, but his ankle sprained that it was
necessary for Mrs Botman and Bridget TO as
sist him into the house. They bathed and
swathed his swollen limb and arranged him IN
q reclining chair with holsters and pillows, and
there he sat and pondered many things
Toward evening there was timid knock--and
it was not Brdget's-at his study door.
There stood Miss Dulcie Train, and she had
been crying. The traces Of tears had been
carefully washed away but still there
tell-tale look that she had been crying Even
as she lifted those strangely softened, beautiful
eyes, she let them fall again quickly, and deep
blush burned in either cheek. Il am sorry"
she began, and hesitated almost pitifuIly.
1t was never explained in his Theory of His
tory any more than it has ever been in any
other but suddenly q great wave of emotion
swept over our cousin Rossiter; his head grew
dizzy, his body seemed TO leave the earth; he
who had never loved woman, he loved this child,
this woman, standing at his door! With all his
Miss Dulcie Train.
IF You were very, very sorry" said our
cousin Rossiter, in voice that sounded
strangely to his own ears. SO gentle and broken
it was. would you not at least step over the
threshold to tell me soy
Bet even as he strove to more clearly
through the delicious haze that overspread his
vision. Miss Ducie had gone.
Our cousin Rossiter passed another wakeful
night; he seemed TO have been beaten, shaken
in pieces. and reconstructed in some fashion
hardly recognizable by himself. Sct he was as
ever the of indomitable purpose. The
morning light saw him pale indeed. and sunken-
eyed, but stately, composed, imposing.
He saw that the two ancient ponies were
being harnessed into the wagon. and that Miss
Dulcie, according to her occasional sweet won't.
was about to take drive to the village Miss
Dulcie herself, now fully recovered in spirits,
first called at the door to enquire quite cheer
fully and indifferently after his health
II am much better. thank you," replied our
cousin Rossiter firmly But it is yet impossible
for me walk, and feel that should improve
very much faster if might get out to take the
air. i see p" he continued. composedly and I'M
smilingly adjusting his eye-glass. that the
horses 1 should most desire Of any in the world
to carry me. are standing already equipped and
harnessed at the gate!o
Miss Dulce was nonplnssed, taken off her
guard-such cool and inimitable audacity from
wide with incredulous astonishment, but
cousin Rossiter was regarding her fxediy with
two expressions. two positive expressions upon
his countenance. one of great repect, and the
other of exceeding kindness. Miss Dulcie falter-
ed, blusheG in confusion. and finally showed
her white teeth in giggle as fraternal as she
might have bestowed upon US, her Quondam
partners in inquty.
well" said she. ''of course you go if you
like. But" she added little spitefully;. ''Aunty
wants to take Isy, and of course If you go
there won't be room to lay him on the seat, aud
so you'll have to hold Isy2"
Il shall be charmed!" replied our cousin Ros-
sitter promptly. Il shall be more than
Our cousin Rossiter was assisted into the
wagon by Mrs. Botman and Bridget. An
cient buffalo robe was thrown over the seat to
obviate the need of other upholstery. Our i'm
attired cousin sank into its shaggy
folds without shudder and cheerfully held out
his arms to receive the infant Isaiah.
Jim and felt if we might only have witnessed
in some sort the beginning of the end! But
had down to Peacedale to learn surrepti
tiousy now our cunning plot was working. We
were looking forward to a little private CONVEX
sation with our supposed ally Miss Dulcie,
which should mutually felicitate ourselves
upon cousin Rossiter's eufferings, and
turn, happy and unapprehended Of him. by the
evening train And We were walking from the
station to ward the Botman residence, along the
wooded and sequestered path we'll known to us |
10 our hunting excursions, when we heard the |
rattle of slowly approaching vehicle In the dis
lance. The woodland path lay above the road,
which could see clearly without being our
selves discovered. and this is what we saw:
The trip to the village had been accom- plshed,
and Miss Dulcie and our cousin RosSiter were
Isaiah Botman lay sound asleep in
the sun. on some blankets the wagon floor in |
front of them. Our cousin Rosslters broad |
cloth was gltteringly fine. his carriage as erect
his manner as imposing ever, but under his
stately silk ias there shone expression
Of tranquil unmitigated bliss! With one hand
be held the rens which Miss Dulcie had resigned.
yet so gentle his hold upon them, the time
worn steeds seemed hardly to crawl along the
other encircled Miss Du1cies |
waist! And Miss Dulcie herself? It only |
too plain that she bad capituated, she had gone |
over to the enemy, she had consented to become |
co-her with our cousin Rossiter to the Theory |
IF History and two hundred and fifty thousand |
dollars.
At the sight of her sweet face, a pang shot /
through our hearts withal, stood trans |
fixed in helpless astoDishment
Am drunk, Ned2" nurmured Jim, at last. |
mo, JIM" / replied sorrowfully and reck- |
essly; 1--WE drunk-would that wa |
weren
We watched the beatific vision as it crawled |
with appravatinp slOWress ont of sight and then