The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-05-29
ELLICE LEE.
Her arms across her breast she laid;
She was more fair than words can say
Barefooted came the beggar maid
Before the King Cophetua--"


Her arms across her breast she laid;
She. was more fair than words can say
Barefooted came the beggar maid
Before the King Cophetua--"
quoted Ethel King softly to us who
were standing about her.
Very softly; but there was flash of
anger in her black eyes Watching her
cousin Howard.
Howard Kings guests, Ethel and /
among them, had paused on this bank,
stopped by the brook that was tearing
its way down the hillside in whirl of
rapids, swollen by the rains that had
kept us all shut up for days together
in Towards old country house, until
we were inclined to be bored with one
another; which, perhaps, might ac-
count for the interest the men, at least,
were taking in the newcomer into the
scene.
She had lightly leaped into it from
the opposite bank; descending the
slope on run, and springing on to the
nearest of the stepping-stones. past
which the water fled swiftly and dizzily
away.
So dizzily that she stood still, evil
IDENTIFY afraid TO go forward or back.
And while she faltered, Howard King,
from his side of the brook, plunged in
and offered her his hand
SO much as matter of course, that,
as matter of course, she took it.
She stood balancing herself, Ivy his
help, on the slippery steppingstone.
bare feet; one hand catching up her
Oh Il,
might hold her shoes and stockings.
''Oh, you are kind" she said, look
ing at him with the rose-flush COM
ing and going in her cheeks, and the
sparkle of tears in her eyes. Il am
sure you are kind! You will do my
errand for me, so that l may go back
to mamma at onceP Mamma $50 ILL.,.
was going to the village for the doc
tor. And The freshet has carried away
the BRIDGE and the road is all over
flowed.
This, with hlushing glance down
at the little bare feet in the water.
"You shall have the doctor as soon
as he can be brought" said Howard
reassuringly. Where shall ! tell him
to callP"
"At McDermott's-the little road
side inn, you know.
| / saw Towards face change.
McDermott's!
knew the place rs well rs Howard
King, for this was not my first visit,
by many, to Kings Hill; my ia
ther having been Towards guardian
until of late, from the time Kings Hill
came to the boy through II far-away
cousin dying without heirs. Since he
came of age my mother always did the
honors of his country-house parties
| every summer. / knew all the sur
roundings, even to McDermott's, and
of all the bare and shabby, almost
squalid holes, this was the worst.
IF your mother is ill.," Howard was
saying, "the first thing the doctor
would order would be q removal from
McQermott's. There is bit of stag
nant marsh behind the house that is
enough to poison Why, last year
there were five cases of typhus fever in
the very housel'
"Poor little thing! What does he
mean by frightening her SOP" asked
Helen Woods, behind me.
| But i knew what he meant, and so
did Edith, for she clinched her hand
in the fold of her dress, and heard
her breath come sharply through her
| set teeth.
81 shall go for the DOCTOR" he was
saying, smiling into the girls terrified
face; ''and at the same time | shall
send the carriage for your mother, and
you must just put her into it at bnce
and bring her to Kings HILL"
| s.Ktno,io IJiIf tho o,;ti ranaataI In, n
puzzled way. Kings Hill! But that
is the name mamma keeps saying over
and over in her fever"
who can she bePn
1t was Edith who asked the ques-
ton, sharply, under her breath. How
ard only said, cheerily:
$50 much the better; she must know
the place, and she'll get well the faster
for that hedoetor can attend to her
much better there; and my house
Keeper"
And so it was that Ellice Lee-she
said her name was Ellice Lee-came
among us at Kings Hill.
She vanished out of the brook mean
while as suddenly as she had come;
I and some of us declared she was q
naiad whom Howard would never see
out of the watercourse.
But she did come after all, in the
big carriage, where, on mattress,
lay the poor, unconscious creature who
was to take up so much of our
thoughts in the days and nights that
followed.
/ say sour" for mamma not being
strong or young enough to nurse,
was one of those who helped Ellice in
her task, and Edith was the other.
That is, as much as Ellice would let
anyone help her. 1t was only when
the doctor expressly ordered her that
she would leave her patient. But
sometimes Howard would drive her
out in the early morning air behind
his dashing greys, trying to keep the
roses in her cheeks, and also noticed
how well he succeeded.
Edith seemed to be making her in
nings during these weeks. She looked
so soft and sweet IN the sort of uni
form she affected as nurse, and she
had such pretty womanly ways that
mamma was perfectly sure Towards
old fancy for his cousin-they were
two or three times removed--had
ripened into love. Edith herself was
sure of it, / afterwards believed; but /
had my doubts when / saw him look
ing at Ellice..
don't think Edith was ever jeal-
GUS of her until one morning that
Howard seemed to have lost his road
and brought Ellice back so late from
4.