Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1891-03-07
LIEUTENANT LOUISA.
Bv JVLNN HAWTHORNE.
Copyright. All rights reserved.l ]


"The enclosed was some horrible
trash about a man who came to London
with twopence and died worth million
As to thirty pounds being a sum OF
money, what did she suppose imagined
it to be-a sack Of potatoes?
I Well, the recollection of thi. incident
failed to dispel my present misgivings,
and that night wrote to Mary telling
her that would see her father at once.
bst chat until | had done SO she was to
keep our engagement secret. And
went to bed with despair at my heart.
tossed about all night and had but
short and fitful intervals of sleep. In the
morning was in high state of fever,
varied by frequent fits Of shivering and
shooting pains all over me. l sent tel
egram to my doctor and then went back
to bed.
For three months WAS laid up with a
dangerous rheumatic fever. In the ear
ly stage l had found it necessary to take
Edward Bold into my confidence. and he
had regularly conveyed tidings Of me to
Mary. who. poor girl! suffered grieyous-
ly for my sake. Her messages gave me
heart and strength. but my prostration
was great and the paroxysms of pain
frequent. At last the muscles of the
throat were affected, and could neither
cat, drink nor sleep. Laudanum was
administered in large and increasing
doses and brought me some temporary
relief: but overheard my dear friend,
George Vivian, my doctor, say one day:
''If he is not better in forty-eight hours
it is all over with him."
My Aunt Johanna was not the sole
possessor Of the parrot constitution. 1t
ran in the family. Therefore. feeble
and near to death as was, made up
my mind that | would pull through.
There never was a kinder nurse than
wizened, uncouth Mrs. Crump Mrs.
Swatman's mummiied assistant before
mcntioned) turned out to be. The hired
nurse was as callous and repugnant as
nine out of ten of her class are. but Mrs.
Crump, who would tend me ,vhile the
professional took her daily exercise, was
ray of sunshine in the room. She was
always good humored and hopeful she
smoothed my pillows. raised my head or
arranged the bed with the lightest of
hands. Often did scream for her when
the hired nurse was causing me the most
acute pain by her rough handling.
Nurses are born. not made. But at the
best had hard time of it. Those who
fall sick in chambers are apt to suffer
grievously. More than once during
a,S /, I hol fh.,
parrot constitution would be worsted
after all.
However, they passed, and ! was not
dead yet. | began to mend; slowly but
surely the Improvement went on, and in
due time became SO far convalescent as
to be able, with assistance, to get from
one room to another. A new trouble
now loolned in my horizon. On looking
into the state Of my finances / made the
unpleasant discovery that, after settling
various liabilities incurred by my illness,
should be left with balance of not
more than ten or twelve pounds
at Praed's. out of which there
would be heavy chemists bill
to pay. My dividends were not due
until December, and Twas debarred from
forecalling them by the provision OF the
will under which obtained them, and
which forbade me to ''assign, charge or
cucumber" the property, under penalty
of seeing it depart into the clutches Of
distant connection. Not without much
reluctance, therefore. resolved TO write
to my Aunt Johanna and ask her to come
to my assistance. After had done this
a feeling of conditional resignation came
over me. had swallowed my pride,
and such dose. after all the other nos
trums had been taking, ought surely
to bring about some sort Of improvement
in my unlucky state.
The same day on which | wrote this
letter to my aunt was enlivened by a
| call from Mr.. Bruce He had looked in
on me several times during my illness.
and had made the kindest inquiries as to
my progress. He now sat down on the
other side of my fireplace and we had a
loIrs conversation about genealogies and
pedigrees. Mr. Bruce's second (hobby)
horse and before lie took his leave had
become tolerably well acquainted with
the story Of the famous Dunedin peerage.
and with the efforts Mr.. Bruce had made
during twenty years past to make good
his claim to tho title. Onelinl., however,
and only one, was still wanting to the
completion Of the chain of evidence
forged with so much perseverance,. 1t
was necessary to prove the marriage Of
Dalrymple Bruce and Tryphena Mad
dams-a runaway couple who were sup
posed to have been united in matrimonial
bonds somewhere about the year 1104.
Their marriage certificate had been ad-
vertised for and large reward offered
for it in every newspaper in the three
kingdoms. Hundreds of registers had
been personally inspected, but the much
desired entry had never been discovered,
Gradually, as listened to my visitors
narrative of his badled but still hopeful
effortsi something of his own enthusiasm
and eagerness in the pursuit communi-
Gated itself to me. Probably was in a
more than usually impressionable state,
owing to the bodily woalsne5s caused by
| ,lloa,, hat ot all a.yapta ,x,,ap 7 r,ut