The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-02-12

| mo reason. SnOrted Mr.. Bolton.
"And me as i'll as l am! wonder who
she thinks is going to nurse me? But
it is like a woman to give up to the
slightest ache or pain and just when
they are needed most"
''Oh, you will be all right in an hour
or two! Father, if you don't mind I'll
ge to prayer-meeting with Rob Harper
BY the way, mother said you'd please
get the churn ready for her, and here's
the key to the dairy"
She was gone before the irate parent
could frame the cutting speech he had
in mind, in which he mingled a serpent
tooth, an ungrateful child, his wife's
unaccountable and preposterous failure
to perform her wifely duties, and the
heartless madness of expecting him to
rise from a couch of pain and illness to
set churn. He lay and pondered the
thing over. They were evidently grow
ing incredulous on the subject of his
ailments and needed lesson, severe
one, to bring them back to their ale
glance. In the meanwhile Nelly, lean
ing on her lovers arm, confided to him
that: Father always fell i'll so oppor-
timely, and recovered with such sur
prising readiness whenever he found
that illness was inconvenient" They
both laughed, sbut a quick remorse
smote the girl when on their return
they saw lights glancing about the
house, heard man-servant on horse
go tearing after the doctor, and Mrs
Bolton met them with:
'Oh, Nelly, your father is dying, dy-
ing! II is judgment on MS for our
wicked doubling Of him this after
noon. Oh, ! can never, never forgive
myself"
But when Nelly, followed by Rob,
entered the darkened room where her
father lay the color came back to her
checks, and her eyes lost their look Of
horror, for with singular laundering
Rob picked up the shaded lamp, and,
turning the wick to its greatest height,
let the bright stream of light fall right
on the sufferers face, so that his
daughter saw that the dying mans
countenance was still very healthily
tinted.
'Oh, oh, OH" groancd Mr.. Bolton.
Turn that lamp down. Is that you,
Nelly, daughter? Well, kiss your
poor father and tell him good-by. Oh,
OH
Here, you are going to faint, Miss
Nelly. Go out in the fresh air at
once" said Rob, and as the door closed
on the girl he turned 60 Mr.. Bolton
with: Poor girl! And she to be mar
ried SO soon to Joe Banner! Your
death will put her wedding off, won't
it?"
''What?" yelled Mr.. Bolton, forget
ting to groan and sitting up in bed.
Joe Banner! Not if l have to kill
him."
The Banners and Beltons hated each
, other as only people in small places
and over small matters have time to.
Has such a thing been going on be-
hind my back? I'll-IU-"
"Oh, don't. dcarv' interposed poor
Mrs. Bolton. You will injure your
self Lie quiet till the doctor comes. l
am sure Rob is mistaken about Joe
Banner. Why, Nelly never speaks to
HIM, and. besides, she and Rob are"
Here's the DOCTOR" exclaimed Rob,
rushing to open the door and cutting
Mrs Bolton short in her explanation.
DIR. Lester came in looking suspicious
ly grave, for there was very ineon-
sistent twinkle in his eyes. He felt
Mr.. Belton's pulse and looked graver
! still, while the twinkle fairly set his
eyes to dancing, and then with a cor
tain reluctance in his voice said:
~ must not conceal from you. my
my dear sir, that you are suffering
from cerebro-spinal meningitis com
bined with enemia of the medulla-
oblongata How is it you never con-
suited me before? Didn't suspect it?"
Moo" said the patient, looking
scared and white. "Doctor-wi ll-will
| it-it--it be fatal?"
The doctor turned first and requested
Mrs. Bolton and Bob to leave the room,
which they did, when he addressed
himself to the sick man: Il feel it my
duty to tell you the truth. You haven't
one hour to live!'
"Oh! oh, oh! Save me. doctor. I'll
give you five hundred dollars to do it
thousand dollars-my whole place
anything-only save me!''
Cant do it, said the doctor, shak-
ing his head. Face it like a man,
Bolton. Don't trouble about your wife
and family. Mary's married. Nelly
could be tomorrow, and as for Mrs.
Bolton, Marks. tho widower. said yes
terday she was the handsomest woman
still in the county, and that if she was
only rid of you he'd ask her the day
after the funeral"
What" shrieked the dying man.
flinging himself out of bed, and dancing
over the floor as if it were red-hot.
ITO Jericho with my cerebro- splitting
whatever you call it and my oblong
medal! Die. No, I'll nat die, not for a
hundred years. You make tracks, DR..
Lester, this minute. I'm tired of your
bread pills. Yes, they were bread, and
l knew it all along. The idea of
mans wife and daughter planning,
aye, building on his death. and pro-
posing before the breaths out of his
body to dance over his grave.''
: Here Mr.. Bolton grew a little mixed
IN his language, but he knew what he