Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-31
DIR. WEDMORE.,

possessed any attractions Tor me, and it
is certain that if had not gone up north
to stay with Daisy Drysdale, should
never have known so well such strik-
ing specimen of the type as DR.. We'd
more He was not a bad fellow, but oh,
he was so pleased with himself! Your
provincial, indeed, is rarely modest; in
the limited circle of country town society
young man is pursued with too much
pertinacity and ardor to have any doubts
in his own mind a. to his personal desir-
ability and manifold charms.
DR.. Wedmore was stoutish young
man Of thirty-two, with nondescript fea-
lures and slow, portentous manner
He had large and increasing practice
in the suburb of Northaw, where his
medical skill was in constant request
among the spinsters and widows of that
somewhat damp and chilly neighbor-
hood. So highly esteemed were his SER
vices in the sickroom that these ladies
would send for him at all hours of the
day or night, until the good doctor in
self defense took to sending his red
haired assistant to some Of his more
4AfAK k0nv AA0A6e<AOb lo16k lllblIe8s
Daisy Drysdale's husband was manu-
facturer in Mudchester, and, like other
manufacturers, he lived as far away
from the factory chimneys of that thriv-
ing city as possible. So his brand new
red brick mansion lay on the other side
Of the suburb Of Northaw, and the 30
ciety Of Northaw supplied nearly all
Mrs. Drysdales intellectual recreation.
Poor Daisy! How she missed London
and the Upper Bohemiai She had a
genius for giving little dinners, but of
what use was that, seeing the component
elements of which her parties were to
be henceforth composed2 Still she was
not to be baffied, and Mrs. Drysdale con-
stautly entertained. The night after l
arrived one of these dinners was given
in my honor, and was sent down to
the dining room with DR.. Wedmore.
Ishall not easily forget that night.
Accustomed to the manifestly insincere
.gushings of London young men, was
astonished at the naive manner in which
this country Esculapius tried in vain to
hide his sudden admiration. It came
out in every word and look. It was a
case Of Glove at first sight" on the part
Of DIR. Wedmore. Before left the din
ner table he had offered to lend me q
horse, proposed that he should drive me
to meet ten miles of and expressed q
wiah that i should know his three sis
ters.
But the next, time saw him my head
was tied up in a flannel shawl and my
throat was so swollen could hardly
speak. The doctor had been called in
professionally, The climate of Mud
chester had been too much for me, and
i was down with a malignant sore
throat. a
The doctor came every day, and once
he came twice, to work q patent in
haler and paint my throat with some
mysterious compound. He constantly
changed the treatment; it was as if he
could never do enough. He even used
to bring me, fowers--and who ever
heard of q doctor taking his patient
flowers? Daisy was convulsed with
amusement. She said that when she
was i'll she sometimes used to have to
send for DIR. Wedmore two or three
times before he appeared, he was SO
busy. ~
At the end of week was better,
and in ten days was quite well.
really felt very grateful, for / knew
that the doctor had saved me by his
constant care from dangerous illness.
/ wonder if he took my gratitude for
-something stronger? Anyway, as I
told Christina when she scolded me for
the whole affair, it was not. my fault.
I hadn't fallen in love with DR.. We'd
more-that's all.
The thing came quickly to q crisis.
We were all invited to spend an evening
at the doctors house. In the north thew
have q mysterious meal called sshigh
tea," which is apparently source of no
little comfort and even of self righteous
ness. It enables the lpartakers thereof
to allude witheringly to the habit of
slate dinners" indulged in by the inhab-
itants of the south. And SO, If you are
invited out in Northaw, be sure you will
be rega1ed on tea and cold chicken (fear-
full mixture), on hot cakes, jam, mar
malade and currant buns. To this even
ing meal, then, we were hidden by Dr. \
Wedm0re.
He lived alone with his sisters, who
were curiously like him. They were all
stoutish, with nondescript features and
had slow and somewhat pompous man
ners. To see all four of them together
inclined one to indecent mirth. 1t was
impossible to be more worthy, more dull
and more self satisfied. The Misses
Wedmore were considered to have
pretty taste for art; they painted every
thing within reach with sprawling red
roses or startling white daisies, and the
doctor was of opinion that his sisters ar
tistic talent was of the first order. Miss
Ada, too, sang songs by Pinsuti and Mil
ton Wellings. The doctor liked Miss
Ada's vocal efforts; while Miss Emily
was literary, she assiduously read Miss
Edna Lyan and Rider Haggard, and Of
these authors we discoursed ,solemnly
until "teay was announced.
The air was full of ominous portents.
The doctors manner, when he invited
me for the second time to partake Of
cold chicken or pressed uror me with
northern hospitality the currant cake,
was full Of certain protecting pride,
while a humbly conquering expression
was in his eyes when they rested upon
me. II was with Intention" as the
French say, that he showed me the pho
tograph Albrm, full of aunts and cous-