The state capital., 1892-02-13
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 couch of pain ard 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, a severe
one, to bring them back to their allie.
glance. In the meanwhile Nelly, lean.
ing on her lovers arm, confded to him
that: Father always fell i'll so oppor.
tunely. and recovered with such sur.
prising readiness whenever he found
that illness was inconvenient" They
both laughed, sbut 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-
ingl 1t is Judgment on us for our
wicked doubling of him this after
noon. Oh, can never, never forgive
myselfl'
But when Nelly, followed by Rob,
entered the darkened room where her
father lay the color came back to her
cheeks, 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. ohr' groaned Mr.. Belton.
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 to Mr. Belton
with: "Poor grill And she to be mar
ried so soon to Joe Banner! Your
death will put her wedding off, won't
it?"
"What?" vel led Mr.. Bolton, forget
ting to groan and sitting up in bed.
"Joe Banner! Not if ! 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 thing been going on be-
hind my back? I'll-I'll-"
"Oh. don't, dear"' interposed poor
Mrs. Belton. you will injure your
self Lie quiet till the doctor comes. I
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. Belton short in her explanation.
DR.. Lester came in looking suspicious
ly grave, for there was a very incon-
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 GER
tain reluctance in his voice said:
II must not conceal from you. my
my dear sir, that you are suffering
from cerebro-spinal meningitis COM
bined with mnemia of the .nedulla-
oblongata. How is it you never con-
suited me before? Didn't suspect it?"'
Moo" said the patient, looking
scared and white. ''Doctor-1 n1-wiH
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: 81 feel it my
duty to tell you the truth. You haven't
one hour to live!'
give you five hundred dollars to do it
thousand dollars-my whole place
auything-only save mer'
Cant do it, said the doctor, shak-
ing his head. ''Face it like a man,
Belton. Don't trouble about your wife
and family. Mary's married, Nelly
could be tomorrow, and as for Mrs.
Bolton, Marks, the 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"
"Whatr' shrieked the dying man.
flinging himself out of bed, and dancing
over the floor as if it were red-hot.
''To Jericho with my ebro-spitting
whatever you call it and my oblong
medal! Die! No, I'll not 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 a
mans wife and daughter planning,
aye, building on his death, and pro-
posing before the breath's out OF his
body to dance over his gravel
Here Mr.. Bolton grew little mixed
IN his language, but he knew what he
meant, and that was all that was
necessary. 1t was hours before he
could be got to quiet down, and days
before he ceased to growl inarticulate
and mysterious threats directed against
no one could quite gather whom. But
from that time on Mr.. Belton has never
complained of an ache or pain, and
fercely disclaims feeling even under
the weather, whenever informed that
he looks so.-Philadelphia Times.
A Missionary's Wooing.
1t has remained for a young clergy
man a niSSiOnary To take the ma m,