The morning call., 1892-05-22

home OF my little love. And by my side
was the little love herselfl And such 1T
tie Lowell At 20 she was no bigger than she
had been at 10, but OH so much prettier.
The hair that had been so often dragged
back into a stiff pigtall now wandered in
wondrous waves over her little head,
poised like O flower on her sweet
neck. No more ink-besp battered pima
fores aud scratched hands; no more
long, thin, spindle-shankS showing under
short and skinny skirt No, she
was as dainty as a fairy, aud took
perfect little self as at one time she had
seemed to expend in trying to peTsonate a
scaTecr0w. Yes, l stood by her once again
and knew that l was likely TO be near her
for the rest of our lives. For my dear
father was getting old, and lOnged to have
bis only son beside MIN. So | was only too
delighted when the CffeT came of practice
in the neighbOrhOOd Yes, l had come
home ''tO live and die" as my aged nurse
cheerfully put il, in the home of my child
hood; and l could hardly believe / was not
child again, as once more l settled into
the WeliknOwn routine, dined with the two
old gentlemen, stTolled out as Of old On the
terrace with my early playmate climbed at
night once more 10 the familiar room under
the thGtch. and listened as in years gone By
to the muTmur Of the stream that ran from
her home to mine. Yes, it was all the
older; The trees very little bigger; the river
just as it had always been. Olly, how DIFF.
( feTent il all was how different the thoughts
that thrilled through my brain-the feel
iDgs that thr0bbed in my heart?
Well, well, we need not 20 over all that
strange, miserable, happy time when my
mind was filed with doubt and fear; when
knew not whether / was to be the most
blessed or the most wretched OF men /,
whether | was 10 stay conteutedly at home
for the rest OF my life or start once more on
my travels to heal broken heart as best
could among foreign lands and unknown
faces. | sometimes fancy that If we could
but turn back the "forwaTd-10wing tide OF
time" / would live those weeks over again.
But at length they came to an end. One
still June evening, when the moon was but
a crescent in the sky, and The nightingales
we're singing with all the strength of their
tiny Threats and fervOr Of their great hearts
my little love laid her golden head some
where about the lower edge Of my breast
pocket, and gazing up in my face promised
TO overlook the fact that l was only a saw
| bones and no gallant officer.
well, you See" wits pered the little
voice, you are so big and strong and hand
some, 1t is no use trying to fight against you.
l love you! l love youi and after all you
are my own dear old Clinton; aud I'd
marry you If you were a sweep, which is
even worse than q doctor" And the brave
blue eyes looked GD at me so proudly and
so tTustingly that | thought no man had
ever before such loving glances cast upon
him.
Oh, what happy time we had I thought
that trouble could never touch me more.
AS / strobe home through the soft air 10
tell my father the glad news felt like an
aTchangeL
Yes, / fsncied my troubles were at an
end-that was going to be blessed beyond
[ q Hpch hgrt I 4 .of lfza
what 1t was 10 be an engaged mani No
sooner were we safely and firmly betrOthed
than my young lady contracted snch a
habit OF flirting as made me stand agape. ]
maintain that she lirted. She insists that
she did not! She says that she was only
making herself agreeable for the sake OF
my practice She repeats that she smiled
on the curates, youths from Oxford, retired
military men, etc, not as men at all, but
purely as possible future patientsl Future
patientsl Did | want them bought with
her smiles? Still. such an injured saint did
she look when | VentuTed to expOstulate
| that / hardly knew how to bear myself, and
l used to wonder whether / really was the
most suspicious brute on the face Of the
| green earth.
At length matters reached q climax and
! turned at last
/ 1t was ia the week Of the 'lawn tennis
| tournament'-the one great excitement Of
our little cOuntryside-Whe Young hus-
| sar made his appearance and cOntrived
/ 10 get himself drawn as her partner In tine
J doublesl She declares ! am simply talking
nonsense wren assert that he got himself
| drawn rs her partner, aud she says that il
! IS all done by lots, and that people must
| play with Just whoever falls to their lot,
| Well, that is neither here nor there She
/ need not have behaved as she did. He did
| not live IN these parts of the world; be
! could not be considered as a possible patient
| yet the interest she took in him was mos
| marked. If it is TACT that she could mo-
! help having him for her partner in tht
double" -as they call the thing-need she
| have stood watching him with all her eyes
! in the shingles" clapping her hands at eact
! stroke lie won, or have been the first 4