Middletown transcript., 1892-05-26

has been just the same ever since.
as it-her reason ?" I dare tt
say. Both of us knew Desire too well
to suspect her of a shallow sorrow.
"I cant think that" aaid Gretchen
hurrying her slow utterance a little
' but it is very strange. Martha
Fellows is there /; the Montagu girls
are coming, and some second cousins
q Harding and a Thorn-have SET
tied down on the Nest. One is a
doctor, and the other a priest. I'm
less Desire has somebody to support
her. she'll be persuaded into taking
them all to live with her."
Without waiting for lunch, / hur-
ried over to the Nest, which was near
ar than one would think who judged
from the apparent distance OF the
roof visible through tree-tops. There
was small forest between the two
friends. When I entered tie grounds
and ran along a winding path. came
suddenly upon young man stretched
at full length in u spot of shade FORM
ed by four or five spruces. He was
combed and shaven and shorn, his
clothes we're we'll enough, and yet at
first sigh my inward critic said,
/" Faugh dirty" | knew him: ne
was the physician, Solomon Harding.
Rounding another turn, l came upon
Desire herself, sitting in a great chair,
her hands crossed in her lap, her
head bent forward. When rapt yet
peaceful eyes She had become Saint
Cecilia since I saw her,-Saint Cecil
ia in Cameo. A white dress made
her more unreal a bunch Of sturdy,
spicy pinks at her belt held her down
to earth. We looked at each other
an instant in silence, her face gather
ing which swept magically away
again.
/" Dorothy, you |" she said, rising
and putting her hands on my should
ers. "You, my dear" We had
always said of Desires voice that it
was full of music,-a deep, vibrating
contralto. l fancied now that |
caught new tones in it. The tears
we're running fast down my own
own cheeks. "Ah, I know, dear ;
yes," she said soothingly, putting me
into her chair. "It's Chello !; you
think of him. It is good of you to
love him so,- dear, though l can't
bear to have you miss him enough to
grieve."
Was it the wife who could say this,
and as placidly as if she herself had
no grief7 1t was so strange, Desire
was SO unlike herself, that / sat still.
my sobs scared away, letting her
talk.
"How charming it was of Gret-
chen" By this time she had seated
herself on the arm of my chair, taken
off my bonnet, and was stroking my
face. She sent for you, didn't she ?
like her dear, kind old tricks !! But
you are coming to me, dear, now, now,
yes, to day. and Gretchen shall
have the last part of your visit. l
will send somebody to tell her. No,
I'll go myself, if it will satisfy you
better"
knew very well what Gretchen
would prefer. Was not Desire hel
first thought, as she was mine? So
stayed. Desire was childishly excit-
ed. She would dress for dinner F; she
would see herself that my room was
in order. One would have said, "Sbe
is a bride, not q widow" To me
there was some intangible change in
her.
Twas in the dining-room early, to
watch the relatives file in. Our frs
meeting is always funny, sometimes
uubearably SO. They hate me; they
say l have an undue influence ovel
Desire. Martha Fellows came 6rst,-
a shadow with glazed brown eyes an6
a conciIiatory face. Martha reads alb
struse scientific works and murders
the English language. "To think ol
you,-you of all people y she began,
rapidly sliding up to me and moving
my hand up and down, as if it needed
to be put in place. It's been a gooe
while since we met here, amt it
And such changes since then! You
miss him. don't you? l do,-the plac'
don't seem the same; but Desire
bears it we'll. You never can tell
about people, can" She came to a
full stop. | had yet to learn thai
Martha Fellows was subject to an ex-
ternal influence. 1t was that of DIR
Solomon, who had just come in
Without his cigar, in an upright posi-
ton, be was no more tolerable thar
before. You're Miss Fletcher, aren'l
your" he began sxuberantly "Oh
1 remember you. I used to see you
that was before I took my degree"
Tresding on the heels of his speech
came the third visitor. was like q
lay-fgure,- the goddess in the panto
mime, whom all the dransatis personae
have to salute in passing. This wal
the priest. His long legs kicked hil