The Bessemer indicator., 1893-07-08
HER OPPORTUNITY.

encircling her supple waist with his
strong right arm. Even after several
years OF married life her slender
figure was the pride OF her heart and
the delight of her eyes. Then. for
no well-ascertained reason, Mrs.
Babbs began to grow stout
Not long after this mournful dis
oovery Mr.. Babbs was brought into
the house in dying condition. He
had fallen from load OF hay and inn
paled himself in a picket fence.
though why it shotild not have been
just as easy to fall on the side
farthest from the fence Mrs. Babbs
could never satisfactorily determine
Physically Mrs. Babbs bore her
atiiction bravely. Grief seemed to
agree with her and she thrived
amazingly under its leaden sway.
But her temper suffered proportion
ately. 1t enraged her that she could
not dwindle sadly away and droop
disconsolately and look sweetly in
teresting, as Mrs. Lucretia Barnes
had done whom her lamented spouse
was ferried over the Acheron. She
swallowed untold measures of vine
gar with her soup and beahs and
rigidly eschewed potatoes and but
ter and other such generators of adj
pose matter; but 1t was of no avail
Week by week she increased in glob-
ularity and weight Her mighty
step made the windows rattle again
in their sashes and the circumference
of her waist. or at least that part of
her anatomy encircled by apron
strings and popularity supposed to bo
her waist, was secret which her
dressmaker alone possessed.
One day, however, faint streak OF
silver edged the dark-hanging clouds
of Mrs Babbs' despair. A newspaper
paragraph, setting forth the wonder
full cures OF undue corpulency, no
matter by what superinduced, eff
fected by an extraordinary physician
in an adjacent city, fell under her
credulous eye and hope eternal once
more sprnng up iii her capacicus
breast.
She opened correspondence with
the man OF miracles, gently limiting
at her ample girth and the unhappi-
ness it caused her. The modern Hip
pocrates was honored by Mrs. Babbs'
application. He would cure her or
refuse all recompense for his services;
but as Mrs. Babbs declined visiting
him, he would be under the necessity
of visiting her. and taking her meas
ure for divers electromagnetic
braces, belts and pads, of which his
course of treatment consisted.
A day or two after Mrs. B2bbs hal
dispatched her summons, middle
aged gentleman with very red whis-
kers and necktie to match made his
appearance at her door. Mrs. Babbs
was very much pleased with the
eminent drstor's promptness and
made colossA haste to admit him.
"Mrs. Babbs, presume" said the
red-whiskered stranger.
"Yes, sir. Walk right in, DOCTOR"
answered Mrs. Babbs with bulky
smile.
$50 you expected me?" inquired
the doctor, taking seat in the par
lor opposite Mrs. Babbs and careful
ly arranging his glowing tie.
"Oh, yes. Not quite SO soon, per-
APPS; but l thought it wouldn't be
long fore you'd come"
Hum" said the doctor looking
slightly perplexed, yet gazing at
Mrs Babbs with critics eye. "Only
twenty-five stone or so," he mur-
INJURED to himself disappointedly. 81
was in hopes she was larger Then
aloud to Mrs Babbs: How old are
you, ma'am?"
al dunno as thet's got ennything
ter do with the matter" she rejoined
with some nsperity.
"Oh, no offensc, II, a'an1, no offense.
only wanted to know in order to
better estimate your chances.
al won't be III till next November"
she whispered huskily.
Good heavens. AS old as thatm
exclaimed the doctor, strangely star
tied.
Mrs. Babbs, it is duo to her to say,
had an acutely disheartening sense
OF being little too full blown to
quite deserve this compliment; yet
she did not openly disclaim it, but on
the contrary cast her eyes down in
very fair imitation OF the coy en-
barrassment OF tender youth.
This little bit OF acting WAS, unfor-
tunately, lost upon the doctor, who
was pulling absently at the lobe of
his ear and muttering to himself.
..Too bad" ran his thought "If
she'd been ten years younger now.
there might have been some hope
But forty-four! Too old, too old,
fear"
Then producing leather memo
-andum book, he made short entry
in it.
"Will you obligo me by standing,
Mrs. Babbs?" he asked, sucking the
end OF his pencil and holding his
book open with a rather dirty thumb
al should like to study your entire
proportions all at once"
Mrs Babbs coughed confusedly.
It seemed to her that the doctor had
q very blunt and disagreeable way Of
putting things. Nevertheless, with
an effort, she assumed perpendicu-
lar position and stood swaying upon
her mountainous toes In painful SINH
larity to a balloon tugging at its guy
ropes before being set adrift.
"Hum,' said the doctor with o
curious sound Of fingurgitation. Then.
peering at her through his half
closed eyes with critical computation:
about Eve foot feur, should say,
Mrs Babbs."
"Ef you mean my height, thet's
Jest 1t, replied Mrs. Babbs. growing
red again and gazing with disquie-
tude vt the memorandum book, in
which the doctor, was making an
'other entry.
"weightr" inquired the doctor.
hnldinn hia hook In readinasa for