Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-12
DR.. MINISTER'S FINESSE.
WRITTEN FOR THE EVENING STAR BY
LOUISE B. BAKER.

'Tt Is so very absurdw exclaimed Miss
Lyons. zone would think Uncle Sylvester
had lived in sensational novel instead Of
our EXTREMITY respectable and antiQuated
brown-stone house"
"Yes, it is absurd" acquiesced Miss
Lyons bosom friend. Miss Compton. What
do you intend to do, Alice?'
DO? Like in the sensational novel. of
course. marry the man and perhaps be
miserable all the rest of my life"
The speaker did not look like person
doomed to be miserable all her life. She
was a tall. slender young woman, with an
abundance of soft. wavy brown hair. Her
eyes were dark and sparkling, and she had
pretty dtmples that deepened with every
emotion. One would feel inclined to call
the husband of this woman a wretch IL he
did not do all In his power to make her the
very reverse of miserable.
That the late Sylvester Lyons had done
his part toward the accomplishment OF an
extremely uncomfortable state Of existence
for his niece must be allowed he had
given particular and emphatic directions In
his last will and testament that John Nun.
ster and Alice Lyons were to be man ana
possession of those magnificent effects men.
toned separately and collectively In that
same will and testament.
You have never seen your cousin! MISS
Compton's eyes were neither dark nor
sparkling; they were calm, common-sense
eyes Just now a little curious
rs it not a rash thing to make up your
mind TO marry a man whom you have new
er SEEM" -,
well. but how can help it? He's will,
Ing" Here the dark eyes snapped. And
] can't give up all the luxuries OF life. L
Its a shamer' cried the bosom-friend.
HE should have come to you at once. He
must be a bear. Alice, to write you let
ter at such time"
'Oh. undoubtedly he is bearr' sobbed
the joint heir, for the brown head was
leaning miserably on Miss Compton's little
table.
But you have your profession" said the
sensible eyed friend.
The head came up from the table with a
disdainful toss. Yes. wouldn't l make a
the bride-to-be In her most contemptuous
tones. You know well enough that / would
never have pulled through the EXAMINATIONS
il 1t hadn't been for you. My profession
freak
And yet you were calm and brave in
Wasn't it frightful?" said the girl. shud-
dering.
ITO me it was very interesting" return
ed Miss Compton placidly, after the natur-
al timidty of the first few nights"
"uh! l dreamed and dreamed OF arms
on to to nnee
a woman could do it. And he went and fix
ed the day in his will and am to be mar
Next Wednesday," repeated the bosom
friend aghast.
Exactly"
And won't you see him before?
Il don't know; it all depends upon the
Il wouldn't have him." cried Miss Comp
Yes YOU would IL you were Uncle syl-
westerns niece"
Couldn't you break the will or some
90. We're both afraid to try; we mishtn't
calculated the little doctor. I'm glad
was brought up in a poverty-stricke New
England town; I'm glad I'm as poor as q
hands and a head and a heart"
day of the unceremonious wedding that
Alice Lyons made a second descent upon
the study Of her bosom friend.
Well" she gasped, 1--WE seen him"
He called at the house this morning.
He's about thirty-five years of age. He's
tall and I suppose some people would con-
slider him good. looking. but oh. Just
loathe the man."
You should have heard US making our
conditions, ] made mine as well as he
helped me get my NJ. d. He wasn't n bit
embarrassed. when he spoke of the viii
he actually laughed and said it was the
most ridiculous thing under the sun. OF
course 1t was, but there wasn't any need
for him to say 50 to me. i can't help IT.
guessed tnat cOulQ manaEe to put
up In the same house. he had his books
and his cigars and his painting. and IL
had any occupation Qhis was an after
thoughO I mustn't for moment imagine
that the new tie which necessity had forced
upon us should interfere with that occupa-
ton l don't pretend to know what he
meant for he was evidently taken sback
when 1 responded that I was a physician IS
Alice" said the bosom friend, impress
sively, III YOU can not get along without
the luxuries TO which you have been ac-
cousin of yours. but If you decide to give
your attention to the profession, which for
all your foolish talk you can not fail but
grace, you can go among the ailinS poor
and be a blessing to them" And as Miss
Compton clasped her nervous hands I'm the
fervor of her devotion she wished in her
mouse and stationed upon the cold world
with no other possessions than a pair OF
hands i,%a ana head and hungry heart.
You can lead noble life, Alice
Will declared the girl. Her eyes We're
misty and faint glow was in her cheeks
S Sne would sSa he, lead a., life among the aiiins
she could stand this other But, oh, IT was
rather sad to have such thoughts on the
eve OF ones own wedding,
1t seemed a very ridiculous ARRANGEMENT
for a newly married couple possessing a
luxurious home and superabundnnce of
means to spend their honeymoon in literal
hard work. and yet that was exactly the
state OF affairs going on in the antiquated
esh air sSs Shn had let the
dy old library and gone steadily ahead
reating through the medium of the brush
and canvas. Across the hall there was
another workshop. the doctors office II
was in the furnishing OF this apartment
that the great labor was expended for IL
was destined to be a model Office Miss
Compton lent her assistance and when
the two women's cherry voices came float
ing out into the somber hall the man sit
ting before the stretch of canvas in the
sunlit library would rise and close the door
with somewhat petulant bang.
In truth. II there was one thing in the
1t was a woman doctor. The sign on the
| right side of his front door almost made a
swearing man Of him. Alice Munster
NJ. D." indeed! Why had he said that the
forced tie should not interfere with any
occupation that either he or she might
have on hand. He had been a fool He
had simply meant that the forced tie was
not to interfere with any occupation that
ne might have on hand. He had not
dreamed that the slender young woman
with the soft hair and the pretty eyes
would tell him the next instant eagerly
and breathlessly, that most certainly she
could not think of giving up her chosen
profession.
Before the termination of three weeks
John Munster was beginning to object
to several more things in the wide world.
His figures on the canvas were sadly de-
hcient from an artistic point Of view He
threw the brush aside in self disgust He
would Sit for hours abstractedly filling up
the outlines Of an oval face with wavy
hair and dark eyes and the bewitchine
of becoming a doctor, and by George, such
laundering energetic ono too Tha,.