Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-03-25

after tea" "Yes," said I, and was off after the mastiff. He made up the Cowgate at rapid swing; he had for gotten some engagement. He turned up the Candlemaker Row, and stopped at the Harrow Inn.
 There was a carriers cart ready to start, and keen, thin, impatient, black-a-vised little man, his hand at his gray horses head, looking about angri V :o- somcth ng.
 "Rab, ye thiefr' said he, aiming kick at my great friend, who drew cringing up, and avoiding the heavy shoe with more agility than dignity, and watching his masters eye, slunk dismayed under the cart-his ears down and as much as he had of tail down too.
 What a man this must be-thought 1 to whom my tremendous hero turns tail! The carrier saw the muzzle hang ing, cut and useless, from his neck, and eagerly told him the story, which Bob and I always thought, and still think, Homer, or King David, or Sir Walter alone worthy to rehearse. The severe little man was mitigated, and condescended to say, "Rab, my man, puir Rabbie"-whereupon the stump of tail rose up, the ears were cooked the eyes filled, and were comforted; the two friends were reconciled. ''Hupp!'
 and a stroke of the whip were given to Jess; and off went the three.
 Bob and buried the Game Chicken that night i've had not much of a teal in the back-green of his house in Mel vile Street, No. r, with considerab ble gravity and silence; and being at the | time in the Iliad, and, like all boys, Trojans, we called him Hector, of course.
 
 \ Six years have passed-a long time ! for boy and dog; Bob Ainslie is off to the wars; I am a medical student,
 and clerk at Minto House Hospital. Rab saw almost every week, on the Wednesday; and we had much pleasant intimacy. I found the way to his heart by frequent scratching of his huge head, and an occasional bone. When did not notice him he would plant him ' self straight before me, and stand wag' | ging that bud of tail, and looking up,
 with his head little to one side. His
 master occasionally saw; he used to call me "Maister John," but was laconic as any Spartan.
 One fine October afternoon, I was leaving the hospital, when I saw the large gate open and in walked Rab | with that great and easy saunter of his He looked as if taking general posses 1 sion of the place; like the Duke of Vel ! lington entering a subdued city, satiated with victory and peace. After l him came Jess, now white with age, with her cart; and in it a woman,s care l fully wrapped up-the carrier leading the horse anxiously, and looking back When he saw me, James (for his name was James Noble) made a curt and grotesque "boo," and said, "Maiste1 | John, this is the mistress; she's got | trouble in her breest-some kind O an | income, we're thinkin'."
 By this time saw the woman's face | she was sitting on 9 sack filled with | straw, her husbands plaid around her and his big coat with its large white metal buttons, over her feet.
 never saw aimore unforgeatble face pale, serious, lonely, delicate, sweet without being at all what we call fine
 She looked sixty, and had on a mutch | white as snow, with its black ribbon her silvery, smooth hair setting off he1 dark gray eyes-eyes such as one see: only twice or thrice in lifetime, full of suffering, full also of the overcoming of it; her eyebrows black and delicate
 and her mouth firm. patient and con | tented, which few mouths ever are. l As have said, I never saw a more
 beautiful countenance, or one moro subdued to settled quiet.
 "Ailie," said James, ''this is Maiste
 John, the young doctor; Rab's freend ye ken. We often speak aboot you doctor" She smiled, and made move
 ment, but said nothing; and prepared
 to come down, putting her plaid aside
 and rising. Had Solomon, in all hi
 glory, been handing down the Queen O
 Sheba at his palace gate, he could no
 have done it more daintily, more ten
 derly, more like gentleman, than dic
 James tho Howgate carrier, when ht
 lifted down Allie his wife. The con.
 trast of his small, swarthy, weather
 beaten, keen, worldly face to hers
 pale, subdued and beautiful-was some
 thing wonderful Rab looked on con cerned and puzzled, but ready for any ithing that might turn up, were it tt
 strangle the nurse, the porter, or ever
 me. Allie and he seemed to be grea
 friends.
 | "As I was sayin', she's got kind O
 trouble in her breast, doctor; will ye
 talk look at it?" We walked into tn,
 consulting-room, all four; Rab grin
 and comic, willing to be happy and con
 fdential if cause could be shown, will
 ing also to be the reverse, on the sam
 terms. Allie sat down, undid her opel
 gown and her lawn handkerchief roun
 her neck, and without word showed
 me her right breast. I looked at an'
 examined it carefully, she and Jame
 watching me, and Rab eyeing all three
 What could I say2 there it was, tha had once been so soft, so shapely, S white, so gracious and bountiful, S "full of all blessed conditions'-harda a stone, a center of horrid pain, makin that pale face, with it's gray lucid, reason l able eyes, and its sweet, resolved mouth l express the full measure of sufferin | overcome. Why was that gentle, moo est, sweet woman, clean and lovabl, } condemned by God to bear such Q bul den?