Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-10-25
WE THREE.

spend one winter in California.
Dodie was sick. Poor Dodie--we
always called her Dodie. though why
i could never tell, only it was her baby
name and stuck to her; for her real
name was Priscilla.
Dodie was so frail that we felt after
mother died we must make change,
and the doctors suggested California.
One day Nell electrified me by sug-
costing that we go second-class.
''Horrible!'' sighed poor Dodie, who
had vague horror for all things sec
ond-class. and who associated second
class cars particularly with vile odors,
and dingy people.
NAY, sweetheart Nell shook her
brown curls sagely. 81 have investi-
gated the matter quite thoroughly,
and / find they run second class sleep
ers, tourists sleeping cars they are
called, believe, all the way to Frisco.
These are clean, comfortable, and in
every way desirable, save that we
must take our own bedding, linen, etc.
Now this, / think, would not be a
great Inconvenience, and we could
pack q delicious lunch, and live like
princesses in q fairy tale all along the
way. 1t would be quite as much fun
as camping out, which you know
Dodie, you have always been crazy to
do.
Dodie began to look Interested.
"What sayest thou, Dick?" Nell
turned to me for my view upon the
subject. Now, though Nell called me
Dick, must plead guilty to being
"only a girl" and | am afraid a very
weakminded one at that; but in our
family there had never been any boys,
and in our childhood days | had always
taken the masculine part in every
drama and game we played.
"GlOriOusm | answered, feeling
quite an enthusiasm over the sugges-
ton. ''It's certainly cheaper"
"Oh, a great deal cheaper inter-
rupted Nell. I'VE would certainly be
able to get there, and after that we
could rely upon our natural resources
for support while there.
We were provided with every COM
fort and our trip overland was indeed
q delightful one. We found that pow
erty does not prevent people from be-
ing happy-and that "secOud class"
people in purse may be thoroughly
first class in every other respect.
The only drawback to our trip was
Dodie's illness. She was taken quite
i'll on the way, and we were seriously
alarmed, yet even this apparent evil
proved blessing in disguise, as SO
many of our trials often do.
One day when Dodie was feeling very
bad Nell rushed out when we got to
the dinner station TO get some hot tea.
As she came out of the lunch room she
ran against a gentleman hurrying in
the opposite direction. The tea was
spilled much to Nell's dismay-but the
stranger in a very gentlemanly man
ner apolOgized, and taking the pitcher
from her hand replenishod it at the
lunch counter.
But seeing her still look so dis
tressed, he inquired if he might aid
her further.
'Oh, its nothing" Nell replied, the
-" then she failed my sister is
quite i'll, and we fear sometimes she
may never live to reach Los Angeles. "
The gentleman seemed to hesitate
a moment, and then as he assisted her
up the car steps he took a card from
his pocket, handed it to her, saying
kindly:
Il am a physician. With your per-
mission | would gladly be of service to
your sister. May call upon her after
dinner?"
What could Nell do? With hel
simple grace she accepted the offer in
the spirit it was made.
And | cannot tell you how much
brighter our days were after we met
DR.. Lord. New beauties were found
along the way, and the long ride
across the plains was relieved of al
its tediOusness and loneliness. And
best of all, our fragile sister grew
better each day under his skillfu
treatment.
One evening just at sunset, as we
SKINNED along the edge of the Great
Salt Lake, Nell stole up to me, and
putting her arm around me, whispered
in my ear the secret that sisters love
to whisper to one another.
Opposite us lay Dodie among hel
white pillows, her mourning garments
setting off more clearly the exquisite
pallor of her fair skin and the gold o
her blonde hair. She was so beautiful
Dodie was, with that soft etherea
beauty that belongs to the extremel!
delicate. Her violet eyes, so child
like in their girlish innocence, were
closed, but the golden lashes outlined
themselves family against the fai
cheeks, and she looked like an angel
Dodie did, lying there with the glorie
of the sunset upon her.
''Dick," whispered Nell, 'do yo,
know why DIR. Lord is so very atten
tive to us and so fond of our society?
because we are poor, suppose
with few friends, and he wishes out Q
the kindness of his heart to make GU
lot happier"
mo" Nell shook her head with
still more mysterious air. ''Did
never occur to you, Dick, that Dr.
Lord was deeply in love with on
Dodie?n