The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-06-19
News NoveIettes No. 2.
A TWENTIETH CENTURY ROMANCE ]!
tcopyrIsh, iss4 Dy American Pres. A..ssl..lss.,
BY EFrIE W. MERRIMAN.

T1f = ~ ts
IL You do not arouse yourself this min.
ute, shall think il Is because you care
more for your fathers folly than for my
wishes.
Harold remained motionless, anc
Lefty hurried into the dressing room
found her wraps, and disappearir
through side door went home unat
tended before any one could guess he.
intention.
Before she went to sleep that night
che wrote curt note to Harold, reIeas-
Ing him from their engagement and in
forming him that q messenger woulc
take to him the next day all the book
and trinkets which he had given her
But before the things were packed sht
learned that Harold had not yet awak
ened. although he had slept for nearly
20 hours, and that the family physician
had been called. The physician tried
various remedies, none OF which PROVED
useful, said he could have done NOR,
had he been called earlier, charged a
fee large enough to support his entire
family for month and went home feel
ing that no man could have acted with
greater credit to himself or with greater
profit either, for that matter.
Hours heightened into days, days be-
came weeks and weeks months, YET
Harold Winthrop slept. The elder Win
throp grew thin and white with worry
Mrs. Winthrop became silently accusing
and refused TO kiss her husband until
their son should lie himself again; the
younger memb bers Of the family lost the
JOY OF youth in the heavy cloud which
hung over the household; the servants
would not pass Mt night the door of the
silent room where their young master
slept.
Five years from the date of the house
warming Mr.. Winthrop died, leaving
will 50 drawn that the bulk of his for
tune should be held in trust for Harold,
the interest TO be enjoyed by those who
had the care of him.
After the death Of Mrs. Winthrop
Harold was given into the care OF James.
the second son. Thirty-five years later
James died, and the fine old home passed
into the hands of Henry, who agreed to
care for his Uncle Harold to the best OF
his ability.
Harold still slept. As he needed little
more care than the furniture in an un-
used room, Henry felt that it was as easy
a way of earning livelihood as he
should be likely to find. He was forced
to own, however, after few years ex.
perience that they were wiser who pre-
ferred life away from the shadow cast
by an uncle who, although not dead,
might better have been.
No servant who had heard Of the
"sleeper usually spoken in a whisper
by that class--could be induced to enter
the house, and they who had not heard
of him received information soon after
their arrival and left without the GUS
tomary warning. Young ladies did not
care to give themselves to young man
who, for all they knew to the contrary,
might suddenly fall into sleep such as
his uncle was enjoying, and Henry
might never have married had he not
availed himself of the privileges of a
matrimonial bureau and done his court
ing by correspondence.
Henry died in the year 1912, just 40
years after assuming the care of his
uncle, and his eldest son, James, under
took to fill his place.