The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-11

his interruption, lit would be better than
nothing, and you know that Mary has
been worse, and it would be the greatest
comfort 10 themln
My dear Louisa - she pushed his
hand aside breathlessly.
Come, say yes, say yes, Just to please
me! Let me go and pack your bag, and
then you can start by the o'clock train. -
He began TO laugh.
''What are you talking about? This is
October and we will discuss a holiday
when August comes round, and the vicar
has had his. can't imagine how such an
] unreasonable idea got into your head
Pray take it away with you and leave me
to my sermon As she did not reply, he
looked round and saw tears in her eyes.
! My dear love" he said, in changed
voice, Il shall begin to think it is you
who is overdone and want the holiday If
you are really speaking seriously, recol-
lect how much illness there is about; you
know l should not like to be absent even
for one night when il might be a sick soul
was in sore need of help"
"Everything falls on youp Her tone
was sharp ana resentful, for already she
was fighting with remorse and great
fear.
well, WELL" he said, smiling, 1--WE
needn't grumble; hard work agrees with
me, and, God knows, I've more blessings
than most men, Hadn't you better see
what those children are after"
Dinner time came, and she helped the
| children methodically, although she was
more silent than usual; aud if her hus-
band had been an observant man he must
have noticed 1t. His own thong. is, how
ever were busy with the possibilities of
village reading-room he was starting
and with setting Latin exercise Tor his
boy; he had no conception of the remorse
Nu4f1 I, -laf anI Ii
duty the, highest obligation of life-was
battling. 1t struck him at last, however
that she looked even paler than usual,
and remembering with some uneasiness
the little scene in his study, he said
kindly, II am afraid, my dear, that the
children have tired you"
mo" she said; no" Then quite sud
denly, suddenly even to herself, for it did
not seem to her that the thought had
flashed into her mind until that moment,
she added But if you won't go to Don
nington l believe I shall"
"YOu!" he exclaimed in utter bewilder-
ment, for his wife's reluctance to leave
home had passed into a proverb in her
family
Eyes. Why not3 Annie can manage
for you and the children for few days,
or perhaps your sister would come"
MARY is not really worse, is she2n
''No. But she feels seeing so little of
US. If you don't mind, think | will go
this afternoon
AS she said these words, she flung him
a frightened look, but the amazemeut of
her first announcement had swallowed up
that of the second.
"Of course L don't mind" he said
slowly. Il dare say you're right. I'm
afraid I've been selfish in keeping you
away from poor Mary. Won't you take
one of the children ~
"Oh, no, no, moi" she cried, with quick
shudder,
John Wood was a man of easy adapta-
tions, and by the end of dinner the first
strangeness of her proposal had worn
away. She was relieved from any fear of
his wishing to see her off by his telling
her that he was obliged to go Immediately
to distant part of the parish, and would
take the elder children part of the way
with him. And when he offered to leave
her bag at the station she said she would
prefer to carry it herself.
How long shall you stay"
ooh, perhaps few days 1t will de-
pend upon what l ind when I get there.
You won't expect letters, will you, John {?
I'm going to have a real holiday"
80 it seems, - he said, smiling. "But
do just what you like, and by all means
en- Oy your holiday. / must be of. Good
by" And he kissed her.
She would have liked to have warned
him against taking the children into any
house where infection might Turk, but
dared not. She felt as if the very word
would betray her. Scarcely knowing wha t
she was doing, she moved like perpson in
dream, packed her clothes, took the pud-
ding in a basket, saying she wanted it for
sick woman. kissed the younger chill
dren, and went out of the house. AS she
passed the turning where the road
! branched to the station her thoughts be-
gan again to follow, step by step, the
girl who had walked along the green
lanes that morning, unsatisfed. She had
a quick Imagination, and she pictured
her dragging drearily back to the death
| haunted house with no better message of
comfort than that the minister
was absent. Suppose she spoke
to any one on her way home
it was only natural for a girl to
falkland learn the truth Suprose-as
she half fancie1-the girl herself sus-
would rise and cry shame upon her hus-
band-her usband, who would readily
have laid down his life for his God and
his people, and she would have brought
il on him. IL was this conviction which
now carried her on her way. She could
not have put her intention into words.
but really she grasped at the idea of
dLOueulGub W IINll pI6oGLJVO lbSb1ls lduCy-
ing that if she went to tend the sick wo-
man no one could complain and that her
nursing might save the Pickering life.
Then in day or two she would really go
on to her sisters
At the door of the first cottage she
reached stood the girl who had come to
her that morning, staring down the road.
She might have been expecting the doc
tor or watching him depart. Although
the cottage was close to the road, already
it seemed to have put on an aspect of
tragic forlornness.
When Mrs Wood spoke the girl turned
her face without showing any surprise.
1t was the older woman who trembled.
GLOW is she?'
Weaker" said the girl laconically.
The other turned pale
Has the doctor been2"
eyes"
'I'm come to nurse ther I hope you
won't mind. because | know a good deal
about sickness, and you must have too
much on your hands. Perhaps l can do
her some good; at any rate, I'll try" she
added humbly. you know who / SIN. "
Yes, said the girl, half closing her
eyes, and CLAN. ing at her visitor with
what might have been Indifference or
contempt. you can come up if you'm
minded to-"
She led the way, climbing a rickety
staircase which led directly into low
room with one small win low SET deeply