The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-06-26

sort OF person to make yourself at home
anywhere, and to take tho bearings Of
persons or things at a glance"
Oh have good opinion OF me dear
est, ano though know how far, it falls
short O, the reel. love you for 1t. New
ertheless, DO make some gigantic mis-
takes. and 1 made one in my first esti-
mate OF the woman of about whom I
am going to t-ll YOU, s-nd CT course I
was mistaken too, in first opinion CT Mrs.
Plat. One afternoon soon after l f!xed
these consulting ho:lss, a lady was
shown in, LADY with a baby in her
arms She was very we'll dressed In
serge gown and seal jacket, and Was
very young not more than three
or four and twenty. and she looked SO
extremely fragile that jumped hasti-
~ to give her chair. 1t was rather a
pretty face. though in my first glance
thought 1t lacked character. and with
my usual hot haste, drew mental esti-
mate OF its possessor.
1 have heard Of you DR.. Glen she
said. In a voice Of winning sweetness.
ard ! have brought my baby to see you.
/ have an aunt living in Russell square.
who says you are very cisver SO have
come to ask your advice.
" les: then let me see the baby
said bending over as she put up the
childs veil and untastened It's white
CLOAK. Then l saw that 1t WAS white
faced runy little thing: in a word.
baby who did not thrive.
. "A little girl I said. nodding. as
pushed the granny bonnet off its little
head
'.The usual questions were asked and
answered. 1t was ii common tale of a
London babys--tiie mother ufna BILE to
nurse difficulty CT procuring satisfactory
mix. gradual decline Of the child. You
must make haste to get that little house
| In the country, dear. in order that yours
= fate And af-
t@r having discussed the baby and set
tied what was to be done. the mother
and fell into a little friendly talk. dur
lug which she mentioned her husbands
name. which for obvious reasons I must
again make fiticious. She called him
Mr.. Fleming.
Why I said, that's pure Sctoch;
but you are not Scotch Mrs. Fleming?'
oh. no: but my husband Is. He is
a clergyman. DIR. Glen-curate to DR..
Mainaring at the church in Marlwood
Oh I said. I know him perfectly
by sight. and have heard him preach
Her face flushed little. and she bent
over her baby / thought. to hide it.
We live In Marlwood Road. 1t
come and see haby?
No. I shall only be too glad to come,
| said. speaking from a friendly point of
view. began to be interested in the lit
| tie woman, and that flush puzzled me.
| was 1t pride. or sensitiveness, or shame,
I wonder. that could have caused it: not
| the last, surely. because knew the Rev.
| Wallace Fleming by name as a rather
| brilliant person. who could fill the Marl-
! wood Road Church of an evening when
| his rector couldn't.
! HE was q very handsome person too,
the adored Of the young ladies of his
charge. so I had heard. Yet. curiously
enough had never heard of his wife.
1t occurred to me even in that first inter-
! view that she was not a particularly
happy woman. There was a curious
| usefulness in her eyes, and a droop
about the lips which suggested more
| heaviness of heart than she had any
| bushes to feel; but the genuine cause of
| 1t never occurred to me at the time. I
| learned not long after, however, that it
| was caused by heart hunger, and the
| yearning OF deeply religious soul over
another which she thought deviating a
| little from the right way My dear, you
| find deep religious sentiment and con-
! seriousness some times morbid in the
least likely places. l never expected to
| find them in Nora Fleming. Yet there
they were, and my subsequent inter-
| course with her did more to deepen my
own religious convictions than any thing
has done since my mother died. My
poor little Nora Fleming
| For a moment Elizabeth seemed to
the story she had begun seemed to en-
| gross ALL her thoughts.
| About a week after that, I was sum-
| moned to Marlwood Road she said at
length, land when I arrived 1 found it
| was to see the mother not the child
She was not in bed but sitting at her
bedroom fire, a fragile little figure in
| a blue dressing gown, looking so child
ish and petite that felt like treating her
accordingly. But big. strong womanly
tN1~ IL.
gown, Annie, heart only for the King
dom.
" Baby is ever so much better she
said, greeting me with a bright, sweet
smile. Yes, l am a little down; and l
thoughtsI wanted badly to see you. Did
you know how much good you did me
that day 1 called?'
My dear, I didn't prescribe for you
1t was the baby treated, said blunt
" NO, but you made me feel strong and
you are good l know. 1 have often
so weak, myself.
Weak in body you may be. but no
where else, said cheerily. But lone, let
me feel the pulse. Mothers can't afford
to make such fuss. l must get you out
of this ROOM
1.-The pulse was very weak and there
were languor and depression about the
little woman which made me think there
ssus q heart trouble at the bottom. sat
down in front OF her, and l suppose ]
looked very grave and serious. l GER
! ;i1;i,'% felt so.
= New. Mrs. Fleming said. gently
nlst !irialy. pray forget that 1 am a
H'cssa*'s. ard think OF me only as a doc.
tc:. Have you got anything on your
,rfnd? Are you fretting about some
tk:ng? There isn't anything the matter
with YOU that l can find, unless there's
! a worry at tbs. bottom
! oh. have lot of worries. every
woman has shs said evasively. There's
| baby, you know. and the servants are
| not very satisfactory. We are not rich
and can't afford to Pay experienced ones
l have good many households cares
| and Mr.. Fleming doesn't really know
ito~ much it takes out of ore. It's the
sort of thing which seems too trivial IT,
talk Of she said, dropping her voice tc
whisper. 'sut 1t makes ones heart
cry out to God all the time. He alwar-
| understands women, don't you think:
II 1t were not for that, indeed, indeed
could not bear it,
There was lump in my throat.
stroked the white fragile little hand, ane
said to myself, Elizabeth. you big, soft
creature. don't weep, or your credit as q
doctor is gone
OF course. when one is not yer,
strong all such worries assume noun
famous proportions I said brsavely. 9
am the happy rcssesscr rnyeslf Of "a
perfect treasure" in the shan De of m,
old nurse. but [ can synlpathize with
quite strong. think since baby came
and what you want is mothering. ant
country air. Is your mother alive?"
| I,or