The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-04-29

scene, and then letting his eyes rest
lovingly on his wife; land think you
look charming pouring out tca," he
added, with laugh.
Fancy paying your wife compli-
ments after having been married q
month";" she smiled; "you are not keep
ing up your role of old married man."
II can't do that at the expense of
truth" he answered.; land you know
/ always had to say out what thought.
But you have tiny frown, sweetheart;'
what's the matter? no bad news,
hope?" he said. quickly.
'Oh, no." she returned. This is a
letter from Olga, and she always rubs
me up the wrong way, somehow. She
says: Il presume you are having per-
feet time; now tell me what is the
crumpled roseleaf in all this happi
ness?-for one there must be!' And I
thought for moment, if ever one
should come, if it could go on like this
always without changing. 1t seems
too good to be true" she added, in low
tone; "but there is absolutely not even
a crumpled roseleaf SO far"
mo, DEAR" he said, quietly, bending
down and kissing her hands; "there is
no serpent in our Eden!"
1t was only afterwards he remem-
bered the bitter irony of fate that
prompted those words, and they were
soon absorbed again in their letters
and themselves. The men were down
stairs in the cabin, and no one noticed
the tiny black adder which had crcpt
from the basket of flowers, and now lay
summing himself on the deck just be-
hind Molly's chair. The warmth of
the sun made him quite lively, and he
began creeping about, and gradually
disappeared under the chair.
Suddenly she sat up with sharp
cry. "Oh! Harry, something has hurt
my foot" she said; and, looking down,
there lay across her instep the little
snake, it's head firmly fixed into the
silk stocking. With a muffled eNclama-
ton of horror Harry tore it off, and
flung it into the sea; the pretty white
foot lay bare, and seen through the
rent in the stocking were three tiny
red punctures. Mr.. Ashley rushed
down the cabin steps in d mad hurry.
williams, Williams" he called; "you
must go on shore at once, at once-do
you hear? Mrs. Ashley has been stung
by 4 snake, go and bring a doctor as
quickly as ever you can" Coming
back, he took up the huge basket of
flowers, and pitched them overheard;
then, taking poor Molly in his arms,
he carried her to her cabin, when her
maid bathed :he poor little foot. 1t
was swelling already, but there was no
pain.
I'll sit on the deck till the doctor
comes, Harry she laughed. please
don't worry, don't believe it was any
thing but common adder
But when the boat brought the doc
tor, in about an hour, he looked very
grave.
Il cannot say anything for some
time yet" he said, after examining the
sting. II don't like the entire absence
OF pain. Can you not describe to me
what the snake or adder looked like ?"
But poor Harry had flung it away
without looking, and was in such a
state that he could absolutely remem-
Der nothing. Gradually poor Molly
got worse, the swelling increased, and a
terrible numbness, which crept slowly
right over the body, set in. The doctor
stayed on, but more for the sake of
Mr.. Ashley, who was beside himself
with grief, than for Molly, who lay
quite still and quiet in kind of stupor
from which nothing could rouse her.
About six in the evening she awoke, and
family asked for her husband.
Dear love-" she said, putting her
arms round his neck, ''try not to take
it too hardly, if 7" but Harry left her
and rushed on deck.
Good God, Wilson," he cried. to the
doctor, ''can't you do anything? Let's
have some Que else, let's" his eye
fell on the native who had brought over
the flowers in the morning, standing
talking to Williams, and, in his frenzy.
he turned on him.
You black scoundrel," he said, going
up to him, ''do you know your careless
ness has killed my wife? If she dies,
Iii have you thrown into the seal"
Master Harry" said the staid Will
liams, who had been with his master
since he was boy, don't hurt the
man; he's native, and these natives
are sometimes very clever with medi-
cines; perhaps he can do something for
my mistress!"
God bless you for thinking of it,
Williams" he said, in broken voice;
"yon tell him, you can understand his
jargon," and he went down again to
Molly.
Williams exDlained NJ we'll n. -