Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-05-28

Miss Dorothy Gray. If you hap
pened to notice, you saw me taking to
her this afternoon. Shes with her
aunt, Mrs. Lor1ng-met 'em IN Rio. you
lsnow. told her who you were. and she'll
he glad to see you. Come along, that's
a good fellow
why this haste - But / rose with
oilt delay. as ne might have observed.
had he not been busy with his own
schemes.
Its something like this, you know, .
he went on. THAT splendid creature
with a name l can't pronounce is with
Miss Gray now, and til / get sone-
body to look after tn little Yankee,
you know. 1 can't have the splendid
creature to myself. l don't speak much
Of her lingo, you sec, and she can't
make even a stagger at mine. and so
our conversation is rather embarrass-
ing before a third party. don't you
know? I'm counting on you to help
me out"
Lead theway, said l. I'm a willing
sacrifice. .
In five minutes found myself talk
ing to Miss Gray, while at a little dis
lance Burroughs and the fair Brazilian
we're progressing famously in spite of
the lingual limitations. Still farther
away the buxom mother of the splendid
creature was pl%ing discreet chape-
ron and discoIusing with one of her
countrymen.
There was a glorious moon overhead,
and the steamer ran smoothly over the
tranquil sea. These details come
back to me far more distinctly than
the words of folly, commonplace, or
wisdom we may have exchanged. Prob
ably we talked of the ship, the officers
and the passengers, of Brazil and the
United States, and. last, but not least,
of the beauty and charm of the night.
The girl had something white and fluffy
thrown over her head, and her light
jacket was buttoned about her trim fig
ure, for the evening air was cool, in
spite of our latitrds. The moonlight
was kind TO her, IS it is to many of
her sisters. and had / attempted to
revive my afternoons opinion of her
face, my new finding, l fear, would
have been far less severely critical.
In that first evening l came TO like
ner exceedingly. There was nothing Of
the coquette i'll her; in fact. there was
hardly a touch OF frivolity. She seemed
grave rather than gay, although one got
from her no suggestion of a morose dis
position. In short, there was something
in her manner to bring to mind the
self-repression one often notes in per-
sons long accustomed to close attend
ance upon an eAacting invalid. As it
happened. she came rightfully by this
air, inasmuch as her aunt was a chronic
searcher for the health which she be-
lieved herself to lack. With this aunt
Miss Gray had been travelling for sew
eral years.
When she babe Inc good night gave
an hour to tobacco and Burroughs. who
chartered enthusiastically about the
flower of Brazil. Incidentally, he ex-
planned that he had met Mrs. Loring
and her niece but once before the
to nothing of them.
THE old lady's a queer one, though"
he added. IF you confess that you're
a doctor she'll make your life burden,
you know. Shun her, old chappie, shun
her.
Events proved that. even had been
disposed TO accept his advice, it would
have been extremely difficult to put 1t
into practice Mrs. Loring gave me no
option in the matter. No sooner did
she discover my profession-an tint
she did speedily she sent for me.
found her propped up on pillows in
her berth, with novel in one hand and
a fan in the other.
so kind of You, DR.. Morris, so very,
very kind, she began-''so kind to come
50 soon. Really, | was in despair, yes,
in abject despair, until heard that you
We're physician. / am so i'll, so mis-
erably i'll, doctor. and the ships sur
geon misjudges my case so terribly.
Would you believe it--can you be-
lieve it?-hc actually tried to humbug
me into thinking that / was well, per
feetly well. And IL
She fell back upon her pillows, as IL
oyerpowered by the remembrance OF
her sufferings. Yet in moment she
was again sitting up and pouring into
my ears torrent of words. She was
tall woman. thin. though not emaciated,
very nervous, and one of the most
voluhle persons it was ever my fate to
encounter. Her age was not far from
As years.
In spite of her repeated assertions
that she was very i'll. and the evident
faith She put in them. it was clear that
Mrs. Loring might as well have been
on deck as in her state-room. An I'M
due indulgence in certain triumphs of
the ships pastry-cook, and an over
taxed digestion. would explain her all
Inent TO the satisfaction of anybody
but herself. The surgeons view of the
matter. expressed rather brusquely,
had served to convince the lady that he
was a brute. Perhaps had she been a
lone traveller she might have had oc-
casion to put me in the same category;
hint with one fhnuCht for her and two