The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-07-10

q cousin Of mine, fine fellow, except
that he was married, issued orders 10
tho contrary and took me home with
him. There I was fixed up In royal
style, and his wife took charge Of mo
with such motherly solicitudc that l
ceased to growl about not going to the
hospital.
Within week began to improve,
and about that time my cousins wife's
sister came to the house on visit, and,
not having much else to do, she used to
a1nuse herself with me, I objected at
first, and vowed I'd rout myself out and
go to the hospital but those two women
knew they had me where was defense
less, and they only laughed at me when
l growled, and fed me on dainties when
I was taciturn and silent. Ididn't want
TO eat their truck, but my appetite was
something, and 1t forced me to over
come any prejudice I might have
| formed.
Later my cousins wife's sister TOOK
to reading to me, and she compelled me
to listen to her because she did have ex-
cellent taste in the matter Of books and
could read exceedingly well. As to her
voice, it was the sweetest | ever heard,
but OF course she could have no credit
for that. She was born with 1t,
Occasionally the members Of the CO.
terie visited me, but not often, as the
very presence Of women was disagree
able to them. They condoled with me,
however, and togctherwe frowned upon
Providence for thus throwing me into
the hands of the enemy. -.'
AS time went by and my cousins
wife's sister continued to read to Inc l
unconsciously grew into the habit Of
looking at her sitting on the low chair
near me, with her head bending over
the book, and began to wonder what
she used on her hair to make 1t so wavy
and glossy, and when she would look up
occasionally and smile in response to a
laugh or remark Of mine at something
she had read would have q queer kind
Of feeling, as If were threatenedwith
some kind of heart trouble
One day I asked the doctor about it
and he actually grinned. ! say
"grinned," because mean "grinned." !"
It wasn't the kindly smile of the physi-
cian to q petulant patient, but grin;
and would have thrown him out of the
window had I been In my usual health
and strength
The first day I walked out ON my
crutches my cousins wife's sister ac-
companied me, and think I leaned
more on her than did on tho crutch.
l am sure did, as far as the crutch on
the side next to her was concerned.
During the first two or three weeks
Of my imprisonment had longed for
the time when 1 could get out once
gan to think less about 1t, and now,
when 1 was ready to start forth on my
Journey once more, O. free man, somehow
I felt that l was losing something.
I couldn't quite understand 1t, and,
after my lately acquired fashion Of re-
lying upon my cousins wlfe's sister, l
asked her about 1t.
Well, If you will believe me, I was
never more surprised in my life than l
was at the resultof this simple question
on my Cousins wife's sister. She
blushed and stammered and said her
sister wanted her right away, and I
just stood still in my amazement. She
had always been such q help to me, and
now, In little matter like this to go all
to pieces, almost made mo lose conf
dence in her. Then she looked up nt mo
and all of sudden felt that old heart
trouble como back and-and-and-
Ihope it Is not necessary for me to go
into particulars. Suffice it to say that
between my cousins wife's sister and
myself we managed to have the matter
satisfactorily explained.
But there was the coterie and there
were those internal resolutionsl What
fool man can make of himself when
he is left to his own devices passes
finite comprehension and almost crowds
the Infinite to the wall. I, Thomas Tom
mington, the chief, had basely betrayed
my trust, and concealment for long was
impossible. But quickly determined
that concealment was my only hope,
and with this hope in my bosom I at
tended the coterie's banquet in honor
of my restoration to the charmed circle.
What o hollow mockery that restorar
ton wHsl
was there and at the head of the
table, as befitted my relation to the
coterie, but my spirits were elsewhere,
Still put bold face on myself, and up
plauded to the echo every ani-female
sentiment that was uttered. even pro-
posed toast myself to the utter obliter-
alton Of women. I thought 1t best to
draw 1t strong, and did. However, at
nine o'clock pleaded that was not yet
strong enough to join in the late fes-
tivities, 50 withdrew, and, shameless
wretch that I was, I hurried to my
cousins house and sat up until 12 o'clock
with my Cousins wife's sister.
At tho next melting of tho coterie !
began to feel that was under suspi.
cion. Perhaps it was merely q guilty
conscience, but thought my bachelor
friends cooled when appeared among
them. know that when John Tenn
pie proposed the toast, Earth would
be Heaven without women" and 1 did
not empty my glass; every member
present looked directly at me and then
at each other. Any person of the most
ordinary sensitiveness knows how he
feels under such circumstances.
AS time went by and suspicion grew
apace it became evident to me that
must get out of the coterie. There was
no other honorable course left me. !
| cOuld see there vas no lonrar hor.-