The Press., 1897-11-18

dS bhC AACb tuo uOItOI down stairs after long 7confab with her mother Mother about She's out all tomorrow afternoon I've1got to paint the doors '- And Jasper passed out with a sympathetic smile .. She knew he would call and advise her about painting the doors He did call
 What deal you know about mix- ing paints and thinRsI I'm sure 1 want good advice a great deal more than mother does But. then, I'm not clever like mother." added Phemie, with a little aggrieved pout. ''So it's not worth while talking to me e.,.,
 ''I do feel for you, said the doctor, with an unusual warmth of manner "I have done all I could to get your mother to be fair to you, Phemie"-he had never called her Phemie before, and she felt her color rise Whats the matter?" he added hastily, for sudden ly Phemie's eyes filled with tears, and she just went of then and there and left the paint pots and things without saying another word.
 Dr. Jasper's visits became more ire quent Mrs. Albatross was constantly seen about the village with him. They met in cottages. She was devoted, so she said, to nursing the sick. It:was certainly a new development She was never seen with her daughter. nor was Jasper, but he saw her daughter oftener than she knew Still it seemed less and less possible to do without Mrs. Alba tross. Her ability, her cooked foods and port wine for "cases," her influence l.elsl obeyed her; with the parson, whose good will was important to the doctor and who was afraid of Mrs. Albatross, for she 6rowbeat him in the chair, at parish meetings, picked holes in his sermons and organized the penny read ings, which he disliked, un,.vr his very nose-all this and a good deal more for Mrs Albatross was a woman and not above feminine arts-put Jasper in rather a tight place.
 He knew that Mrs .-Albatross wanted to marry him, and there were days yes, wEole days-when he really thought he should be obliged to marry Mrs. Al batross
 The moment came. It was in the lit tie sitting room up stairs.
 Something had happened. pr Jasper saw that plainly enough. .~.
 The lady was flushed and excited, and he missed the usual confidential hand squeeze.
 "I-I wanted to see you, ' she said and paused Nothing has come to your ears, I suppose?"
 The doctor looked inquiringly.
 Well, then, I'm dreadfully troubled, annoyed beyond measure, put out, Oi course, you know my maid, Susan. She has been with me ten years and is not 8 gossip
 "What on earth do you meanI Do be plain. Surely with me you might be quite plain. And he moved little nearer, feeling at that moment a curiori kind of attraction which almost com pelled him to lay his hand upon hel arm and force her to be quite honest, Don't keep me on tcnterhooks.A' h, said eagerly ''Tell mel II will" said the lady, Il feel / can tell you anything don't think
 have any other friend ill therworld-a
 least, not like you No one understand
 me, no one has helped me as you have and we've got to part. That is alp What on earth, " said Jasper. reall, shaken and troubled-he had never seer } her grow pale like that or her lip culver like that, and she was not O the crying sort, and she did not cry nov -"what-what has Susan been say ingg'' --
 "Only that it's all over the place , and that she thought at last she ough to tell mel
 B "You don mean. you don't meah''- P He couldn't quite say it
 "Yes, l do," she said And she ros t and walked up and down the room full t of sort of angry vexation, mingle'
 evidently with a conflict of passionat
 feeling she could neither conceal no subdue
 } "Sit down." he said He had risen He took her arm. She was positivei r trembling He led her to the sofa b.
 the fire. '--. .~ "I shall have to leave this place,
 she said ip a sort of hard vaice-- Tn + angry tears came into her eyes He ha |, never seen her weep This was th e nearest approach to it.
 0 "I know what you are going to say g Don't say it No, you shan't go Yo D are useful The people trust you It l yuuE hp4cEo hm buc tudIplOb d Why should you go?" said Jasper j. hardly measuring his words, "Wh
 should either of us go? Why not stay h and stay-stay togetherY" .,.~ l. "You don't mean itg' Men at sue O times are more fools than khaves "Yes. yes-l-do. ;> Il Jasper had taken her hand The wt j. man with the iron will, the keen inte d leot, the nature self contained. whic }, seemed at times as hard as nails. turne d toward him and in another moment fe
 crying and laughing, hysterically int his arms At that moment, as ill luc e would have it, Phemie, hearing unusu, T. sounds and thinking some one neede lt assistance, entered.
 "Go and fetch some sal volatile. You mother is not very we'll Indeed, |, 'r that moment Mrs: Albatross seemed { 2, have really tainted away. Whether st 'r tainted or net no one will ever know IS The doctor himself was doubtful
 Jasper never entered the house agail III He went home. packed up his thing
 wrote a hurried note in a disguise
 hand to Phemie. who on the followir "a day would be 2I years old and con
 into $500 year, which had been le - her. to the disgust of her mother.
 her fond father-and Jasper went
 bed. '..4
 |"
 He must have risen early No one
 his lodgings saw him go out His h.