The Winslow mail., 1897-10-09
WHAT \ WOMAN
CAN DO.

y
81 shouldn't have suggested it unless
1 did,"
81 must say that l think it will be
labor in vain; but still, if you wish to
t. yoLr hand at diplomacy, l suppose
1 must consent"
''There's a sensible darling" cried
Cicely, putting her arms round his neck
and kissing him. "And now will
show you what woman can do"
Major Mainwaring was what is
known as a confirmed bachelor. When
Jabez introduced the young nurse, who
had come to him on the recommends
ton of his nephew, his first muttered
remark was:
81 hope to goodness she won't start
tidying things up"
Only one who has been left to the
tender mercies of soldier servant Tor
nearly a week can imagine the differ
ence which a couple Of days made, not
only in the Majors room, but IN the
Major, and nobody was more surprised
than that gentleman himself when lie
found how much ''the woman's tricks,
as he somewhat contemptuously ex-
pressed it, added to his comfort.
Cicely had her surprise also, for IN
stead of a worn-out, decrepit old man,
such as she had expected to find her
lovers uncle, she discovered that he
was a handsome man in the prime or
life and though he was evidently suf-
fering intense pain from his fractures
and contusions, yet he bore 1t nearly as
uncomplainingly as a woman would
have done.
The weeks slowly glided away, and
the Major gradually grew stronger.
One morning he said in an apologize
voice:
favor, Cicely."
Certainly. Major" responded Cicely,
with the sunny smile that made her
invaluable as nurse. ''What is it.:''
"Why, | want you to write a letter
for me to a scapegrace nephew of mine.
The truth is, this fellow has been trad
Ing on the fact that he Is my only llV-
ing relative ever since he knew the
value of the relationship, and at last 1
think the time has arrived when l
ought to put down my foot"
"What has he done, then" inquired
Cicely, endeavoring to conceal the aSl-
tation which she felt.
"The young vagabond is a medical
student at ST. Georges; but, of course,
you are aware of that, as he sent you
down here-the only good turn he has
even done me in his life, by-the-bye-
and 1 have always made him a gener-
Gus allowance. In addition to this,
have paid his debts twice. And now
he writes to say that unless he has q
certain sum by tomorrow morning to
pay his debts of HONOR as he terms
them. he will be ruined for life. Now,
I have made up my mind not to let him
have any more money beyond his in
come, and 1 want you to write and tell
him that as he has broken his word Of
honor, when he promised me on the last
occasion not to gamble again, l must
decline to have anything to do with
his debts of honor"
Cicely took down the address and
made notes of what she had to write;
but, strange to say, almost immediate
ly afterwards she met with an acci-
dent and ran a pin into her thumb in
such a way as to prevent her holding
pen, and the communication had to
be written by Jabez after all.
A few days after this Cicely had
been reading to him, when the Major,
after a short interval Of silence, eX-
claimed:
"The doctor says 1 may get up to-
morrow, Cicely, and that has made me
think"
"What have you been thinking
about?" demurely asked the pretty
nurse.
81 have been wondering what on
earth l shall do when you leave me
and go back to town"
"Just what you did before 1 came, l
suppose replied the young lady, in
tently regarding the binding Of the
book she was holding in her lap.
"No, 1 can never do that" said the
Major. "When 1 was young man,
Cicely, I was very fond of a girl; in
fact, we were going to be married, but
the week before she was to have be-
come my wife she ran away with a
friend of mine, lieutenant in the same
regiment as myself. Since then 1 have
had a somewhat bad opinion of wom-
en-. and you must acknowledge with
reason. but you have altered all that,
Cicely."
"How-er-in what way, Major Main
waring?" faltered Cicely, growing rap
idly ''red as a rose"
"Why, l can see that though there
are bad women in the world, there are
also good ones, and the man who man
ages to get hold of a good one for his
wife, cannot obtain a greater treasure,
and I'm going to ask you if you will be
my treasure"
But, Major Mainwaring, | am only
a nurse-a hospital nurse-What will
your friends say?"
My dearest girl, you have saved my
life, and in my opinion you possess all
the graceS and virtues that woman
ought to have. If I marry girl, do
it to consult my own happiness, not
that of my friends. l know [ am twice
your age, but in spite of that, am a
young man still; now say, dear, will
you marry meT'
care you sure you love me" asked
Cicely, in low voice. THAT you are