The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-06-10

president of the board Of managers of
the institution for halT orphans sent
out an old stager who maintained a
grim silence, while our bachelor rector,
Rev Ralph Hunt, who more than
score of years ago had been suitor of
! aunt's, presented another veteran
which he had obtained from a retired
sea captain.
Sue certainly had the most annoy
ance to put up with. Poor girl! She
had gone about with red eyelids for
weeks. Dr.. Farquhar, the old doctors
assistant, had come to spend an even
ing with her. There was nothing I'M
usual in this; in fact, it was the fifth
evening that week, but this time he
asked Sue a very special question. Sue
had shyiy Slipped away to the window
TO give her answer from that vantage
point, but before she had time for
word, a voice, precisely like her own,
in meditation, replied: 60 home, you
| fool"
! Now DR.. Farquhar is a hot-tempFrcd
man, rather prone to act on impulse.
/ On this occasion he waited tor no fur
Their remarks, but made hasty depart
ure well puncutated by the vicious slam
! he gave to the front door, while the
| guilty parrot that had caused all the
mischief burst into a roar Of laughter.
| hurried down, only 20 find sue shak-
| ing her fist at a bird perched on the win
dow ledge above.
oh, you beast. Wouldn't l like to
wiring your neck" she ejacrlated, as
the tears strcamed down her face.
This from our even-tempered Sue was
quite equal to profanity, and soon she
! poured out the whole ridiculous, but
nevertheless painful story to me.
About this time Aunt Rivers mounted
her next hobby. She became hypo-
chondriacal, and imagined herself the
victim of half the diseases that atllict
mankind. l nearly ruined my cyesight
| porting over medical records for her cdi-
! lcation. We all scoffcd at the notion
| that there was anything more serious
than a touch of Indigestion ailing her,
/ but outWardly we were her devoted
nurses. At her request we moved her
| bed into the airy front room, where,
with her cabinets of china and her
| precious parrots about her. we conf
! IDENTIFY awaited her recovery.
AS the days went by there was but
little improvement in her state. Her
| strong belief in her ill-health kept her
! down as etfe"tually as if a fatal illness
/ had her in the tolls. | was not sur
! priscd when she aroused me one night
| to send in post haste for the doctor and
clergyman. The end" she informed
me, sepulchrally, the end has come"
The old doctor was i'll, and DR.. Far
quhar came in his stead. Sue grew very
white as he entered the room. Al the
same moment the fat old rector came
! Wheeling in with such evident concern
| in his puffy countenance that | felt
ashamed of ever having laughed at him.
and began TO wonder if he really cared
for Aunt Rivers.
Awakened by the Disturbances and
the light, the rector's parrot sent up an
aggrieyed shout of "Who the devil are
| you?' This was the signal for the
outbreak. l hope never TO hear such
sounds again. There was a general up
roar, in which such remarks as who
the devil, Polly wants a cracker" and
Good morning, ma'am" were readily
distinguished. Then by way of a duet,
the rector's parrot united with Bob's
Offering in giving uttcraucc to a volley
of oaths that ! blush to think of.
To diversity further these remark
able proceedings, the Angora and the
pug, that we had left sleeping quietly
| in their respective baskets. came bound
ing in from opposite directions, and
fGncying this an opportune occasion for
settling some long-cherished differ
onces of opinion, engaged in mortal
combat.
The rector. in his anxiety TO separate
them, stumbled on an immense medical
work which | had careessly left on the
floor, and in struggling to regain his
balance, lurched against one Of the
china cabinets, which came crashing to
the floor For the next five minutes
there was - grand melee of rector, dog,
cat and broken glass and china, and
above all the tumult came aunt's voice
Ralph, dearest, say you're not hurt
and I'll name the day" And actually
the fat old parson somehow got on
! lis feet, and, with blood flowing from
he cuts on his hands and face, bent
/ over and kissed her, to the utter aston
ishmcnt of DIR. Farquhar, who, after
being summoned to a death bed, sud
denly found himself intruding upon the
privacy OF family with whom his own
connection had been severed.
In the first lull of the uproar dulcet
voice very near his ear whispered: Go
home, you old fool" direction which
she hot-tempered doctor would have
been glad TO follow had not a sudden
misgi,ing beset him. The width of the
room lay between him and Sue. The
whisper, therefore, could not have come
from her. \ sudden light dawned on
the young physician, for the wretched
laIf-orphan parrot here hoped on the
bed and surveyed him with a sardonic
grin.
lie threw a pleading glance at Sue,
who straightway disappeared from the
| room, and when | stumbled over them
on the staircase a half hour later the