The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-15
DUE TO A DOG.

hoPo you Will tnoroughly ENJOY your
holiday, nurse" said the matron, looking
thoughtfully at the slender figure before
her.
Nurse Villiers turned away with smile
lingering about her sweet lips. A little
worn and tired she looked, for "12 months
hard labor" rs she laughingly asserted
"leayes Its mark on the fairest face" but
the three weeks rest would soon chase
away the lines Of care and bring back the
hue Of health into the thin cheeks
II am lucky" she thought, "to have
dear old Betty to fall back upon. When
papa died and left me homeless orphan In
the old vicarage, little dreamed that In
little more than year I should be SO
thankful to pay visit to my nurses old
farm. wonder If shall meet my fate at
Brambleton2 Fairy tales are out of fash
ion."
eyes, Miss Eva, the woods are free to
people staying at the farm. We have a
sort of right of way through them, and 1t
includes our visitors They all belong TO
the owner of tho park. Who is hep Well,
We haven't seen him yet, dearie have
heard he was doctor in London, who
came quite unexpectedly into the property.
He was distant cousin of old General
Jpton's, and they say he was very poor.
Beyond that we know nothing of him.
Half an hour later pretty picture met
the ego of a wandering squirrel, who look
cd down from the branch of neighboring
tree in surprise at the sight of visitor.
Nurse Villiers was seated on NOISY bank,
with her head against the trunk of fallen
oak, eagerly devouring tie last chapter of
her novel. Her eyes filled with tears as
she read
Poor Trilby," she snid half aloud, land
poor little Billie!" Then, womanllke, she
turned to tho earlier chapters and read
again the description Of those wonderful
white feet. As a sequence her eye Travelled
downward to her own daintily shod pedal
extrelnites. Now, have pretty foot"
she thought, "but could never DO Tril-
by. am not bad looking, but I cannot
sing. Still, my foot is really presentnble.
She looked cautiously round and, acting
on impulse, slipped off the little bronze
shoe and slken stocking and gazed with
no small degree of satisfaction at the bit
of marblelike flesh lying SO white against
the green moss. Then she slowly drew on
the stocking, leaving the dainty bit Of
bronze leather on the ground at little dis
taDce
Her head dropped against the trunk of
the tree, and in few moments she was
fast asleep She did not hear the cracking
of the underwood as large retriever dog
pushed his way through the bushes. She
did not SEQ him as, with a knowing look
ut the sleeper, he seized the little shoe b3-
tween his teeth and nude of with it, 10
drop it come ten minutes later at the feat
of his astonishcd master, DR.. Gilbert Fan
Shave, the owner CT the park.
But it was with rueful face, inter
much fFuitlcss search that she limpUd ser
way back to the farm, rating herself sourl-
ly for tho vanity that had caused her dis
com1ture ard her unluoky 40 winla.
"Fanshawe, old boy, I'm awfuly glad
to see you but I'm in an awful fix Here's
my uncle taken suddenly i'll and has sent
for me in hurry. Tho junior house sur
geon is off fer holiday, and CHI t goat a
moments notice without a substituted
What am l to dof Would you do? Rather
But you wouldn't stay. You would, you
say? You always wero brick They all
know you by ropute, so there won't be any
bother about that. Your treatise on tuber-
cuiosis in children has made your nalno
for you here as In London"
And the house surgeon at St Philips,
Bardsloy, wrung his friends hands in an
excess OF gratitude.
The two friends won't off together, Fan
shawe's dark, intellectual face and tall
form in strong contrast with his compan-
ions rubicund checks, CHEEKY manner aud
somewhat stunted proportions.
That night as DR. Fanshawe went his
midnight round he came upon vision.
III the spot of light thrown by the reflector
lamp sat girl with a child in her arms.
Her lair hair vas like an aureOle round |
her sweet face and the look of love and
pity in her eyes as she bent over the little
one stamped itself upon his memory for
over. She looked up, md their eyes met.
In that oao glance some of DR.. Fanshawes
heart slipped out Of his keeping, End eva
Nilliers was the happy possessor.
81 never thought one odd shoe would be
of any use" said Nurse Villiers, holding
it up for inspection, "but little Jenny Will !
lialns will lie glad Of it, since her foot was
amputated.' Sho placed it on her table,
to DO ready for the morning.
The sister laughed and went down stairs.
A shadow darkoued the doorway, and DR..
Fanshawes voice said:
Nurse how are your patients tonight"
Then, advancing into the little room, he
caught sight of the shoe on the table.
Whose is thisi" no said eagerly And
whore Is the otherY''
1T was mine" answered Eva. but az
to tho other cannot tell you that for it
mysterlously disappeared six weeks ago"
His heart began to beat rapidly
Nurse" said he, sin the story of Gin
derelia, tho prince, when he found tho
wearer Of the slipper, took her for his bride
Is it not so?'
"Hes, was the reply. but cannotsee
what this has to do with my shoe
He drew from the pocket of his shooting |
coat--worn for tho first time since his |
walk in the wood six weeks before-tho |
counterpart Of the little bronze shoe and
placed it On the Table beside its fellow.
History repeats itself, We are told"
said lie. shall tho 0ld fairy tale have
modern equivalent"
After all Jenny Williams did not have !
tho shoe TO her great grief she had q |