The record-union., 1897-12-25

0dliOuS III tQlTO-ciaSS ISut. ud0 Wdlie-
ed two rooms, one for a study and the
other for my sleeping-rooln. I have
done much hunting, but with no sue
cess Perhaps I am too exacting in
what require, or call comfortable. You
know / always have as an ideal the
charming rooms you have in that dear
nome of yours, and the lovely rooms
that We're fixed for me so shortly be-
fore left home But ideals are not to
be found in boarding houses. However.
my aunt came to the rescue, and in
sisted that 1 should continue to form
one of her household as long as l re-
manned unmarried and lived in this city
1t was awfully good of her, for she has
her hands quite full now-so full, she
says, that one more thing won't be
noticed. But I am living in far too
much luxury; the house and every
thing in it are beautiful. My aunts
taste is perfect and her means ample
SO she can indulge her fancy to almost
any extent
Another thing I have discovered
ourlng these two months is that even
mere money does not grow on trees
IL mas to be worked for as elsewhere.
Ihere IS the same steady drive and
competition, some one always waiting
TO push you on one side so that he
can step into your place. 7 don't think
the Office work altogether suits me.
mss my old freedom, the good, pure
country air, and our walks together to
carry good things to the poor old sick
1oik! Indeed, Mag, / miss you every
where and in everythingl have
oeen very regular about my reading,
out here, too. 1 miss you more than 1
can tell. Our office work is very ex-
acting, and pretty well exhausts one
by the end of the day; but uncle has
his offices closed by four-thirty, so we
nave a good long evening
L am hoping that l shall soon be of
service to some one besides myself.
Fred says I can help him very much
with his charity patients if 1 can spare
h1m few hours each week He has
been home from college now for about
SIX months, and is working hard at his
PROFESSION He is an awfully clever
fellow, and has been taken much notice
OF by some Of the most prominent med
lcal men here which is d great benefit
to him. Besides having a good head
and hand he has a good heart-he seems
ever ready to help all that come with
in his reach. Money is not much Of
an object to him at present; all he
wants is practice and an opportunity
of helping his fellow-men. But good
nature is ever apt to be imposed upon,
and already Fred is beginning to feel
that his generosity is getting little
oVertaXed. He is, however, much in
terested in some of his poor patients.
and it is with these I have promised to
help him. But my letter is growing
very bulky and find it very egotistical,
all about myself. and nothing about the
old folk at home
You are very good about your let
ters, only you don't say half enough
about yourself. How are you really?
| hear good deal Of you from Dick,
and the account he gives differs very
widely from your own report Of your
self. He says you are the same dear
girl as of old, only perhaps a shade
dearer, but he is afraid you think too
little Of yourself and almost too much
OF other people. He thinks you are not
looking quite well, and not perhaps as
bright as you were wont to be. Don't
forget that all such personal items in
terest me, and long to know OF them
# you are not well, and if you have
anything troubling you
Il am so glad that you are getting
along so nicely with your nursing; of
course, If you could be spared from
home, and spend all your time at the
hospital, your progress would be much
more rapid But you cannot, and
doubtless 1t is better so, for you are not
over strong, and there is much for you
to do in your home and neighborhood.
But this letter is getting too long,
and / fear will bore you. Don't for
get to tell me everything about your
self when you write next In the
meantime, adieu. AS ever,
WALLACE"
september 1st
Several months must have flown by,
dear Mag, since my last long 'wom-
ans letter to you My weekly epistles
have only been little, scrappy tele-
graphic communications, just to keep
you Informed that yours truly is still
in the land Of the living; so to-day shall
be day off, and l will drop in and
once more sit at the feet of my dear
little chum, and talk over most of the
happenings of these four long months.
Thank you so much for your nice.
long letter of two days ago-you need
not imagine it was dull, for it was full
Of interest. AS usual 1t had but one
fault, and that was. that you say far
too little of yourself! Do you not
know it is Of you I would rather hear
than of anything else? You tell me
how nicely your little hospital is pro-
crossing, and Of the successful work.
ing of MANY of O1,r ut her LITTLE coharoac
so as these could not possibly be in ex-
istence without you, / can realize how
hard you must be working. There are
others, though, who take pity on me,
and send me news of you. Poor Dick
thinks he has not yet succeeded in
cutting me OUT and begins to feel that
you will never understand the real feel
ings hidden away in his manly bosom!
Mother, too, writes me that you seem
overworked, and are fast trying to
shirk your social duties, and spend all
your energies on hobbies or, as I fear
she is inclined to think, waste your
sweetness on the desert air. But am
still longing for the day when / can
come home and work in partnership
with you once more! / can scarcely
believe that only six months have
passed since l left home; it seems al
most as many years.
And still I am very happy We never
can complain Of dull hours here; there
is always something going on to fill
them. With five young men in the
house, you may imagine the times are
often pretty lively; then my aunt al
ways has some young girls staying
here to keep her company, SO the house