The Opelousas courier., 1897-12-04
there and left the paint pots and
things without saying another word.

things without saying another word.
DR.. Jasper's visits became more
frequent. Mrs. Albatross was CON
%stantlv seen about the village With
him ; they met i'll cottages ; she was
devoted, so she said, to nursing the
sick lit was certainly a new develop
mentl. She was never e e with her
daughter, non was Jasper, but he saw
her daughter oftener than she knew ;
still, it seemed less and less possible
to do without Mrs. Albatross. Her
ability, her cooked foods and port
wine for leases" her influence with
the squire, who disliked and oheyed
her; with the parson, whose good VIII
was Importance to the doctor, and VINO
was&fraid of Mrs, Albatrcss, for she
browbeat him in the chair at parish
meetings. picked holes i'll his sermons
and organized the penny readings,
which he dislikel, under his very nose.
All this and a good deal @ore-for
Mrs. Altatross was a Wsk1n <nd not
above feminine arts-put JaSfeSSl IN
lie Knew taat Mr4Albatross wanteS
70 marry him, and there We're many
DAYS, yes. whole days, w@en he really
thought he should he obligedt to marry
Mrs. Albatross.
The moment came. 1t was / the
little sitting ul<tairs.
Something had happened. DR..
Jasper saw that plainly enough.
The lady was flushed and excited,
ana he missed the usual confidential
squeeze.
II wanted to see you,' she said,
and paused. "Nothing has com to
your ears, I suprose?'
The doctor looked inquiinglv.
"Well, then, I'm dreadfullv troubled;
annoyed beyond measure; put out.
OF course. You know my maid, Susan;
she has been with me tel years, and
is not a gossip
What On earth do you mean? Do
be plain: surely with me you might
be quite rlain,' ana he moved a little
nearer, feeling at that moment a curl
GUS kind Of attraction which almost
compelled him to lay his hand upon
ller arm and force her to be quite
honest.
''non't keep NE on tenterhoohs,'
he said eagerly; ''tell mel"
4 WILL" said the lady; 81 feel I
can tell you anything. [ don't think
[ have Il other friend in the world
ct least, not like you; NJ one under-.
stands me, no Il has helped me as,
you have, and we've got to part, thaS'
is ALI"
what, on earth,' sail Jasper,
shaken and troubled he had
never seen her grow pale like that,
nor her lips culver like that-and she
not Of the crying sort-she did
not cry now. ''Nhat-what has Susan
been saying??'
"Only that it's all over the place,
and that she thought at last she ought
to tell me-
"You don't mean-" He couldn't
quite say it.
eyes, [ do" she said, and rose and
walked up and down the room full of
a sort Of angry vexation, mingled evil
IDENTITY with a conflict Of passionate
feeling she could neither conceal nor
subdue.
"Sit down. he said. He had risen.
He took her arm !; she was positively
trembling. He led her to the sofa by
the fire.
Il shall have to leave this place."
she said in a sort of hard voice. The
tears came into her eyes. He
had never seen her weep. This was
the nearest approach to it.
Il know what you are going to say.
Don't say it. You shan't go; You are
The people trust yoa. 1t is
your sphere. [ am the marplot.'
"Why should you go?' said Jasper,
measuring his words. why
should either of us go? Why not
stay-stay t~ogether?"
"You don't mean it," Men at such
times are more fools than knaves.
eyes, yes-I-do."
Jasper hal taken her hand. The
woman with the iron will, the keen
intellect, the nature self-contained,
which seemed at times as hard as
nails, turned toward him, and in
another moment fell crying and laugh
ing Historically into his arms. At
that moment, as ill-luck would have
it, Picnic, hearing unusual sounds,
and thinking some one needed assist
ance, entered.
$50 and fetch some sal-volatile;
your mother is not verywell." Indeed,
at that moment Mrs. Albatross seemed
to have really tainted away. Whether
she tainted or not, no one will ever
know-the doctor himself was doubt
full.
Jasper never entered the house
again. He went home, packed up his
things, wrote a hurried note in q dis
guised hand to Picnic, who on the
following day would be q years old
and come into $500 a year, which had
been left her, to the disgust of her
mother, by her fond father-and
Jasper went to bed.
He must have risen early. No one
at his lodgings saw him go out. His
hot water was brought up at s o'clock.
His boots had not been put out over
night.
The servant knocked at 8. The
door was not locked. She entered.
She saw boxes packed and labeled
tsT oft ill co11ad for Tho bod u-oo