The record-union., 1897-09-01

added refiectively.
Il suppose YOU have a doctor?" I
asked, hardly knowing what TO say,
while she stood there with her head
thoughtfully on one side, abstractedly
pulling at her gloves, which were half
an inch longer than her fingers.
u think 1t was very clever of them"
she murmured in kind of subduedly
reckless triumph-''in all that gardeni"
/ asked again.
oh yes, Rudolf got some one from
London. And he's not only doing some
thing to her" she said vaguely, but to
the garden! l think he might have
saved her and spared them. 1 wanted
to prevent him, but Rudolf wouldn't let
me speak to him.
And she went away in a dazed state.
I believe she realized far more that the
germs were being destroyed than that
Daisy was in danger She always felt
that human beings must be all right,
there were so many people to look after
them.
| went often to inquire after Daisy,
who never did anything wrong and be-
gan to get well at once; but one day
when 1 arrived there was nobody about.
|
| in at the open door, andwent to the din
ing-room and drawing room. They were
empty. In the passage l met an alarmed
maid.
"Oh, please, M she gasped, "the
mistress has got it!''
turned straight up the stairs to her
ROOM She was alone, a queer little
bony body in queer little uncomfort-
able box of a bed. She smiled encour-
agingly at me.
isn't it odd?" she said in a husky
dlftlcult voice. I can't get over. the
oddness of it,
It's much more important for you
to get over IT, I said stupidity.
We'll see about that" she answered
with an indescribably wise, roguish
look
| What do you mean?" I stood at the
bottom of her bed and looked at her as
severely as I could.
She chuckled. There was something
about that hoarse, painful little chuck
le that made me turn away and gulp.
We'll" she said. a word or two at a
time. Il don't mind telling you. They
| injected serum, of course. 1 couldn't
prevent that anyway, but 1 only take
and do half of what the doctor tells
me. 1t gives them and me equal
chances, you see. That's only fair,
| isn't it ?''
| 1 nodded. I couldn't speak. 1 want
! ed to kiss her or slap her, l didn't
know which.
AT first L thought I'd not do any
thing to hurt them, and then I remem-
bered what you said about good germs,
and remembered there was a great deal
more work I wanted to do in the world,
and so I thought I'd take halfi And
nurse is SO angry"
! 1t took her long time to say all that,
and brought tears into her eyes with
the pain of it. I found out from the
nurse afterward that the doctor had
also ideas and ordered her to take and
do" as she called it, exactly twice as
much as was necessary.
And" she struggled on after a lit
tie, with that magnificent illogicalness
OF hers which might have been such
solace to her if she had only appreciat-
ed it, Il should like to die for my
faith. Every new cause demands al
least a martyr, you know"
The next day she was much weaker.
Il wonder" she croaked at great in
tervals, almost inaudibly, with a faint
| flicker of a smile; IT wonder If all the
germs will die when I die, or how long
it will take to kill them. 1t seems rath-
er a shabby sort of thing to do, to go
and die and kill them all, doesn't it?"
I had my hand on hers, and the only
answer 1 could make was to squeeze
it in a dumb stupid way.
All at once she feebly snatched it
back.
Go to the window" she said, 'go as
far away as you can, but listen. I
want to tell you something"
I listened, and by-andby came the
hoarse whirrfng, distressing speech.
It's this" she said, and her dis
colored little face worked with the an
guish of effort around those shining
beads of eyes. IF it hadn't been for
all those dear, despised things to love,
you, my dear!"
/ murmured something.
And then all at once in heart break
ing haste she made shift to cry: "Oh.
my dear, love something If it kills
you it's better than not to have loved!"
I turned and saw the light of her
face
I've been so happy" she croaked in
agony, such a happy life-so-full'--
And then she choked horribly. and
the nurse came flying and sent me
from her. And never heard her speak
again.
The next day when I went she was
dead. Three days afterward her fu-
neral went by. I stood behind the
blinds drawn down over the open win
dow and listened to the slow wheels.
THE mad old maid!" 1 heard a con-
temptuous voice say in the road be-
low.-Constance Cotterell, in Temple
Bar.