The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-05-20

i'll llIes ICY uhu LuuuC az okCulbCCt
of me, but soon found myself kick.
ing vigorously against that honorable
profession. After deal OF persuasion
/ was allowed to enter as student at
Bart's. and for two years worked
hard.
l read good deal at the British
Museum, like other fellows, from the
Sth OF August, lSS-, always at the
b. II seat.
Why, you ask, always at that place? !?
Well, because it was on that date
that the most charming little woman l
ever saw first came and occupied the
seat marked B IL. hoped she would
keep to that scat, and 80 she did. The
pile OF books she used daily staggered
me, and OF course it would have been
troublesome to alter the indications
on all her reference slips if she had
changed or been ousted from B IL.
From the 9th of August, 1S8-, it
was generally toss up which OF us
was the first reader to appear in the
reading room. The assistants often
smiled.
Her name was Bella Whitcomb. I
learned that very soon. An official
left one OF her slips on my table by
mistake. She had asked for Strauss
famous "Lecture on Cardiac Trou-
bles." and the slip came to me marked
"In use." ! had the greatest pleasure
in the world in returning the slip to
her with smile. Then she smiled
back at me with those sweet, brown
eyes of hers and remarked, "What n
nuisancel did SO want it."
After this we often exchanged words.
Trivial words! Any pretext was good
enough for me that procured me
glance or a smile from her.
! did not get on at all with studies
If had not been fool from the pro.
fessional point OF view, should have
bolted to the W or Y part of the room
but had come to the conviction that
it was more enjoyable to fail in my
exams. and see Bella every day than
pass with distinction at the cost of
severance from her.
Blissful, lazy, heart breaking, anxious
hours! Day after day, from half-past
nine until three with an interval of
three.quarters of an hour for lunch.
Bella was brought to the Museum
every morning by maid; the maid
took her off for lunch, and the maid
was always waiting among the pigeons
under the portico from five minutes to
three in the afternoon.
There was no getting rid OF that
precious abominable domestic.
When we had known each other
month 1 proposed lit was wild, foolish
thingto do) to accompany her toward
Bayswater on an omnibus. The maid
was to go inside, she and l outside.
But it was no 60.
"My father wouldD'6 like it, Mr..
Marrablc," she said, with sympa-
thetic smile.
l tried whispering conversations
about the weather, text books, exams,
and 80 on but, to say nothing of the
frowns | raised on other studious faces
and formal protest from the gentle.
man on his throne in the middle of
the room, Bella did not greatly en-
courage me.
81 am here to work." she wrote on
a slip at one time and pushed this to-
ward me.
1t will hardly be credited, but I os.
tentatiously put that slip to my lips
and then folded it and placed it in
my watch-pocket-the heart pocket.
How she looked at me when l did
this. An ordinary girl would have
giggled. She did not giggle, AMI
thenceforward her smiles were not
quite what they had been. The pen.
sive seriousness in them, however,
made her more and more dear to me.
Even when, for joke, l recommended
her to ask for Spencer on shoulder
Blades"-a well.known absurdity-she
only gave me little reproving nod of
her pretty head, with the bronze col
ored hair and the tiny shell ears.
So it went on until November, when
/ could bear it no longer. l knew less
about surgery and medicine than in
July.
81 must speak to you at luncheon, "
I whispered to her that morning. My
face impressed her. Besides, there
was another reason why she should
assent.
We came out among the Egyptian
tombs, mummies and things. told
her she was everything to me--life,
blood, ambition, happiness, and, az
was right, she believed me. Better
still, she admitted that was much to
her.
"But, Philip" she added Il was
holding her hand; we had wandered
into q Greek statuary room. where
there was no soul else), "it must all
depend upon my father. Ifyou satisfy
him, / shall be very happy girl"
The Greek statues had, daresay,
seen II great many people kiss each
other two or three thousand years ago,
but they never saw more earnest
exchange Of such tokens OF affections
than ours
Tomorrow. dear" said Bella, sat
IL o'clock, would be the best time foI