The aegis & intelligencer., 1898-01-14
S7l listcll1neUlIs
TAKEN At THE FLOOD.
BY OLIVE MAY EAGER.

more youthful bride were driving
slowly along II lonely mountain road,
where the late autumn sunshine
snoEe mildly through the already
frost-Stricken and wiud-stripped trees.
They stopped a moment when break
in the hills gave them glimpse OF
their destination in the narrow valley
below. The struggling, hastily built
village near the recently discovered
coal beds of that region was not cal
cuiated 10 excite either their hope or
admiration.
There is tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the Hood, leads on to fortune"
quoted the young man, adding,
musingly: Il wonder if any tide in
yon group of shanties will sweep us
or to fortune. Things are at low
ebb tide with us now.
The girl wife made 10 reply, but,
taking advantage of their standstill,
she made what she felt to be an all
important change in her toilet Draw
ing forth Il slightly bait cred handbox
she replaced her big shade hat by a
very staid and sober bonnet, which
% failed of the desired uatronIy effect
that the husband hurriedly logged
his horse to Il fresh start. lest he be
StRllCN ~ pOAA " l'SheS J III 4l4SAiI SiI q
face made still more blooming by the
contrast.
70 tell the truth, after graduating
with high honors from the good old
State University, DIR. Thomas Nelson
aged twenty-three, had done two
hasty, impru;lent things; one was to
marry OFF hand dear little school
girl, whom two-thirds of the town still
remembered as a famous romp and
scattGrbrain il short dresses; the
other dubious step was to settle
down to the exercise of his profession
in the same community, where both
of them had lived from baby hood.
Hosts of friends and relatives took
the deepest possible interest in. Tom
mics cases and dear hittie 81 house
keeping, but somehow under the fell
sway Of aches and pains. their atTec-
ti0n waned to such an extent that it
could be revived only after a sight Of
the regular practitioner, q man of age
and experience. No young couple,
however economical, can manage to
exist on good wishes alone, SO after a
years trial of such dry fare, the Mel.
sons set out to try their fate among to-
tai strangers. Their goal was mush
room town, whose rapidly increasing
population was still left 10 the tender
mercies of an antiquated quack, very
| well acquainted with Therapeutics
as tested through the medium of black
| bottles.
In the chill, autumn twilight, the
newcomers drove up TO the long, low
tavern, a relic of stagecoach times,
| standing out prominently among the
newer, box like houses which locked
so like peas in a pod that the obser-
want, quick eyed doctor found himself
vainly searching for some distinguish
ing mark, and wondering if he should
| ever manage to know where his
patients lived. The streets seemed
quite deserted, and the tavern un.
frequented, making the doctor blue
| with something worse than cold.
\ warm supper and Il roaring fire
succeeded in cheering the travellers tC
a faint interest in the chatty land.
lords condolences as to the community
at large, and the bibulous old doctor
in particular. They were beginning
to feel comfortably coZy and sleepy
when >louchy, ilikempt lrishmar
shuf1led awk wardly into the dining
room, saying that he wanted the new
doctor.
"Oh, go along with you, Mixer
said the tavern keeper, unwilling tC
lose his appreciative audience.
Its me cuid woman" insisted the
man. Shes that bad that | be think
in it's sthroke ARA a wurrd have
| had the day, and she that glib o
tongue since furst saw her, Biddy
O'kieIy, in the ould counthry."
Besides being very tired, the docto,
felt small inclination to trust so un
promising a guide along unknown
mountain paths after night; for the
fellow was rather the worse for liquor
Il wouldn't CO. said the se!fcon
stituted Mentor. "These Irish fellow:
swear by the old doctor, who is glaC
to take his pay in Mountain Dew.
You may whistle for money of an!
Color this last being a thrust at tn,
already declared temperance proclivi
ties of his guest.
But urged the man in self-defenc,
the ould docther's that drunk he'll
not be after stirring the night; and it,
good silver I'll yay We, and bring "
back me-self in the morning"
DIR. Nelson looked doubtfully at hi
wife, Could he possibly leave he
alone all night in the country tavern
of which he knew nothing? Sh
would not meet his gaze with her eye!
full of fast gathering tears. Had sh
not, by Stiffness and cCwardice, in
terfered with his previous career
At least she felt very guilty over he
secret rejoicing whenever the nigh
passed without a summon to some bed
side; but in assuming matron's bon
net she really meant to turn over
new leaf and bravely act her part a
the doctors wife in their new home
Besides in novel surroundings wome
are often more venturesome than mer
SO she said, ,encouragingly: ut ma
be the tide at its flood, dear"
The night was dark and threaten
ing, and the rough bride path owe
the mountain seemed nearly ovel
d grown in places, Judging from tn
boughs that ut times almost swept tn
doctor off his horse. Gusts of win
, blew the coming rain in his face; bU
+ his taciturn companion stalked clun
:, silly along, leading the horse, whic
4 gave evident signs of disapprova
;, After tedious climb of an hour {
more faint glimmer through SON
opening announced their arrival at
human habitation, even before a f,
d rions barking of dogs greeted the III
: accustomed footballs OF the horse.
: Dismounting, the half-anXious do
I i