Arizona republican., 1898-06-27


 townspeople stood us in good stead. Of course our coming and the purchase ot the old house set the tongues of the village gossips wagging, but the cha- ter was not very ill-natured, and the explanation that 1, an old Rodneytowr boy, had brought in invalid to the shore for the benefit of the sea air was accept ed with even less demur than 1 had looked for. for the villagers were proud of the hcaithfuiness of the place. The additional statement that the sick man required complete quiet. and for the present was unable to receive visitors. was successful in it's object. La1,ar was not molested b, inquisitive callers, ami after a little the people whom I 1net ceased to question me about him. save al rare intervals. A barn-burning about that time did us a great service in giving the townspeople more vitally interesting topic than sick stranger forced by his malady to lead a solitary existence.
 Among the most delicate tasks fall ing to my lot was the securing of {, servant for the invalid, but, here again, fortune being kind. an old negress was installed as nominal nurse and actual housekeeper. She had been born slave, according to village talk, but had secured her freedom and mi grated north. She was an excellent cook, but so surly and grabbed was her isposition-moreover, she was very deaf-that at last nobody would em- pioy her. A recital of her disabilities sent me post-haste after her; for, if she was as unsociable as she was repre- sented to be, she was the woman in d thousand for us. When she took charge of the kitchen we were relieved of one point at least; there would be no gos- siping at that end of the house.
 Meanwhile, had contracted for food and lodging at one of the farmhouses, and had put out my shingle in due fOrm-much to the satisfaction of my hostess, who confessed that it pleased her to have evidences given that there was "a grown man bout the place." Sll.. was Mrs. Elvira Weston, widow, anl the mother of two boys, neither of whom was yet old enough to relieve her of the cares of the farm. She was cheery soul, who had endured many misfortunes without losing cour age, and 1 was glad to secure quarters under her roof. She allotted to me a wing of the house, which, having an entrance of it's own, would serve ad- mirably as an office. soon had my den fitted up in a way to excite considerable local admiration. A few books, a couple f oI- drugs were disposed to the best ad vantage to impress patients with the mysteries of the healing art.
 In its beginning my practice in Rod neytown was much like an early spring in New England promise than realization. A daily visit to Lamar was the basing-point of my routine. As 6 rule, it was very brief, though occasion ally he let me understand that my post was no sinecure. Now and then he seEt me on trips to Trent, a thriving hive of manufactures about 30 miles from the village. On the first of these jour neys one of my duties was to mail letter to a New York banking house; on the next I was informed that large sum was on deposit to my credit with the principal bank of the place. Thus, while my patron kept some control over the purse-strings, was the acting pay master. From first to last there could be no charge of niggardliness made against him; he looked over my ac- counts now and then, but never ques- toned their accuracy.
 As he finished his superficial auditing on one of these occasions, he looked up and asked, rather abruptly:
 'The old fisherman who lives yon- der-what do you know of him?"
 Not much" said I, except that his name is Johnson, that he has been in the navy. and that he has the best of regulations for honestly
 ''No more?'
 Well. he and his two brothers who live with him are an unsociable lot. who keep much to themselves. There's no woman with them; they're their own housekeepers."
 'I may buy of their fish. Bid the eldest to come here tonight. You need not be present. said he. With his usual ceremonious bow at parting. he
 
 to his sanctum.
 The order Was surprising, in view oi his desire to avoid his neighbors: but. though it puzzled me, I sought ou1 Johnson and delivered the message. That night in my cozy office tried in vain to discover reason for the inter view then going cn in the honse on the knoll. The old fish explanation was fishy indeed, old Martha, the cook, be- ing quite able, in spite of her deafness. to bargain for any supplies for her dc partment. It was improbable that La mar had any notion of setting Johnson tc spy upon my doings, for he had used me as means of communicating with the man, course he would not have adopted had he entertained any suspicious of my faithfulness. It might be that he desired to arrange for the use of a sloop owned by the brothers, with an eye to the possibility of opening a way of retreat hv Saa in ease IS DrPS-