Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-10-07

!. JAMES JEALOUSY. J
< BY Helen Forrest Graves.

likes the dusk with Its point OF silver.
jamie Coyler was sitting in her easy.
chair, bolstered up with cologne
scented pillows, aud robed in a white
muslin wrapper. She made pretty
tableau, and she knew it.
Guy Elmerding leaned eagerly for
ward, as he spoke-a dark, olive-com-
plexioned young man, with soft hazel
eyes, and ono of those frank, smiling
mouths which inspire confidence and
trust
But jamie shook her head.
"Since 1 have been 80 poorly, Guy,
J. have sometimes feared that we
should never be married." she said.
Nonsense, Janie!" no remon-
strated.
Miss Coyler turn ed away her head,
with an offended air.
IT know you think it is nonsense,
Guy, but the time may come when
when"
"My own love. never meant to
hurt your feelings!" cried Guy, I'M
petuously.
"No one sympathizes with memo
one comprehends mel" murmured
jamie, with the air of an injured Ma
donna. "But when Cousin Elsie
comes, I shall have at least one con-
genial companion
Mr.. Elmerding looked somewhat
discounted. Miss Coyler had, so to
speak, thrown this same faultlessly
perfect cousin Elsie" in his teeth SO
many times that he had conceived a
very cordial dislike for her, without
ever having seen her.
"a regular old maid, with spec.
tacles, nasal twang, and theories of
her own on every imaginable subject, {"
said he to himself. Il wish she was
in Jericho!'
So Mr.. Elmerding went away not in
the best humor. And on the street
nearly opposite the door, he met Doc
tor Madison, the snug, dapper little
disciple OF Galen who daily attended
Miss Coyler.
"Well," said Doctor Madison, when
he had exchanged a cordial grasp Of
the hand with Elmerding, chow is
she?"
"Your patient, do you mean, doc.
tor?"
"Of course. Whom else should I
mean?"
"About as usual, I should think.
Doctor, is she really 81 ill? Is she
actually doomed to spend the rest Of
her existence alternating between q
bed and al easy-chair?"
Doctor Madison took snuff out off O
little enamelcd snuft.box.
why shouldn't she, if she likes
it?" demanded he.
"Do you mean, doctor, that it is
only fancy?"
"Nine-tenths of the feminine all
ments of this world are only fancy, my
dear SIR" oracularly pronounced the
doctor.
"But, doctor, can't you argue her
into common sense?"
"Can't you?" counter-questioned
the doctor. 'T've done my best, SO
have you. Miss Coyler is subject to
whims and fancies, like most of her
SEX"
"A sort of monomaniac, eh?" mus
ingly uttered Guy.
"Well, as much that as anything, %
answered the doctor, second time
having recourse to his snuff-box.
"And is there no treatment likely to
benefit it,"
"Well, that is question for the
faculty." said Doctor Madison,
shrewdly. 81 knew an old lady once,
who was bedridden, or thought she
was, which amounted to the same
thing. She was cured by the chance
tiring.off of park of artillery in va
cant lot adjourning her house. She
jumped out of bed and ran down
stairs, as nimbly as cricket, suppos-
ing, very naturally, that it was an
earthquake"
"Impossible!" said Guy.
"And my brother, who practices in
Venerable, had a case OF hypochon-
driac gentleman who hadn't touched
his foot to the floor for eight years
One night there was an alarm of fire
in the lower story of the hotel where
he boarded. He rang the bell and
bawled for his servant in vain. A
good strong Whit OF smoke came tear
ing up the staircase, and the invalid
of eight years wrapped himself in a
dressing gown of red fanrel, and
scampered down stairs in way that
astonished the spectators. All these
were counter-irritants you see-coun-
ter-irritants! Now look here, in the
case of our charming young friend up
stairs"
Exactly" cried Guy.
"You couldn't get up q Irritation
with some other young lady, could
you?"
Certainly not" answered Guy,
very decidedly.
81 think that would have q very
good effect" remarked the doctor,
thoughtfully, feeling his chin. "But,
of course, if you're not willing, that
ends the matter"
"But cannot you study up some
other case?" solicitiously demanded
Guy.
"I'll take it into consideration, p"
said Doctor Madison, gravely.
Cousin Elsie arrived within a day
or two, and jamie took the young lady
into her confidence on the subject OF
her engagement and her ailments.
81 love Guy dearly" sighed she;
"but shall never live to marry him!"
ooh, nonsense!" said Cousin Elsie,
cheerfully.
"You will see," said Jennie, fore
bodingly. ~ have o presentiment,
and my presentiments always comes
true"
Guy Elmending was considerably
astonished when first he saw Miss
Elsie Brown. There were no blue
spectacles, no forty years, no extreme
opinions about Elsie. She was round
| and rosy, with glossy brown hair, lips
like cherries md the h,iOhtest NJ viz.