Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-06-10

why, cciiaiu
Typ he replied gallantly. "On such
II recommendation, / know | may ven
ture." Then he laughed. "rhere's
unvnrnished conceit! he said gaily.
"And pray, why shouldn't Jane
praise her own work?" cried his
mother, coming to the young girls
rescue. "Hcr biscuits are excellent,
as every one who has ever tasted them
will testify. OF course, so they should
be, for it was 1 who taught her how to
make them"
Then both ladies joined in the burst
of merriment that followed this candid
acknowledgment.
"Well, for out -spoken, undisguised
SELF esteem, commend me to the &C.
complished housekeeper!" said Edgar,
as his brother, DR.. Norman Gray, en-
tered the room, late for breakfast. lie
sat down, tired and worried.
"I'm almost at my wits end," he
said, as lie took his cup of coffee from
his mothers hand. "Both the Miss
Stevens have been taken very i'll. and
/ can't find nurse in the place who
will take care of them for love or
money!"
"Why, what is the difficulty?" asked
his mother. "There is usually no
lack of women only too eager for such
work"
eyes, but Just now the whole viii
lage is afflicted with the smallpox
scare, which is certainly epidemic, if
the disease is not. These two ladies
have contracted the dreaded illness
from an unhappy vagrant that they
took into their kitchen, out of the
kindness of their hearts, and befrien-
ed Their own servants have deserted
them"
"Oh, that is the reward of the hu.
mane!" said Edgar Gray, the Doctors
younger brother.
at Is nature, following her UNI
changeab!e law. But you would not
advocate inhumauity OH that account,
would you?"
"Don't mora,ize, Norman, please"
said the younger man, struggling his
shoulders.
The doctor laughed.
"Well, it's hardly necessary on such
sefevident point" he said. "But
can any one suggest some help for
me? My patients must not leave
home, because they are so nervous
and sensitive that they could not
stand the shock of removal OF course,
it's not needful that they should be,
Gov fhA,r hot @l,n 1,,ll p;1n "a
tircly isolated; but it is essential that
I should find nurse more capable
thaa Aunt Becky, who is in charge
now"
Norman, | will co if you DO not
succeed very soon in finding some
person to suit. 1t is dreadful to think
of those two dear old ladies in want
of care"
Three pairs of eyes were turned
upon the speaker with different ex-
preston in each pair.
Impossible" said Mrs. Gray, in
astonished disapproval, yet not
severely, for she was woman with u
kind and generous soul, not apt to put
her own interests first.
Norman looked ut his Cousin Jane
gravely, as though to see if she real
lied fully the danger that such n
course might entail upon herself.
Her betrothcd husband gave n short,
amused laugh. He stood behind her
chair, with both hands resting on its
back.
"Why, Jennie, you really spoke as
If you meant what you said! Re-
member. it is pretty wife I want,
hot"
81 did mean what I said, Edgar. If
no one else can be found to attend
those two, dear, kind, old women, !
shall 60 myself"
"Do not speak of it any more!" he
said aagrily. "I forbid You to dis
cuss the subject rs a possibility! Az
if You could dream of such an insane
action, or as it I would allow it, if
you did,"
And he went out of the room, leav-
ing silence behind him only broken
by the echoes of the banging doors.
"Well, that is settled!' said Mrs.
Gray, smiling.
TT is not at all settlod," said Jane
Elverton, with slightly heightened
color on her beautiful face, and
sparkle in the soft brown eyes; "or,
rather, it is not settled differently
from what it was before"
"Why, my dear, surely You will
acknowledge Edgar's right to object"
Certainly. He has perfect right
to object. I have an equal right to
gainsay that objection, however, and
l do! The matter in question can
only DO determined by my own sense
OF what is right, and that outweighs
Edsar's opinion. I'm sorry he does
not agree with me. L have yielded
to him on several other occasions, but
/ will oppose him on this, unless he
changes his mind. Am l not right,
Norman"
81 cannot advise you," he answered
gravoly. 81 am an interested party,
you see, in much need OF help. You
do run a serious risk, tho full extent
of which, perhaps, you do not compre-
bend, and Edgar is somewhat justi-
fed, | think, in what he says. On
the other hGud, however, I need say
no more, ion know you will act &C
col ding 10 your own judgment"
Next morning, when Edgar Gray
came down to breakfast, he did not !
find his pretty batrothed waiting for
him rs usual. She had gone to the
house Oh tao hill, and was doing her
best to nurse and care for tho sui
fcrcrs the:c. Ed2er was alone with !
his brother. lie was very angry, hurt
and oGeaded.
Norman, when you SEQ Jane, to-
day, you can tell her that ! consider
her foolhardy reckltssncsj both quiz
otto anil blamablc. Tell Ter that [
can't easily overlook such d.coct de-
Ilanco of my wishes, AMI that our Gu
gagcment Is at an cndl"
'Is that why yoa wish 10 break the