The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-04-25
Doctor Will RaymOnd's Secret,
BY SPENCER CHAPLIN, JR.
CHAPTER l.
iii FOILFR FOIIE

tions, which confirmed their opinion
SO the motherly mRtrons, espe
cially those who had marriageable
daughters, took it upon themselves to
nurse him back to loves susceptibility.
OF course the merry young doctor
was kept in the dark as to these be
nign purposes, and continued to lead
hts merry light hearted life, remaining
10 his ofic during the prescribed of
flee hours, when not called away to
attend a patient, and spending his leis
ure hours visiting OF attending social
functions, to which he was especially
invited.
at these social functions, if he hap
pened to notice any young lady par
tIcu'arly, dance more sets with her
than he did with the others, or ''cor
ner off, with her, the solIcitous ma
irons nodded to each other in a man
ner, which indicated that they con
sidered the doctor to be improving.
The young lady, too was congratulated
Of course for having caught the doc
tor. At the next ball, it would be
another, to whom he was particularly
attentive, or very probably it would be
no n at all, be choosing rather to
converse with the married ladies dur
ing the whole evening. Dr.. r symond
showed no fixed preference for any
one, and in this manner, affairs con-
tinued for nearly a year, without his
matrimonial fate being any nearer
sealed than it was when he first ap-
peared liz DanburY.
Probably another year would have
passed, and then another and yet
DR. Rsym0nd's partner Wonld have
renamed uDs titled, il Kate Rodwell,
the beautiful daughter of Judge Rod
we'll had not r5turned home, after hav
ing travelled a year in Europe. OF
course, a ball had to be given in her
honor, and, Of course, the doctor was
invited. too. More than one of the
married ladies had already decided
that If Kate didn't catch DR.. Raymond
ne was a hard hearted woman hater,
and a brute at heart. And if he had
not been susceptible to the charms of
Kate Rodwell, such he would have
been truly; but he was, so there is no
need of calling him hard names.
DR.. Raymond was dazz'ed by Kate's
beauty; his eyes followed her, as she
moved about among her guests; he
danced every available set with her,
and fingered near her the whole g
ing. He acted as if he were in a trance.
Surely he was fatally wounded by an
arrow at the hand of Cupid. Wnen
the ball was over, he being the last Of
the guests to depart, returned to his
room with a peculiar feeling lurking
around his heart. He was in love.
Ne had often visited Judge RodWell's
during Kate's absence, and had heard
much of the peerless Kate from the
doting old judge, which he was now
fully prepared 20 ccrroborate. His
visits to the judges became frequent;
indeed, they became so frequenG that
he could be found hardly anywhere
else. People said that the doctor was
~negIecting his practice, bnt his pa,
tients soon learned to call at the judges
to inquire for him even before they
went TO his eff e.
At Judge Rodwell's the messenger,
too, who summoned him to attend a
very sick patient five or six miles in
the c)untry found him at the begin
ming Of this narrative.
DR.. Raymond preferred to depart in
stantly. He was in the hall putting