The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-07-28

It was n dingy little house and stood
perhaps one hundred feet from the
highway. a weed covered pathway led
z to It, and midway was q well. The
great surgeon had caught sight. of the
well box aud was coming UP the path
way. He was q connolsscur In water
drinking aud keenly alive TO the posi-
Utilities of discoveries along this line OF
Investigation. He drew up the ancient
bucket and dipped his pocket cup Into
1t. The water was excellent. The sur
Eeon sampled 1t with q smile, of grati-
fication. Then he drank -four cups in
rapid succession. AS he finished the
last he looked toward the, house. He
meant TO remember 1t. That water
was too good to lose track OF.
" tIt was just an uncouth, one story
building, sadly In need OF paint, With Il
door and window In front and a single
chimney from which a lazy line OF
blush smoke wavercd. For moment
the, surgeon saw no sign of life, and
then his eye caught sight Of face that
appeared moment at the window. 1t
was a white little face, the. face of n
child. 1t disappeared and came again
Just quick vision of baby features
nd fluffy blonde hair-and then was
gone. 30.
"a shy little girl" thought the sur
geon, so he waved his hand toward the
house. A slender hand tiuttered above
the sill as he turned away.
The great surgeon had come down to
Williamson at the earnest solicitation
of the capitalist whose summer palace
crowned the p.ny ridge above the little
town. The capitalist was q sick man.
For the present he needed constant at
tention Of the most skilled character.
The great surgeon was deeply interest,"
ed In his case. Besides, he felt that he
needed change himself. and he knew
there wasn't better place TO recoup
than that famous reslnous region. So
lie was for an indefinite time guest as
well as physician at the palace on the
ridge. ,.s
The surgeon was great walker.
There was, to his way Of thinking. no
gymnastics to compare with this nat
urai exercise OF the legs. The. horses
placed SO freely at his disposal had no
attraction for him. His delight was to
wander away across the ridges and
along unfrequented roads, breathing in
the aromatic air, and shuftiIns his feet
in the pine needles, and then to come
looping back at a brisk pace with his
body glowing and q mighty appetite.
He had enjoyed the road over the
hill by the lonely home. and he had en-
5oyed the water from the well, and the
The dingy little house seemed even
more unattractive than 1t had appear
ed the day before. The surgeon looked
toward It Us he drank. Again the lit,
tie face appeared at the window. This
time It did not vanish. On the con-
tray. the little head nodded as the
fluffy curls shook. The surgeon nod
ded back and vents few PAGES nearer
and smiled and nodded again. Then the
little face beamed all over, aud the
big blue eyes shut and closed rapidly.
finally resolving themselves into two
staring circles. while the little mouth
became q perfect o. Then the tense
lines relaxed, q smile rippled across the
child's face and the thin hands closed
into bony fists that shook themselves at
the surgeon in mock defiance. = n.
The surgeon hadn't made faces" for
many years, but now he let his unac-
customed features twist themselves In
TO grotesque shapes that filed the child
audience with waves of delight. He
Ind come so close to the dingy house
that his head was Just on level with
the lower panes in the window.
Hello" he said TO the face within.
a thin little hand motIoned down
ward as muNled voice said something
he could not understand, But he obey
cd the motion and looked beneath the
sill, and there was an opening few
inches long and perhaps two inches
wide. and through this slit four claw
IKE fingers protruded.
II: see. you said q thin voice
through the opening; 81 sec you steal
In our water"
I'm very sorry" said the grca,
surgeon with his mouth close to the
slit.
You're just sorry cause saw YOU"
cried the thin voice. with laughing
break In It. You know well enough 1,
was six glasses-ror 4 cent
The surgeon tumb!ed In his pocket
and brought forth a bright new dime
and thrust It through The opening.
That's 1--WE cents for water and 1--WE
caH,s for me" he grarely announced.
The Child laughed merrily.
II ort to send you right straight to
jail" she cried and laughed again:
then she suddenly added. I'm Martha
Johnson, goIn' on nine"
"And I'm Robert Meredith. going or
ftty-tour," said the great surgeon.
The child looked a, him through thu
glass. and gravely bowed; then the
blonde curls ducked down and the thin
voice came through the opening:
How do you do?"
Pretty well. thank you" replied the
surgeon. And how do you do?"
II aia't able TO be- gu, yet" laughed
the child. But can sit up and cat"
And why can't YOU IN nut 2"