The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-12-04

quite frank"
He paused abruptly He was actual
ly blushing; but the faint tinge faded
quickly from his cheeks and left them
unusually paIlid-
"Yes?" said Lieut.. Winston, encour-
agingly and quite unblushingly.
''Oh, don't knowl" stammered the
other man. Are you really serious?
If SO. you must be-pardon me for
saying so-either the most heartIess
beggar / ever met or the most alb
surdly sensitive"
I'm other words. knave or a blith-
ering idot-eh. Metford. old chap"
said Winston, cheerily.
Exactly l hope it is only a case
of temporary insanity"
DR.. Metford was one of the abIest
of the younger physicians in the West
End of London; but, being also one
of the most stupidity modest of clever
men, his professional income barely
sufficed to pay the rental of his rooms
in Cover street Some day he may
discover that it is possible to be over
modest and that inward self-deprecia-
tion leads to penury. and then he viii
remove to Harley street and begin
to make progress towards affiuence.
Winston did not fail TO observe the
tinge of color on the doctors face,
nor its quick disappearance. but he
gave no sign of recognition. Never
before had he seen his old college
chum look half so handsome as when
that fieeting show of rosy color tinted
the mans cheeks, nor half so pathet-
ically glum as when it vanished.
''She saved my life think you will
admit that. doctor? How many wom-
en- would have taken the risks that
she took? Would any other woman
in the world have sacrificed herself
as she did?''
ANY number of theml" declared
the doctor. sententiously. although a
fitting smile upon his face said:
None of them. bless heri"
You medical men are utterly
heartless cynics." protested Winston,
Struggling his broad shoulders
Utterly" admitted Metford.
''Now. 1 am so unromantie as to at
tribute your recovery chiefly to your
cast-iron constitution. rafting good
physician-must sound by own trum-
pet if you won't blow it for me-and
Old Nick's merciful consideration
Your cup of iniquity is not yet quite
brimful; your liver and all the rest
of you, including your heart, is as
sound as belli"
Il know well what 1 owe to you,
Metford, old chapi" said the GONZALES
cent in a grateful tone and with an
affectionate grasp of the biceps of
the doctors nearest arm. you don't
appear to be aware of it, but you're
long way the cleverest medicine
man in London. head and shoulders
weren't such eonfoundedly modest
beast"
"Skittlesl" interjected his physi-
clan. in much confusion. "You can't
think how l hate that kind of talk"
Nevertheless, l mean it. old chap.
Just you think the matter over seri-
ouslyl Well. to proceed: Ny sister
Jess says that Miss Wethered-who.
by the way. comes of tolerably good
stock-was very different from the or
binary professional nurse. and that.
during those weeks when my very
valuable life hung on a very slender
thread, she absolutely sacrificed her
self to save me. My recovery. Jess
says, is due entirely to her devotion.
Not very complimentary to you, eh p
MRS. Trevelyan is modesty and
every other grace personifiedl" de
clared Dr. Metford. $50 far as could
see, she sacrificed herself almost, il
not quite, as magnifcently as-as the
paid nursei"
BE that as it may" persisted Win
ston. 81 have chatted the matter over
very seriously with my sister, and
she says, imprimis, that Mary Weth-
cred is. barring the wings, an angel:
secondly, that the said angel without
wings would make a jewel of q wife,
and thirdly and most troublesomely,
that l shall be the most ungrateful
beast on earth and stupidest old duff
fer if l don't straightway let the lady
know l think so. Unfortunately, as
/ protested to my sister and have adj
mitted to you, l can't honestly say
that l am the least bit in love with
Miss Wethered. | like her very much.
you know, and all that sort of thing
possibly more than like any other
girl of my acquaintance-and l have
reason to believe that she is not en-
tirely Indifferent to me, and that If
l only"
The doctors lips curved scornfully.
iuvoluntarily, and glow of color
that was hardly blush suffused his
face.
"And Jess tells me-" continued the
young officer, imperturbably. that
! might do a very much worse thing
than marry Mary Wethered. You