Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-06-06
Go for the district physician"

home. Mime. DthOib IL Vic Noh'
cierge of the other house.)
"Ah!"
eft is urgent, sir; the poor woman
is so very sick, screaming, writing
with pain; she says she will die.
Nine. Benoit, who knows yoh, seeing
you pass every day, thought of you,
who are as good as doctor, and she
begs you to come"
81 will go at once. Which of the
two is sick?" / added, following her
downstairs.
(Which of the two?" repeated Nine.
Antoine, entirely bewildered.
eyes, the mother or the daughter
"But. Mr.. Jules, I do not know.
Nine. Benoit said: My ledger on
the fifth floor She did not speak
about the mother"
81 will see anyhow"
Nine. Benoit was expecting me anx-
iously. 81 lighted the gas again, y"
she remarked. Monsieur the doctor
will come up? 1 will accompany
him"
'NIonsieur the doctor!" Such lit
tie things please you, especially if
YOU have not yet your sheepsldn!
On entering the room l saw the
patient. 1t was the mother, sitting
up in bed in her calico wrapper and
knitted shawl, bent in two by the
violence of her suffering.
"And her daughter is not here; ]
knew it would be so, the ungrateful
one" | thought.
doctor" moaned the poor woman,
ST am in such pain"
81 will soon relieve you, madame"
replied, touched with such misery.
To Nine. Benoit: 1--WE must have hot
water"
"There it is, doctor"
prepared soothing potions, and,
with the help of the two good wom-
en-, made hot applications. The pa
tient fell into a quiet sleep.
was boiling over with Indignation
at the thought of the heartless
daughter. In low voice not to
waken the sleeper: "And her daugh-
ter. where is she?" I asked of Nine.
Benoit
"Her daughter!" she answered,
iumfounded. "What daughter"
"The one who lives with her"
"No lady lives her besides her;
she has no daughter. She is sin
gle woman"
It was my turn to be astOnished.
"She has no daughter?" ] retorted,
almost angrily. "Then do tell me,
if you please, who is the person who
roes out of this house every morn
ing at a quarter to nine? know it,
of course, my window being oppo-
site"
Nine. Benoit looked at me for a
minute, then laughed outright.
"But it is herself-there is no
other"
What could I do but laugh at my
own blunder and put it all on my
short-sightedness?
"The fact is, monsieur" resumed
the good woman. "she makes up so
well that one can easily be deceived
by it. Still, she is neither as young
nor as old as you suppose. She is
lust 30. However, at 4 distance, I'M
der her veil-but she is a brave wOm-
an. who honestly earns her living
as she has always done. She is cash
Ter in a cafe, where she stays till
midnight. Naturally she has to keep
up a certain style. She is not seen,
Of course, with her scanty gray locks
behind the desk. She would lose her
place--and what then?"
eyes, I understand now--the wig,
the rouge. Anyhow she has fine
figure for woman of 80"
"True. indeed! And she is so good
so resigned-she has had so much
sorrow! Her hair turned suddenly
cray 25 years ago, when her intend
ed was killed in a railroad accident
"Ah!" exclaimed thinking Of the
elegant mauve-colored dishabille, and
the midnight reveries). as she not
little ?"-(touching my forehead).
eyes, it takes her at night, when
the moon shines. She imagines he1
lover is coming back, and opens hel
window to watch for his return, as
she did the very night he was killed.
"Her arms and hands are beauti
full" I remarked, musingly.
"She is proud of them. They are
her glory. and she takes the greatest
care Of them. 1t was what he adj
mired the most in her." replied Nine
Antoine. $50 she said when she tolC
me the story of her life"
All this was said on the landing.
left Nine. Antoine, promising to come
back the next day to see my patient
in whom / took, | must confess, not
wjthstanding her age--or rather OF
account of her age and courage
decided interest.-N. o. Times-Dem
Ocrat.