St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-05-11
s'Nonsense!" said Uncle Dick. firm
y, going over to the telephone.

~ SolHS oseI W tiit ttlEPAuAG.
What did you come up here for?
I don't want you, said Berthine, Ian
guidly, when her aunt had left the
room.
Uncle Dick sat down very deliber-
ately by the bedside, and, adjusting
his eyeglasses, smiled amiably at his
niece.
Joy seems to be having a spell Of
the jerks" he said, presently. I'm
going to cure you. I'm not going to
hold your hand, either, OF put cracked
ice on your fevered brow. I'm just
going to indulge You. If you want
to yelp, you've got my permission to
raise the roof, If you can, and Il you
want to sprint up and down the ave
nue. for awhile I'll go along and pace
you. I want you to feel at home
where's mother? Send her to
me-"
I've sent her off by the evening
train to Buffalo. You're going to
stay with your old uncle and be his
girl"
Il think you are horrid. I wish
you'd go away
gu make me feel bad when YOU
talk like that. What's your game,
Berthine?"
The girl turned her head for an
instant and looked at her self-eonsti.
.tuted nurse. just for an instant, and
then Uncle Dick thought he heard a
faint giggle. He repeated his ques-
ton in a cheerfully persuasive way.
Il don't know what you mean," she
said, when he asked her the third
time.
ssoh, yes, you do. Now, don't you
think that you ought to be ashamed
Of yourself:?.
The response to this was sob, fol-
lowed by another, and another, in In
creasing violence.
Her uncle got up and seized the
water pitcherand large sponge. Sat.
uratine sponge, he squeezed it out
on the girl's face, Whereupon she gave
a very genuine scream and bounced
off the bed.
'Better already commented I'm
Gle Dick. Nothing like a cold, wet
sponge in cases Of this kind. Do You
think you'd like some more, Ber-
thine? Or shall I get you a towel?"
Berthine held out her hand for the
towel.
SNow, them continued Uncle
Dick, in a confidential tone, "I'm
dead on to you, my dear, but I don't
see any reason why re shouldn't come
to an understanding. Don't look
sulky, Berthine; I m your friend, and
I'm not going to give you away #
you'll be good; but YOU want Q get
down to business. You are wasting
altogether too much time on prelin-
inaries. There's going to be doctor
here in about ten minutes. I shall
see him first. What do you want me
to tell him to prescribe for yous''
He placed his hands on his knees
and regarded her sn1ilingly She
looked at him through herhalf- closed
eyes with an expression at first stub.
born and then relaxing into a half
smile.
Il want a bicycle while we are up
here snd I'm going to have i, she
said.
In effect that was what the doctor
prescribed for her after he had felt
her pulse and looked at her tongue.
But she was feeling very much better
even then.
Aunt EYeline talked the matter
over with her husband that night
after their relatives had gone to bed.
II was really afraid that the poor girl
was going TO have a serious illness
she said. Il think though, that
s
there's a great deal in the influenced
a calm and strong personality over
anyone Of her temperament. The
half hour that you were with her
seemed to have a wonderful effect" "
= guess tide, I said Uncle Dick.
q believe thoroughly in the theory
of vibrations =
Modified by pneumatic tires, said
Uncle Dick, enigmatically. Z should
like to have somebody tell me why it
is that a woman takes such great joy
in the exercise ofwell, diplomacy,
to get something that she might have
for the asking Girls are harderto I'M
derstand than women, TOO, I believe.
/ know / can't understand them.
can make successful guess once in
awhile, though. he added, with con-
scious pride.