Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-12-04
Continued.

fire, with his arms resting on his
knees: and she crouching, with a
round back and protruded face, upon
the hearthrug.
"Ah, | though so. You're going to
stay here" she said, with nod Of in
teIligence.
Mrs. R. B. Molineux, it is said in
For a few days, yes" said Arma-
thwaite, taken aback.
ooh, for more than that | know.
You're going to be papa's partner.
It's of no use to try and hide it from
me, because I'm personally interested,
you know; and in anything which con-
Germs oneself one gets to be abnormal
ly clever. Oh, l knew what you'd
come about the moment l saw you!'
"You knew a great deal more than
l did then, for when I came here I
hadn't the faintest notion that DR..
Peele wanted an assistant at ALL and
your father hadn't the faintest notion
was coming
Really! Well, it's the very
strangest chance I ever heard, then.
Because we knew very we'll that papa
was 1luuIuS the JIdCIlC6 LOO muCu IOI
him, and that it's dreadfully tiresOme
for him to be i'll and to have nobody
to do the work. And he wouldn't have
an assistant since-Well, since he had
one a little while ago who didn't do
very well. So the moment you ap-
peared, [ made up my mind that papa
had been making arrangements with
out telling us, and that you were to be
his partner. And mamma thought SO
too, and was very angry because she
hadn't been consulted
"Oh!" said Armathwaite, a light
breaking in upon Mrs. Peele's strange
reception.
so you see you may confess with
out breach of confidence, bee ause we
know"
But nothing is settled yet" said
Armathwaite. ct is quite true that
DR.. Peele has made some suggestion
of the sort to me"
"Ah, ha; knew it,"
but these things are not arranged
in such hurry"
"You have practice already"
"Well no, l have not"
you are afraid of the dulness of a
place like this?"
Most certainly not"
"Ah, then I know the reason why
you don't want to GOMEZ" She tossed
her head, and looked again at the fire.
She was chuckling over some little
secret all by herself, and was ap-
parently in doubt whether she should
communicate it to him. Armathwaite
felt curious.
Suppose l do want to come What
becomes of your reason them"
In that case we should have to
form an alliance, defensive and, if
necessary, offensive, against my
mother and her evil Vaccinations"
Armathwaite looked puzzled and
rather alarmed and Mile burst out
laughing.
Il will be plain with you," she said,
still struggling with her merrimenl.
Il can't be anything but plain with
anybody, you know" she added put
ting her hands UP to her face to
emphasize her little joke, with a
comical grimace. mo sooner will
my mother know that there is a
chance of your settling here, than she
will begin the attack by informing you
that the first thing necessary to a
country doctor-befOre talent before
experience, before anything, in fact
is wife. Next she will enlarge upon
the fact that what you want in a. wife
is goodness, and a capacity for making
the most excellent pastry; great &C
compllshmentS are a Disadvantage
and good looks a positive Disqualified
ton. Then she will go on-Ha. ha;
you guess what is coming! -she will
go on to say that the very sum and
substance of all the needful perfec-
lions is hand in the person of me-"
and Mile embraced herself jubilantly
ugly face, complete ignorance OF
any art but darning and cooking, and
ALL"
But really, Miss PeeIe, you are
doing yourself the greatest Injustice"
began Armathwaite, rather en-
barrassed by her frankness though her
honesty and strong sense of fun
amused and interested him.
oh no, I'm not" said she, looking
up into his face with smiling candor,
which, though it did not make her
beautiful had strong attraction of
another kind. you see, I've had some
experience in these matters. About
two years ago papa took a partner,
and all went as merry as a marriage
bell until mamma began to hint at
marriage-bels, when the unlucky
young man, foreseeing his doom,
promptly caught an affection of the
lungs from a patient who had scarla-
tina, and ordered and carried out his
own removal to a drier climate.
Millie evidently enjoyed the recol-
lection of this episode immensely. 81
didn't like him, so didn't interfere.
Then last summer came the assistant
told you of. He made a very valiant
struggle; he got as far as giving me
flowers and lending me book of
poetry. But then the violence of his
emotions disturbed his brain, l sup
pose, and he got careless with his pre-
scriptions, and very nearly poisoned
two of the villagers. So he had to go,
and all the flowers and poetry were
thrown away. l was sorry for him
when he had to leave like that, but
he was silly fellow, and he shouldn't
have pretended to care for me when
all the time he was crazy about some
body else
I think you were rather hard upon