The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-08-14
MISS MILNE AND /.



He was about two years of age. ant
when | entered was shouting for his
mother to come and see house he
had built from the packets of cigar
cites he was playing with as he sal
upon the counter.
For the first time the equanimity
of my mysterious friend was entirely
upset. She blushed as she entered, t.
the very roots of her hair. and in a
very confused way stammered out:
This little fellow is a nephew OF
mine, doctor, and l have adopted him
and taught him to call me mamma
He is a great comfort to me in my
loneliness"
For a second neither of us spoke,
but in that second every possible solu-
ton of this new mystery, this little
golden-headed mystery (that was al
ready playing with my watch chain),
resulted through my mind. | came out
of my maze confident of but one thing,
and that one thing was that in calling
the little fellow her nephew she had
lied. | could only stammer What a
lovely child" Then I proceeded to
business and soon left her.
A week subsequently | was hurried
ly sent for to see Miss Mines
nephew" | went at once. and found
the bright little fellow in fit Of con-
vulsions, which turned out to be the
premonitory symptoms Of severe at
tack of inflammation of the lungs, that
kept him hanging between life and
death for many days. Miss Milne was
standing over him, wringing her
hands with an intensity of emotion
that was altogether unaunt-like and
from that moment | was confirmed in
my conviction that the child was her
own
When I called to see my little pa
tient the next day found the infiam
nation firmly established, and having
altered his prescription, | dispatched
her to neighboring room to borrow
some boiling water, that we might
make a poultice for the little fellows
chest. Directly she left, the thought
struck me that very likely there was
no material to be had whereon to
spread the lnseed. and seeing a bun
die of clothing on the top shelf. pro
ceeded to unpack it, hoping to find
something suitable.
On how minute thread destiny
may hang. Throw a stone" said an
old scientist, 'and you alter the earth's
axis"
pull down'a bundle Of apparently
old clothing. and ruin two lives.
This fateful bundle was loosely
wrapped up in piece Of black lining
material, from the corners of which
peeped out what | had taken to be
some old calico; but had no sooner
united the parcel than | found, first
white lawn surplce, then an exquis-
itely worked stole. an Oxford hood. a
long black cassock and a photograph
of the gentleman who had evidently
owned and had been photographed in
this costume.
When Miss Milne returned she
found me staring into this, to me. in
applicable collection of mysteries
She started back with an exclamation
of painful establishment. and then in
stantly recovering herself. she said,
with no betrayal Of the emotion that
was yelling from every pore of her;
Il have got the water you require. Is
there anything more | can get. doc
tori"
thanked her and said I wanted an
old piece of stuff whereon to spread
my linseed, and had been turning over
what | had mistaken for bundle OF
old linen.
You will find nothing there that is
she said. with assumed
but this handkerchief
may do" And together we made and
applied the poultice.
called the next night to see how
my little patient was progressing. and
finding him better. was about tc
leave. when Miss Milne asked me II
could spare few moments in which
she would tell me something of her
past life, which she would like me to
know" With this request. I need
scarcely say, | willingly complied.
Miss Milne began by telling me
that her father was a small farmer in
and as he was poor and
blessed with a large family. of which
she was the eldest. it was her fathers
wish that she should earn her own
livelihood.
With this object in view. she had
applied for and obtained situation
in large drapery establishment at the
west end of London. where she was
not only very happy. but very success
full
Four months after her entry into
this establishment she caught cold.
and her persistent cough awakened the
anxieties of the proUrietor. who
further sent her to a leading ply
sician. After making careful exam
ination of her chest, the physician
told her that il she had been in a po-
sition to spend the coming winter in
the south of France her recovery
would be easily insured; but as il was