The Holly chieftain., 1904-02-19

tCf LOOE on ms SpectacleS Tor no up
parent reason, and polished them
carefully on his silk handkerchief.
You didn't see the meeting between
them, did you? The women were cry
ing all round me, and they've made
my spcctacles quite dull"
Then, passing his arm through the
others, Come along" he said, you've
had quite enough of this. Come and
spend the evening with me. You
know where l live? No? Well, any
one can tell you that. Goodbye. |
must be off-Got lot of sick people
to look after
Ied had 10 difficulty in finding out
the house. The door was opened to
him by an elderly woman servant,
who, as Ted thought, seemed to re-
gard him with 4 certain amount of
suspicion. Howbeit, she bade him
enter. From an inner room 4 voice
hailed him.
"Hullo,-that you? That's yight-
be with you in minute. Just wait
until I've finished poisoning off the
parish" And through the half open
door came the clink CT glass and the
sound of liquids being poured from
one receptacle to another.
The next moment DR.. Cartwright
emerged from kis sanctum. and greet
ed him with great cordiality.
so you've come-thought you
would. Glad to see you. And what
| do you think of my little place." was
the next inquiry, accompanied, by
| comprehensive sweep of the hand.
Pretty snug, Ell? Not bad quarters
| for bachelor?"
His visitor expressed approval of
his surroundings, which certainly were
well worthy of the appellation snug"
bestowed upon them by their owner.
| At the same time there was an air of
compactness, of severe attention to
detail, which was suggestive of the
fact that the present occupant had at
one time or other. been restricted in
the matter of elbow room.
"Yes, I'm pretty comfortable the
doctor went on. I've got very
good housekeeper, on the whole. Her
chief fault is that she's SO confound-
edly suspicious"
'Suspicious" re-echoed the other
well, l thought she looked at me
rather strangely when she let me in"
The little doctor chuckled, and
showed symptoms of great inward en-
joyment. "Ah! you thought so, did
you? The fact is, she's in mortal
terror of my getting married."
We'll, but that wouldn't make her
| suspicious of me-"
My dear fellow, she's suspicious of
everybody. She's jealous of every
woman, single or married, because
the single ones, being single, are open
to offers, while the married ones are
liable to lose their husbands at mo-
ment's notice, and, as widows, would
be more to be feared than the others
But l belong to neither category"
said the young man. Surely"
MY dear boy" cut in the other, 'as
a young man you are likely to pos
| sess female reiatives--a sister or a
cousin or an aunt, either of whom
might eventually prove dangerous to
my peace of mind"
Ted Burritt actually laughed, to the
| little mans great satisfaction, as the
idea presented itself to him of his
| sister May as a possible aspirant to
the position of Mrs. jeremiah Cart
| wright. In less that a moment, how
| ever the laugh had died away, and
corresponding expression of despond-
ency settled down upon his features.
| "He thinking of that inquest to-mor-
| row." thought the doctor, "and his
fathers body lying in the vestry. l
must get him out of that groove again
Here"-starting to his feet-"come
and have walk round my premises
| before it gets dark"
He took him out through the sur
| gerry, and showed him a neat little
domain, which was divided into por-
tions, in which grew, respectively,
flowers, fruit and vegetables. At the
| bottom was a fowl run and very
| small circular pond, about the size of
an ordinary wash-hand basin, in which
| padded solitary duck. who. as soon
as he caught sight of the doctor. for
sock his favorite element, and came
waddling towards hin, quacking loud
ly.
| He seems to know you said Ted.
| iTp La continued