The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-02-15
THE LOVING CUP.
BIZ IDA ALEXANDER.

Now they had dwindled down to one.
There had been no others In the long
three weeks, yet he had never before
been alone since his illness began.
The trained nurse had always been at
hand, firm, capable, noiseless.
He did not exactly like her. He
had sent her for walk, noting with
quick, professional eye the girls pale
cheeks. He Knew the case had been
a trying one. At any moment she
might come back there was no
chance of her forgetting one dose of
the nauseous medicine. He turned
to look at the clock. No, there were
yet thirty minutes, and it was not
likely she s~oeid return before that
time.
He gave himself up to thought, and
the thoughts were not pleasant. How
easily he had dropped out ofthe lives
of his people How little 1t would
have mattered if he had left them for
ever He had been such a careful
shepherd that he had begun to look
on the sheep as his own. Well, they
had all forgotten him. The hastily
summoned stranger, with his CHEEKY
voice and pleasant, merry ways, had
taken up the old Doctors practice,
and fallen into the ways and graces
of the old DOCTOR 5 people, as if he had
been the one who had loved and wori-
ed over them for thirty odd years.
The doctor moved restlessly. Why,
even his present illness had been
caused by working for others. Five
hours he had fought for the life of
little half-drowned baby. When the
fight was won and the thanks Of the
mother still echoed in his ears, he had
met Mrs. Davis hurrying in search of
him.
It was not such long walk to the
little cottage where wee Pinky Davis
lay struggling for her breath, but the
night had been cold, bitterly cold.
And then-well, even to himself he
had never quite acknowledged that
the chill which ushered In pneumonia
had been caused by making Mrs. Davis
put on his heavy overcoat. What
ever the cause, the effect was only too
apparent. 1t had taken but three
weeks to undo the work of thirty
years.
Something very like a tear was try
ing to find its way from the little
trembling eyelid, but he forced it
back, and the voice which answered
the nurses gentle tap was steady.
She came in flushed and animated.
eve had the best walk" she said,
"thanks to you Do you know there
are very few patients who would
have thought of it? In fact, in my
professional capacity have come to
mer. Most of them could more truth
fully be called 'impatients
The doctor laughed, just as she
meant he should when her observant
eyes took note of his wistful ones.
"And I've brought you basket of
daffodils-the dar!ings May I bring
them in?"
"Thank you, If you will be so
good" answered the doctor. why
do you ask for permission ?"
"Well, at first you made me take
some flowers away. l suppose l
ought not to have bothered you with
them, but nearly every one is so
pleased to have them. Don't you
like flowers 7"
"Why, yes," said the doctor, 81
am very fond of flowers. 7"
But somehow he could not bring
himself to explain to this matter-of-
fact young woman that he had sent
them away because none of his peo-
pie had cared enough for him to
bring him any. Medicine first,
then daffodils," said the nurse,
smilingly.
When she came back with her bas-
ket of flowers the big new doctor sat
by the bedside.
Another present for the popular
patient ?" he asked. why, that re-
minds me have package and a let
ter. I'll get them. I've left them
down stairs with my coat"
The little ole doctor broke the seal
with an apology. He could hardly
wait to read the letter. Miss Lydia
Dolliver had traced it in her stiff pen
manship. of a fashion long gone by.
He read:
"Dea, F,lend.-This loving cup Is
sent to you by all of us who love you.
Every one gave something, from
Pinky Davis, who gave his candy
penny, to Malachi Boone, who gave
fifty dollars. Now that the danger is
past, I'll tell you how we came to get
It. We thought you were going to
die. / put my apron over my head
and cried-cried as / haven't cried
since-well, no matter. Every one
was doing the same. BY ones and
twos they kept coming over, until it
was like party for numbers, and a
funeral for faces. Then / told them
about flowers. In that way we could
show you what we have never showed
you, knowing all the time in my heart
that then it would be too late. But
when the news came that you were
going to live-then I can't tell you.
But think we cried as much as at
first. So God bless you. ! suppose
you knew there were many who hon.
ored you. But I believe in telling be-
fore it is too late"
There was something about the lit
tie doctors face as he finished the let
} ter which made the nurse retreat to
the window-seat with her basket Of
daffodils. But the big new doctor
cut the string of the package, and
passed it unopened to the hands which
released the letter.
"Come, come p he said at last,
gruffy, through the catch IN his
throat. This will not do-aUzU not
dol What are these precious neigh
hors of vo,1rs about I? irving to make