Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-12-24
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Who's running the place. anyhow7
Your"
Moderately" ! explained. but, of
course. when anything comes up they
consult me. The housekeeper Is a
fool. and now that the house doctors
gone"
"Gonel Who's looking after the
patiehts'1"
Well. most OF them have been here
before" explained. and know
their treatment-the kind Of baths and
all that"
~Oh. you know the treatment" he
said. cycling me. And why did the
house doctor got"
HE ordered MIR. Moody to take his
spring water hot. Mr.. Moody's spring
water has been ordered cold for eleven
years, and refused to change. Il
was between the doctor and me. Mr..
Van Alstyne."
"Oh. OF course" he said, III II was
a matter OF principle" He picked up
his hat and looked at his watch.
Eleven thirty" he said, and no
sign of that puppy yet. l guess it's
up to the police"
IF there was only something to do"
said, with lump in my throat, but
to have to sit and do nothing while
the old place dies; lists awful, Mr..
Van Alstyne."
Were not dead yet" he replied
from the door, land maybe wen need
you before the days over. If anybody
can sail the old bark to shore, you can
do it, Minnie. You've been steering
it for years. The old doctor was no
navigator, and you and know It."
The storm stopped little at three
and most of the guests waded down
through the snow for bridge and
spring water BY that time the after
noon train was in, and no Mr.. Dick.
Mr.. Sam was keeping the lawyer, Mr.
Stitt, In the billiard room, and by four
o'clock they'd had everything that was
in the bar and were inVenting new
combinations OF their own. And Mrs
Sam had gone to bed with a nervous
! headache.
Senator Biggs brought the mail
down to the spring-hous at four, but
there was nothing for me except a
note from Mr.. Sam, rather shaky,
which said he'd no word yet and that
Mr.. Stitt had mixed all the cordials in
the bar in a beer glass and had had
to go to bed.
nearly went crazy that afternoon.
put salt in Miss Cobb's glass when
she always drank the water plain.
Once | put the broom in the fire and
started to sweep the porch with a
fire log. Luckily they were busy with
their letters and 1t went unnoticed, the
smell Of burning straw not rising, so
to speak, above the sulphur of the
spring.
Senator Biggs went from one table
to another telling how well he felt
since he stopped eating, and trying to
coax the other men to starve with
him
It's funny how a man with theory
abOuN lA0 bAOAnchSlA A9h I AopBg hhtAA
he has made some other fellow swal-
low 1t.
Then they all began at once. II you
have ever heard twenty people airing
their theories on diet you know all
about 1t. 1t always ends the same
way: the man with the loudest voice
wins, and the defeated ones limp over
to the spring and tell their theories
to me. They know I'm being paid to
listen
But when things had got quiet-ex
cept Mr. Moody dropping nickels into
the slot-machine-I happened to look
over at Miss Patty, and saw there
was something wrong. She had let
ter open in her lap-not one of the
blue ones with the black and gold sea-
that every one in the house knew came
from the prince-but white one, and
she was staring at it as If she'd seen
a ghost.