Norwich bulletin., 1913-01-04

l ~An old maid.''
 1 Yes. that was what people called l Helen Mead.
 The only ene who never thought ef her as that, was Docter Ornsby htrIi- l self, and for the very good reason he | never gave itSa thought.
 To him she was simply Helen Mead,
 what she was more than that. save that they had grown up together and l that she seemed part of the cid house, 1 he never troubled to consider. Long years before, when he was a l boy of twelve, his mother had taken 1 Helen, whom she found crying plt1fuily beside a, dead mother, to live with her. | Helen was then ten years cid, two years younger than Victor OrInsby. | And so the years passed on, Helen 1 becoming daily dearer to Mrs. Ormsby, who had no daughter of her own. 1 Victor went te college. and later 1 to place Dr. before his name, and | Helen. living in the quiet old house, grew up gentle. winning girl, dream 1 ing such idle dreafns as girls usually do.
 When Helen was twenty five, Mrs. ormsby died. and her last words to Helen were
 Helen, take care of Victor" Victor was tall, strong, broad-shoul- dered, and twenty-se years of age. Helen promised to take care Of him, be like mother to him, and Mrs. Ormsby, quite contented. folded her 4 Year after year passed away after her death each one stealing some thing from Helen's youth, and at the time our story opens, she Is old enough almost thirty-to be called an old
 maid.
 Helen" said the doctor, looking up from his coffee, poor little Mrs. Gray
 is in great trouble; she is down with take care of the baby.
 T thought Mrs. Holmes was there?s
 "Pshaw! Mrs. Holnes-she fled at the words scarlet fever Do you know, Helen, scarcely ever knew a sadder case than this. only 8 year married. her husband killed in railway acci- dent, and then scarlet fever laying hold of her enfeebled frame. If someone would come and mind the baby. I would do my best to pull the mother through; but she is a stranger here, and no one will run the risk of the fever for stranger, more is the shame for them
 Victor" said Helen, gravely, look ing up; 'T will take care of the baby, and help you to the best of my ability"
 And so it was settled that Helen should go over to the little cottage, where the poor little widowed mother battled with death.
 Of course, Helen could not mind baby, attend a sick woman, and go home every day, even had this ar rangement been desirable, so she took up her quarters at the cottage, and the doctor had to engage Mrs. Holmes to keep house for him and look after the servants in Helens' absence.
 Mrs. Holmes was widow, and a very pretty one as we'll with big, black eyes. wavy brown hair, and bril- liant complexion and-and Mrs. Holmes was determined to marry the doctor.
 One day, the doctor going into the cottage, saw Helen putting the baby to sleep.
 Her face was slightly flushed, and her hair, generally smooth and tightly bound, had fallen loose.
 Why, Helen is very pretty" thought Doctor Ornsby, for the first time in his life. 'T always thought her the dearest little girl on earth, but. by love! she is pretty. prettier by far than Mrs. Holmes, though Mrs. Holmes would not believe it if anyone told her so."
 Somehow through all the town of Wilisburgh, there spread a. rumor that Doctor Ornsby was going to be mar ried, and he did not contradict it, and everyone believed that Mrs. Holmes was to be the mistress of the old stone