News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-12-03
CHAPTER |.
r Ber+ Smith


out to the spring-house to say good-by
to me before he and Mrs. Sam left
I hated to see him go, after all we
had been through together, and ! sup
pose he saw it in my face, for he
came over close and stood looking
down at me, and smiling. "You
saved us, Minnie" he said, "and
needn't tell you we're grateful; but do
you know what l Think" he asked,
pointing his long forefnger at me. Il
think you've enjoyed it even when you
were suffering most. Red-haired WON
en- are born to intrigue, as the sparks
fly upward"
enjoyed it," I snapped. I'm an
old woman before my time, Mr.. Sam.
What with trailing back and forward
through the snow to the shelter-house,
and not getting to bed at all some
nights, and my heart going by fits and
starts, as you may say, and half the
time my spinal marrow fairly chilled,
not to mention putting on my over
shoes every morning from force of
habit and having to take them off
again, I'm about all in"
TITS been the making of you, Min
ME-" he said, cycling me, with his
hands in his pockets. Look at your
cheeks! Look at your disposition! I
don't believe you'd stab anybody in
the back now!"
(Which was a joke, of course; l
never stabbed anybody in the back.)
He opened the door and blast of
February wind ratified the window
frames. Mr.. Sam threw out his chest
under his sweater and waved me an
other good-by.
"Well, I'm off, Minnie" he said.
"'Take care of yourself and don't sit
too tight on the job; learn to rise a
bit in the saddle
"Good-by Mr.. Sam!" I called, put
ting down Miss Patty's dolly and fol
lowing him to the door; "good-by; bet
ter have something before you start to
keep you warm"
He turned at the corner of the path
and grinned back at me.
"All right" he called. "I'll go down
to the bar and get a. lettuce sand
wichf"
Then he was gone, and happy as
was, knew would miss him terribly.
i
1t began when the old doctor died.
suppose you have heard of Hope San
atorium and the mineral spring that
made it famous.
I have been spring -house girl at
Hope Sanatorium for fourteen years.
For the first year or so l nearly went
crazy. Then found things were COM
ing my way. I've got the kind of mind
that never forgets a name or face and
can combine them properly, which
isn't common. And when folks came
back l could call them at once. The
old doctor used to say my memory was
an asset to the sanatorium.
He was in the habit of coming to
the spring-house every day to get his
morning glass of water and read the
papers. For a good many years it had
been his custom to sit there, in the
winter by the wood fire and in summer
Just inside the open door, and to read
off the headings aloud while | cleaned
around the spring and polished
glasses.
All that winter, with the papers
full of rumors that Miss Patty Jen-
nings was going to marry a prince,
wed followed it by the spring-house
fire, the old doctor and l, getting an
CRY at the Austrian emperor for oppos-
ing it when we knew how much too
good Miss Patty was for any foreign
.er, and then getting nervous and
fused when we read that the princes
mother was in favor of the match and
At might go through. Miss Patty and
her father came every winter to Hope
Springs and couldn't have been more
anxious aboat it If she had been my
own sister.
Well, as l say, it all began the very
dAy the old doctor died. He stamped
out to the spring-house with the morn
sng paper about nine o'clock, and the
wedding seemed to be all off. The
paper said the emperor had definitely
refused his consent and had sent the
prince, who was his cousin, for Jap
anese cruise, while the Jennings fam
lily was going to Mexico in their pri-
waite car. The old doctor was indig-
nant. and remember how he tramped
up and down the spring-house, NUT
tering that the girl had had lucky
escape, and what did the emperor
expect if beauty and youth and wealth
weren't enough. But he Gained down.
and soon he was reading that the pa
pers we're predicting an early spring,
and he said we'd better begin to in
crease our sulphur percentage in the
water.
by the way" he remarked, Mr..
Richard will be along in a day or so,
Minnie. You'd better break it to Mrs
Virgins"
Since the summer before we'd had
60 break Mr.. Dicks coming to Mrs.
Virgins, the housekeeper, owing to
his finding her false front where it
had blown out of the window, having
been hung up to dry, and his wearing
1T to luncheon as whiskers. Mr.. Dick
was the old doctors grandson.
"Humphl" / said, and he turned
around ID looked square at me.
''AAs q good boy at heart, Minnie"
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