Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1921-03-12
CHAPTER VI-Continued.

Dr. Brownrll suggested The winter
trip To IN" South. Mr.. Sidn"y'S vital
ity needed careful nursing II was i'm
p0rtant to protect him from winter
rjgnrS. even as they could be modified
In SickroOm. The doctor said he
himself felt the need Of change. lie
prescribed one for both his patient
and himself He and Mr.. Sidney made
the arrangements. Mrs. Sidney and
IsObel were to go.
Arrangements went ahead rapidly.
and sense Of dcSOlatiOn increased
within me. Romantic folly came to Its
accounting. The furry story was to be
ended without youths necessary "ThGy
lived happily ever after"
The yncht came up to It's mooring
and lay by the landing for week
while the provisioning was being cared
for. Hundreds Of bottles of Mr.. Sid
ney's fine wines were put on board
for the unspeakabie Jed.
lsobel was eagerly anticipat0ry. Mrs.
Sidney, | thought. seemed merely to
Doctor BrOwnell said he was depriv-
Ing me of an interesting voyage. II he
lid not go, should have been needed,
but he thought II important for his
efficiency that he conserve his strength
over the winter. and he asked me to
act ms one of his assistants.
That was fiattery. 1t was intended
to be so.
Mrs. Sidney was the one who of
fered me the real balm.
"Jchn," she said, Eve shall want
you with us. We shall miss you"
"Don't you think, Mrs. Sidney" |
suggested, that now we can consider
this fiction terminatedf"
you mean your engagement to IsO-
bel7"
Surely"
'NO, please" she said. "On the
boat there will be no problems. The
community is too compact and must
he considerate. But when we come
back. I'll need you just as before"
IsObel said:
"GOod-by. John. Re ut the landing
when we return. You'll be the first
person | want to see"
I ought not III have been so discon.
ISOLATE. These were fair portents. hut
Portent does little to console loss
I stood %n The little dock and watched
the yacht 20 down the river. And
when II had disappeared below the
point Of land south OF the pool, all the
world was sad AMI life had no pros
poets to give 4 value.
Charles drove me TO the city. / wa,
hit Of human d:iftwood for q week
II did no; matter that they were com
ing hack. They we're gone: that was
the disaster. II was in the present
the future is too Ambiguous for conso
lRtIon or comfort
] went through winter Of ecstatic
distress, trying tn he efficient in my
discharge Of professional duties for
Doctor BrOwnell and 10 ne profession.
ally composed in aspect and mind.
had M nnguishcd delight in my expert
enceS. Ny loneliness was my most
acute pain and my most cherished
comfort ! did not want to prOfnnt
the emotional Solemnity of so much
unnappineSS by subjcCting il frequent
" 10 the hanai touch Of soCiabip life
In the ordinary. II was a JOY to be
profoundly unhappy.
| had letters from the enchanted
party in the South. Mrs Sidney wrote
twice week with great affection Mr.
Sidney once week dictated TO Jed q
letter. cordial and tocular, for me. &c
casi0nally Jed added a sheet for him
self. kindly or rasp;ng as the MOOD
had him at the time.
IsObel also wrote, bur with the great
est eccentriclty, While they were al
Palm Beach I had a letter a day from
her for four days, Then | had none
for two weeks, although they remained
at Palm Beach. She made the post
man a rragcdiaD for me.
In one letter this virginia. imp wrote
as If were her lover, and that letter
was as the song of the meadow lark
from a sG0w-C0yered field in March
as the odor of lilacs on a warm night
in May.
The SidneyS went to the Bahamas
but did not remain there. They wrote
me that Mr.. Sidney was well. Doctor
BrCwneil was convinced that all were
the better. himself included, for their
experiment and that Mr.. Sidney's con.