Year: 1878

boring village (which / have), and l
think it would be wise precautionary
measure.


It is very good in nyou," she says in
her pretty gracious way as she bares her
white arm. al have never been vaccin-
ated since I was baby, so I suppose it
will be desirable"


Desirable2 / should think so, in
deed And send up prayer as per-
form the operation that may not be
too late. l am so busy for the next few
days that am unable to 60 down to the
cottage. One or two more cases of
smallpox in the village, and / am
anxious and hard worked but Mary
Anne tells me Mrs. Ogilvie has heard Of
Mrs. Blacks removal and is dreadfully
nervous about herself 81 hope she
will not frighten herself into it, adds
my wife.


"If she hadn't contracted it before
yaccinated her, / think she is pretty
safe," reply; but there is just the
| chance that she may have had the poison
in her previously"


Almost as 1 speak message comes
from Mrs. Ogilvie, who "wishes to see
me professionally" My heart sinks as
seize my hat and follow the messenger
and with too good reason. 1 find her
suffering from the first symptoms of
smallpox; and in twenty-four hours it
| has declared itself .unequivocally and
| threatens to be a bad case. I try to
keep the nature of her illness from her,
but in vain. She questions me closely,
and when she discovers the truth, gives
way to burst of despair that is painful
to witness. shall be marked;
shall be hideousl" she exclaims, sobbing
bitterly. "Poor Frankie will hate
mep


In vain try to comfort her, to con-
vince her that in not one out of hun
dred cases does the disease leave dread
full traces behind it; she refuses to be
consoled. And soon she is too i'll to be
reasoned with or indeed to know much
of her own state. She is an orphan
and has no near relatives for whom we
can send, SO Mary Anne installs herself
in the sick-room as head nurse; and as
/ see her bending lovingly over the poor,
dis6gured face and ministering with
tender hands to the ceaseless wants of
the invalid, my wife is in my eyes
beautiful exceedingly; so does the
shadow of a good deed cast glory
around the most homely countenance.


For some time Mrs. Ogilvie's life is in
great danger; but her youth and good
constitution prevail against the grim
destroyer, and at length 1 am able to
pronounce all peril past.


But alas, alasl all my hopes, all my
care, all my poor skill have been in
vain; and the beauty which we have all
admired SO much, and which has been so
precious to our poor patient, is thing
of the past. She is marked-slightly it
is true; but the pure complexion is
thick and muddy, the once bright eyes
are heavy and dull, and the golden hair
| is thin and lusterless. We keep it from
her as long as we can, but she soon dis
covers it in our sorrowful looks; and her
horror, her agony, almost threaten to
unseat her reason. My wife is with
her night and day, watching her like a
mother, using every argument she can
think of to console her, and above all
counseling with gentle words submission
to the ,will of God. But her misery,
after the first shock, is not SO much for
herself as for the possible effect the loss
of her beauty may have on her husband,
who is now daily expected His ship
has been at sea, SO we have been unable
to write to him; and only on his arrival
in Plymouth Sound will he hear of his
poor young wife's illness and disfgure-
ment. Before her sickness she had
been counting the hours, now she sees
every day go past with shudder, feel
ing that she is brought twenty-four
hours nearer to the dread trial. At
length his vessels arrive, and I receive
a telegram telling me when we may ex-
pect him, and begging me to break the
news gently to his wife. She receives it
with food of bitter tears and sobs,
crying out that he would hate and
loathe her, and that she is about to lose
all the happiness of her life. My wife
weeps with her, and am conscious of a
choking sensation in my throat as we
take leave of her half an hour before
Mr.. Ogilvie is expected, and pray God
to bless and sustain her.


We are sitting in rather melancholy
mood after dinner talking of the pool
young husband and wife, when Mr.
Ogilvie is announced, and hasten te
the door to meet him.


"She will not see mep' he says i'm
petuously, coming in without any formal
greeting. "She has shut herself into
her room, and calls to me with hysterica
tears that she is too dreadful to lool
upon, that shall cease to love her as
soon as l behold her, and that she can
not face it." And then the strong mai
falls into chair with a sob.


"It is not 80 bad as that" begin.


al don't care how bad it is" he cries
"she need not doubt my love. My poo
darling will always be the same to m,
whether she has lost her beauty or not.


Whereupon extend my hand to hin
and shake his heartily; and I know m.
wife has great difficulty in restraining
herself from enveloping him in he
motherly arms and embracing him.


T." You must resort to stratagem,"
say. IL will go down to the cottage a
once. and you follow me in ten minute
with my wife. I will try and coax Mrs
Ogilvie to come out and speak to me an,
you must steal upon her unawares."
Mrs. Ogilvie at first refuses to see o
speak to me; but l go up to her doc


and am mean enough to remind her Q
, my wife's devotion to her and to er
, treat her, for her sake, to come dow


to me-.


"Where is Frank?" she asks.
"I left him at home with Mar
l Anne" 1 reply, feeling that I am worth
! of being diplomatist at the Court O
St. Petersburg, as she opens the doc
!, and descends the stairs. 1take her ou
into the garden and begin to reprov
y her for her conduct, with assume
anger. She listens with eyes blinded b


tears. l, on the lookout for it, hear th
:. latch of the garden gate click; but sh
: absorbed in her sorrow, does not motto
) it. I look up and see Frank Ogilvie


eyes fixed hungrily upon his wife. He
changed appearance must be an awfu
d shock to him; but he bears it bravely
% and in moment he has sprung forward
L clasped her in his arms, and the pot
e SCARED face is hidden on his true an
l0vinu haartt