Year: 1873

gan TO cry more neafllly lnan mao
laughed.


He took me up as easily as if had been
a baby and laid me on the lounge 'sNow
lie there perfectly still until my carriage
is ready" he said, ,as one having authority.
In few minutes he brought me some in
nocent- looking stuff in a glass. which
drank without a word, and my nerves
grew steady again. / climbed into the
little old-fashioned sulky, in which there
was but spare room for its owner, a car
riage that must have been invented by
some misanthropic doctor who did not
mean to drive his own patients | con-
tracted myself into about the substance of
a paper of pins, and held my breath, but
that sulky was very tight fit indeed


| wore thin Summer dress, with only
straw hat on my head, and as my eX-
element lessened. the cool, sharp air of
the September night pierced me like a
knife


''You are shivering," said the doctor,
wrapping one side of his cloak about me,
and holding me close TO his breast with
one arm, while he drove his horse at q
furious speed with the other.


Il give you g great deal Of trouble !
answered into his beard.


'sNot at all. 1t is all in my days work, "
he said grut1ly. This was not very gal
liant, but it made me more comfortable
in mind, as it possibly was meant to do.


He did all that doctor could for my
aunt, which was little enough. Time and
patience were all the prescription that he
gave to her or me, but he came every day,
sometimes twice, as he perceived that
time was growing short. and patience
would soon have its perfect work.


The old story-old as when Cane went
courting into the land Of Mods coming,
as my reader can see with an eye.


| did not fall in love with DR.. Gilmore,
nor he with me, all at once but there
grew to be an inexpressible comfort in
the rough sincerity and the warm clasp
with which at every visit he met and
stlled my shrinking nerves.


In the first week of our acquaintance, /
contided to him my unwilling listening in
theavenue to the love-quarrel OF strangers
With his advice and assistance | sent a
carefully worded advertisement to the
village paper To Judge by the pile OF
answers which received describing every
kind of a ring that ever was worn, one



as thick with them as was the field OF
Canine after the great slaughter of Car
thagenian knights But not one of the
answers so much as limited at violet OF
Sapphires with a diamond centre.


In these lonely days saw a great deal
Of my neighbor. Miss Purdv; she was one
of those rare and blessed souls who in
terpret literally the command to love
ones neighbor as ones self. She and her
niece Kate Purdy lived together, rs |
lived with aunt Esther and sort OF tel-
low-teelng, from our similar conditions
made us wondrous kind from the first


Kate was Il sparkling brunette, who
made love to everybody; ''male orfemale,
Jew or Gentle, bond or tree" ii was all
one to her | am a meek looking person
myself. light haired. blue eyed, faded out
YOU almost need dark background to
see me at all.


Kate and ! looked we'll together, and
stayed together chiefly for that reason 1t
first, atterward tor a strong and earnest
liking that lasted our life time.


told her all about the ring, and showed
her the answers to my advertisements
and when our talk reached low water on
other matters, we always fell back on
speculation about those two lovers and the
sapphire ring. Kate was disposed to treat
it more lightly than could find it in my
heart to do. She thought it far too pretty
to hide its light in bureau drawer, and
after a time | wore it, thinking that in
that way il might be possibly seen and
claimed by its owner


We had become very intimate in girls
fashion before I introduced Kate to ''my
doctor" rs ! called him in my heart They
''took kindly" to each other, hut she did
not at once begin to vile the heart ont o
him, as I had seen her DO with all other
men.


'Why don't You make love to DIR. Gil
more ?n | asked her at last "You arC
naturally a fisher Of men, and the prey is
very scarce at Dovccotes."


"Firstly," said Ka'c, ''bccause YOU al
ready have him in your net, and unless
all signs fail Won will soon land him
Secondly, he is too tearfnllv old and grave.
| don't mean that he has lived any great
who are born forty years Old. and that
would make him at this present about
threescore and ten"


My world was we'll nigh empty of kill
and kin when Aunt Esther died, bnt was
not nearly so doleful MS ought to have
been. | had very little money, but had
youth and hope, and there was-the doe
tor. Kate Purdy had been helping me to
set the house in order after the dreadful
hustle that follows the vanishing of 4
familiar face.


AT nightfall she left me al>ne for an
hour OF two it was then as Kate and
had tacitly supposed, reading it in one
another's eyes, that ''my doctor" came to
see me.


''I'm afraid you're going to be very
lonely here" he said, after the first gect-
ings were over.


''But | shall not be here; am going
to live with the Purdys."


''Are you quite sure they want You ?"


"They say so.'


'Doubtless they feel in that way now,
but their hearts are warmed by the sight
of your atliiction. You had far better
come home to me-"


He held out his arms, with n gesture
that belied the calmness of his words, but
| would not see it.


GLOW can be sure You want me ~


''Do not say it ?''


eyes, and so do the Purdys. 1t may
be that your heart in warmed by my lone.
liness."


"What is the use OF fencing, when |
love you and you love me ?"


GLOW do you know that ?"


"Because you have been so careful not
to show even decent regard for nc. /
you had not loved me, you would have
been more cordial"


go, wiser again than Solomon !" said
but | saw his arms put out to me at that
moment, and l forgot what o'clock it was
until Kate's opening the hall door made
me draw away from "my doctor"


Kate made lively talk for few min
utes, but had little response from her au
dience.


"My dear turtle doves" she said at last
laying one hand on mine and looking al
my friend, 81 see how it is with you
You have reached the point where tive
are company and three are q crowd"


"No, we have passed it," said the doc
tor


"And Esther is going to marry you ?"


"You have said it."


"Then | wish you Joy with all my heart
By the way, did YOU bring the engage