Year: 1873

with one arm, while he drove his horse
, at a furious speed with the other
81 give you great deal Of trouble, "
| answered into his beard.
Not at all. 1t is all in my days
work. he said gruffly. This was not
very gallant, but it made me more
comfortable in mind, as it possibly was
J meant to do


He did all that doctor could for
my Aunt, which was little enough.
Time and patience were all the pre-
scription that he gave to her or to 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 counting into the land Of Nod
is coming, as my reader can see with
an eye.


| did not fall in love with DR., Gil
more, nor did he with ne, 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 stilled my shrinking nerves.


In the first week Of our acquaintance,
| confded to him my unwilling listen
ING in the avenue to the love-quarrel
of strangers. With his advice and
assistance sent a carefully worded ad-
vertisement to the village paper To
Judge by the pile Of answers which |
received describing every kind Of a
ring that ever was worn, one would
think the earth should have sown as
thick with them as was the field of
Cann@ after the great slaughtered of
Carthagenian knights. But not one
of the answers SO much as hinted at q
violet of sapphires with a diamond
center


In these lonely days saw great
deal of my neighbor, Miss Purdy
she was one Of those rare and blessed
souls who interpret liberally the com
mand to love ones neighbor as ones
self. She and her niece Kate Purdy
lived together as | lived with Aunt
Esther, and a sort Of fellow feeling,
from our similar conditions, made us
wondrous kind from the first.


Kate was sparkling brunette, who
made love to everybody; "male or
female, Jew or Gentle, bond or free,
it was all one to her l am a meek
looking person myself, LIGHT haired,
blue eyed, faced out-youalmost need
a dark background to see me at all.


Kate and [ looked well together,
aud stayed together chiefly for that
reason at first, atterward for a strong
and earnest liking that lasted our life
time.


| told her all about the ring, and
showed her the answers to my adyer-
tlsements; 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 Il bureau
drawer, and after time | wore it,
thinking that in that way 1t might be
possibly seen and claimed by its own
cr.


We had become very intimate in
girls fashion before | introduced Kate
to "my doctor as called him in my
heart, They "took kindly" to each
other, but she did not at once begin to
vile the heart out Of him, as | had
seen her do with all other men.


"Why don't you make love to DR..
Gilmore?" asked her at last. "Iou
are naturally fisher Of men, and the
prey is very scarce at Davecotes.


FIRSTLY" said Kate, "because you
already have him in your net, and
unless all signs fail you will soon land
him. Secondly, he is too fearlully old
and grave. | don't mean that he has
lived any great number Of years, but
he is one OF those who are born forty
years old, and that would make him
at this present about threescore and
ten"


My world was well nigh empty of
kith and kin when Aunt Esther died,
but | was not nearly so doleful as /
ought to have been. | had very little
money, but | had youth and hope, and
there was-the doctor. Kate Purdy
had been helping me to set the house
in order after the dreadful hustle that
follows the vanishing Of a familiar
face.


AT nightfall she left me alone for an
hour OF two; it was then as Kate and
| had tacitly supposed, reading it in
one anothers eyes, that ''my doctor
came to see me.


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


"But l shall not be here; ! am go
ing 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 affliction. You had
far better come home to me-


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


"How can be sure you want meg


"Do | not say it?


"Yes, and so do the Purdys. 1t