Year: 1875

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could see the little girl fighting
against it as we'll as she might, bu
her resistance ended in a precipitated
flight from the place where John was
proudly exhibiting his Cotswolds and
Southdowns for our admiration.


"Guess the lady's been butted
sir" said one of the stock hands, re
spectfully touching his hat to John
'Knowed of just such another, my
self. My own sister, Sir, was butted
when she was baby. Growcd W
to be woman, and never could
abide the sight of a sheep. She jilt
ed drover for nothing else in tho
world. Married tailor, sir


"Why didn't you tell me, Mamie?'
said John, as we all stood around
drinking stirrup-cup Of Alderney
milk in the dairy, where the tremb
ling girl had taken refuge. 81 would
not have had it happen for the world
That sheep shall be into mutton, to
morrow, drawn and quartered 70,
treason"


"No! Don't for anythingw ex
claimed Mamie, now quite recovered
81 know / am as silly as silly can be-
but l can't help it any more than
can help" and here she apparently
made ample amends by ending hel
sentence in whisper reaching only
her lovers ear the effect of which
was to cause flush to rise over his
face and a smile of such happiness to
appear thereon, as to turn my soul
green with jealousy In my heart
knew how she had finished that SEN
tence, explaining her conduct by an
apology between unreasoning love
and unreasoning fear, whose appllca-
ton John, at least, did not care to
question.


"a sheep has been known to bite, y
remarked my uncle, gravely.


Johns next visit to the farm result
ted in a real disaster. He came
around to the house with a headache,
and Mamie's pretty persistence in de-
manding to cosset the big fellow on
the library sofa with handkerchiefs
and cologne and such things, would
have prevailed over anything but his
hobby. There was some drainage to
be examined before winter set in, and
although the equinoctial storm had
begun with cherries drizzle, John
had his way and went.


He came home in shiver. He
went to his bachelor bed with chill
which no blankets even when his
great coat was added atop Of his
dressing gown could quell. In the
morning rolls and coffee were an
abomination, and omlet mockery.
Dressing was to him labor of Her
cules. and the prospect of going to
town a direful thought. He rested
haccid, all day, hot and cold by turns
protesting that he was sick; but by
evening he dispatched his man for
DR.. Broughton, and that eminent
practitioner needed little Of his skill
in diagnosis to determine what was
the matter when he found John toss
ing his long length on the lounge,
sprawling his legs and arms about in
uneasy motion, and turning his curly
blonde halr in still greater confusion.


"All right tomorrow? OF course
you will be, OF the day after, perhaps.
Only you necden't be in a hurry
about it, my boys" said the doctor, as
he took leaye of the unwilling patient,
whom he had seen comfortably in
bed. "Don't fret yourself. I've got
you between my thumb and finger
now. By-by."


But for all this he had nurse in
stalled there before midnight; and by
morning Johns feeble protest against
being fed with medicine from II
strange hand, with which he greeted
the doctors assistant, had changed
into the flighty gabble and restless
mutterings Of scmi-delerium. The
very strength of the man seemed to
challenge the power of the disease to
do its work quickly and surely. The
fever seized him and tortured HIM
ravenously. The vigorous nature which
fought off the symptoms almost to
the very end seemed all at once to
fly in disastrous rout, and leave all to
the enemy in tull possession.


Mamie had to know it as soon rs any
one, for John was to take her to the
opera at the opening night of the sea-
son. 1t was not a pleasant thing to
tell her that, instead of talking sweet
nonsense in evening dress to her at
the Academy, her lover was numb
ling delirious phrases, perhaps not
more nonsensical, however, in the in
sensate ears of a hired attendant.
Perhaps the pity of this contrast
struck her soul. For the first words
she said, with prettily heroic ex-
pansion of her figure, were.


"Father, l must go to him"


"Uncle Stuart had very fair idea
of diplomacy in managing his
motherless daughter, and therefore
he only said:


"My poor little girl! You shall go
to John just as soon as you can. l
will have DR.. Broughton step i'll here
on his way and arrange it with you"


1t was done; and as Uncle Stuart
anticipated, DR.. Broughton's expert
ence with such cases enabled him to
convince Mamie that she had at
least better sleep over night on the
subject.


But it could not go so long. The
doctors daily reports grew less assur-
ing; and one morning as he was
speaking quite freely and anxiously
with me in the library, we heard a
sob from the conservatory, whose
curtained entrance was directly be-
hind us, and there appeared Mamie,
the picture Of heart broken woe,
tears brimming over her soft eyes,
and the very ribbon at her throat
quivering with the emotion Of the
heart beneath.


"You would have kept it from me"
said she, with reproachful eyes and
accent. 81 shall go to John now"
and she swept past us, dropping
roses and vlolets from her hands as
she went, like stricken Flora.


Go to John she did. And I have
no doubt that the gentle presence,
u.h;,.b tho invalid coul1 not raoorniyn