LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1596, 1 April 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

DR. THORNE’S PRESCRIPTION [‘• Weekly Alta California.”] * There is one thing I never will do, and that is to marry a widower,’ said Laura with more ene’gy than she had displayed before in a week the idle white lingers mea ’while, beating a quick tattoo on a pane covered with drops, and her head wib« its briobt bronze hair, nodding so emphatically that the ivy leaves above her were ail in a tremble.

‘ For a doctor,’ paid Aunt Prudence shrewdly, as she glanced nut of her windowin time to see I>r Thorne’s buggy, well spattered with mnd, go past the corner, and the stately doctor, under his umbrella, in the act of replacing his hat on his h- ad. ‘ I knew a girl once—’ ‘ Oh, spare me Aunt Prue 1 I know all about it; she married just as she had vowed she would not. It does not follow that I am to be so foolish, does it ? I would rather be a blessed old maid like you. If I could only be half as good, than Mrs Somebody number two ’ 1 How is it about the doctors ?’

‘ They are my special abomination They smell of drugs and are given to lecturing people,’ said Laura, her color deepening under the spinster’s keen gaze an I her fingers beating a quicke' measure. ‘ It seems odd that you have taken such a dislike to Doctor Thorne. Lau’a ; everybody else likes him,’ said the young lady’s mother from her seat by the fire, where her fingers were busy with her darling’s mending, while her thoughts were planning how she might ia some odier way take every shadow of care from her young life. * I did not mention his name in particular, mother.’

‘Well, I know you meant him, for you have not liked him since I called him in to prescribe for your headaches. By the way, you never showed me his last prescription ; I noticed it was quite lengthy.’ ‘ Oh, it was some nonsense about exercise and early hours ! quite a little lecture, in fact, for which he receives no thanks,’ said Laura, evasively. Then the conversation was changed by Mrs Lamont consulting her sister about the pudding for dinner, while Laura’s thoughts ran ou in this heedless fashion ;

‘ The impudence of the man! All those fine words meant simply this : ‘ \on are a lazy, good-for nothing girl; go to work and you will be better.’ Not that I think I am anything else; but one does not care to be reminded of such things. I wonder if he knows that this dear little mother of mine has made it the one object of her life to anticipate all my wishes and make me the ignorant butter-fly of fashion that I am? And Aunt Prue is in league with her. Dear souls, they want to make me happy. How disappointed they would be if thev knew how restless and miserable I am ! To work in this house is impossible ; and yet I would like to be of use to some one. I don’t believe I am naturally lazy, or this kind of life would suit me. I suppose he thinks Agnes Bell a paragon. She knows aU about housekeeping and visits the poor. Everybody says she would make him a splendid wife. Well, I hope she likes widowers ; I don’t.’

Were the soliloquy ended by Laura turning to the piano and dashing off the moat bril iant thing she knew'—anything to drown her thoughts Presently the notes grew softer, and she heard Aunt Prue say ; ‘ There is our now neighbor out at the gate ; and such a careless-looking creature. How can people be so careless of their appearance ?” glancing over her own spotless attire.

‘ Perhaps there is some excuse for her,. Prae.’ said the other sister, who always found a cloak for every on"’s shortcomings, ‘ Katie says she has three little children, and does her own work. A sick baby, too, who cries half tho night. You know Katie’s room is on that side of the house. She says she often sees tho little woman walking tho floor at night with the baby in her arms.’ • All habit, tin's walking the floor with children, ’ said Mint Prudence, who would have every child brought up by rule as far as eating and sleeping were concerned ‘ Why haven’t you been in to see her ? ’ inquired Laura, whirling suddenly around on the nuno-stool.’

‘ 'he has her hands fall, without seeing strangers*’ answered her mother. Then, the sisters’ conversation drifted away noon other topics, while Laura fell into a brown study that lasted about ten minut°s, when she suddenly rose, and taking her water-proof from a closet said abruptly : * I am going over there ’ ‘Where?’ echoed mother and sunt, having forgotten their previous conversation.

‘ Our next door neighbor’s. ‘ Are you crazy, child ? It is morning, and she will not have her work done/ said her mother.

* Your hair is in crimp-pins,’ called Aunt Prue, for the wilful girl had by this time reache 1 the gate. The door bell next door was broken, so Laura rapped ; but there was such a commotion in the hall that she conld not be heard, so she opened the door and walked in. A boy of five was in the act of sliding down the balusters, which feat ho accoraEliahed so rapidly that the astonished visitor eld her breath till she saw that he had landed safely. A little girl with tangled curls and a very dirty apron was shouting and clapping her hands as audience. _ ‘ We’re playing circus. Mamnia is in the sitting-room,” they replied in answer to Laura’s questions. The door was opened as Laura tapped, by a pale, tired-looking woman, with a baby in her arms just freshly dressed, but so fretful that nothing but tossing up and down would keep him quiet. There were traces of tears on the mother’s face, and the room was in disorder. She evidently was iu.uch surprised at her visitor, but Laura’s easv manner rc-assured her. ‘I am Laura Lament—your neighbor. L only heard this morning that your baby Was sick, and came over to rest you a little. Let me ca r ry him around a little while ;I am sure vour arms must ache.’

And without waiting for a reply she took the baby, who was so surprised to see the lovely face bending over him that he forgot to cry, ‘He is not sick/ said the mother, trying hard to keep back the tears ) ‘ he has fretted like that since he was horn. I feel sometimes as if I codld bear it no lo- ger. I was awake half the night with him ; arid nc‘w it is nearly time to get dinner, and ray breakfast table not cleared, nor a bit of work done. I believe he tries to keep awake.’ ‘ Why don’t you try letting him cry ?’ ‘ I have sometimes ; but he cries so hard, I am afraid he will have a spasm.’ ‘ Well, trust him with me a little while ;’ and Laura began walking up and down the room, singing a low lullaby, while the little woman pi’ked up playthings, brushed the hearth, and made the room look more cheerful; then she wont out to her breakfast tahls.

A half-hour’s singing and walking hi f ore the little one was ready for his cradle ; then Laura nodded good by to her neighbor, who was busily engaged preparing dinner, and got in return such a look of heartfelt thanks that she went home with a new feeling in her heart.

‘ It wiis snch a little thing to do, and yet I have made somebody happier. I have been of use. Poor thing, I should think the would he utterly discouraged.’ And forthwith there was a slight change in the r, solution i.-he had formed that morning. It now read : ‘ I will never marry a doctor, a widower, or a poor man ’ Then she laughed softly to herself as she thought of what Aunt Prue would say. The next morning the sun _ shone, and i aura, to everybody’s astonishment, appeared at the breakfast table and announced her int ntion of surprising her lazy pony by going for a drive Eve-ybody else was busy so sho started alone But just as she was gathering up the reins a wistful face peered through the fence in the next yard. • I say, you’ve got a jolly pony.' ‘ Would you like to go with me, Charlie?’ ‘My name, is Tommy Blake. I’ll bet I’d like to go ; and Susie, too.’ * Well, run and ask mamma.’ In a few minutes the happy little ones were in beside her —Susie clinging timidly to her skirts, while Tommy st od boldly up in front, whip in hand, ready to stir up the pony. ‘ It will be a such a rest for me ; they are so full of mischief,’ said Mrs Blake as she pub them in; and again the happy look went down into Laura’s heart and made the morning a very happy one. It was one of those early spring days, when everything seemed d< lightful after toe long, cold winter. The pony felt live y and so did the children. Tommy, in particular, was inclined to be more communicative than Laura desired.

‘ Papa is cross sometimes, when dinner isn’t ready, and says bad words, then mamma odes. Dinner was ready yesterday, though, ’cause you helped.’ ‘ Who is coming, Tommy,’ said Laura, anxious to change the subject. ‘Hello, that’s the doctor! I know him. He sewed up my head when I fell downstairs ; ’ and he waved his hat at that gentleman, who was looking with surprise at the phaeton and its occupants. Laura fancied his bow was a trifle less cool than usual, and thought angrily : ‘ I’ll never take them again. He thinks I am following his advice and I won’-t gratify him ’ He thought: ‘ There is more to that girl than T supposed I really wish she would cultivate Mrs Blake ; the little woman sadly needs a helping hand,’ then he straightway banished the beautiful Miss Lamont from his mind, and commenced planning his new treatise on diptheria. The lovely spring days followed each other ia rapid succession, and every day I aura’s pony carried its happy load out into the country roads where the air was the purest. Sometimes the little mother and the baby went, and it was surprising to see what a change came over them all. The rich color came into Laura's cheeks and she no longer complained of headaches or the blues, Cheer f ul companionship and a little leisure made Mrs Blake bright-eyed and interesting while Aunt Prue found some old-fashioned remedy for colic that made the baby sleep at night, and Laura helped her in many little ways that gave her time to rest and improve herself.

The quiet parties before Easter, where Laura frequently imt Dr. '1 hornt, gave place to those of a livelier tendency that he seldom frequent d; for al hough a social roan he had reached that age when dancing and flirtation had lost their charm. ‘What makes you always quarrel with Dr. Thorne?’ said a girl friend, one evening. ‘ All the other girls are crazy over him, and you sometimes act as if you hated him. I believe he likes you all the better for it, though ; for he watches you so much,’ ‘ Nonsense, Sue, your imagination is running away with you ! ’ said Laura, coloring deeply as she caught the gaze of those earnest brown eyes fixed upon her at that very moment; and then she flirted desperately with Will Drayton the rest of the evening.

The owner of the brown eyes was not to be deceived, however; he was thinking of the la-'t time he had seen this young lady at Mrs Blake’s. Ho came in without knocking cue evening, and as he stood in tho hall he saw before him a very pretty picture, Laura was rocking baby Blake to sleep, singing al >w, sweet cradle song, and Tommy stood behind her industriously taking out all her hair pius, so that when she rose to lay the baby down she discovered her hair floating over her shoulders. Making a dextrous movement to catch the rogue who had done tho mischief, she almost ran into tho doc.ti r's arms.

What a change, then! Ha could hardly believe this stately creature was the same girl who sat a moment beforo with tho babe in her arms,-and her hair floating over her shoulders. Her pride aided her to make a haughty e>it; but he should have seen her as she ran home crying with vexation. After that the treatise on diphtheria was laid aside, and the doctor took up a new study, evidently more interesting, namely, the

character of a beautiful but wihul young lady, Pometimes he thought she wag as much interested in him as he was in her, then she would snub him until he was very doubtful. I do not know how long things would have gone on in this way had not Fate taken it in hand. The Laments had their trunks all packed for a summer trip, When Tommy was taken ill. He begged so piteously for his dear Miss Laura, that she resolved to postpone going away for a few days. Her mother tried to reason her out of it. but all the arguments of new dresses and the delightful seashore were powerless to move hsr. ‘ My new dresses can wait,’ she answered; and donning a calico wrapper started for Tommy’s bedside. His illness proved to be a fever that brought him near death’s door ; but Laura never flinched even when she knew the danger to heraeif. The mother kept the other children away, and Aunt Prue helped Laura nurse the boy. When the worst came, Doctor Thorne remained also, and together he and I aura brought the little fellow back into his place in life. Then Laura went home, and although she did not take the fever, she was sick for several days, her mother and Aunt Prue tending her with a devotion charming to behold, Of course they must consult the doctor, who prescribed rest and quiet; but left a little note for the young lady’s own perusal. ‘Another prescription, my dear,’ said her mother ; and Laura read : Dearest—Be my wife. It shall be the one aim of my life to make you happy. Alex. Thorne. That was all; just those few lines ; but, strange to say, they made her well immediately- And Aunt Prue had the satisfaction of spying: ‘ I told you so.’