David was quite a personage in Old Chester for a few days. Mrs.

Richie was his slave, and hardly left him day or night; Dr. King came

to see him five times in one week; Mrs. Barkley sent him some wine

jelly in a sheaf-of-wheat mould; Dr. Lavendar climbed the hill on two

afternoons, to play dominoes with him, though, as it happened, Mrs.

Richie was not present either day to watch the game. The first time

she had just gone to lie down, Sarah said; the second time she had

that moment started out to walk--"Why, my goodness!" said Sarah, "she

must 'a' just gone! She was here not a minute ago. I should 'a'

thought she'd 'a' seen you tyin' up at the gate?"

"Well, evidently she didn't," Dr. Lavendar said, "or she would have

waited. Tell her I'm sorry to miss her, Sarah." Then, eagerly, he went

on up-stairs to David.

William King, too, was scarcely more fortunate; he only found her at

home once, so at the end of the week he was unable to tell her that

David was improving. It was, of course, necessary that she should be

told this; so that was why he and Jinny continued to come up the hill

for another week. At any rate that was the explanation he gave his

Martha. "I must let her know just when David can go back to school,"

he said. And Martha, with a tightening lip remarked that she should

have supposed a woman of Mrs. Richie's years could use her own

judgment in such a matter.

William's explanation to Dr. Lavendar was somewhat fuller: "I make a

point of calling, on the plea of seeing David, but it's really to see

her. She's so high strung, that this little accident of his has

completely upset her. I notice that she sort of keeps out of the way

of people. I'm pretty sure that yesterday she saw me coming and

slipped out into the garden to avoid me--think of that! Nervousness;

pure nervousness. But I have a plan to brighten her up a little--a

surprise-party. What do you say?"

Dr. Lavendar looked doubtful. "William," he said, "isn't life

surprising enough? Now, here's Sam Wright's Sam's performance."

Dr. Lavendar looked care-worn, and with reason. Sam Wright's Sam had

indeed provided a surprise for Old Chester. He had quietly announced

that he was going to leave town.

"Going away!" repeated the senior warden. "What are you talking

about?"

Sam said briefly that he wanted to try to get a drama he had written,

published.




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