Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West

Download in format

He made a little grimace. There was humor in the boy, despite his

dyspepsia.

"I understand there is a law forbidding suicide," he replied. "But I

asked your advice in an attempt to discover what you thought of my absurd

condition. Now that you call my attention to it, I believe I _am_

starving myself. I need stronger and more nourishing food; and yet the

best specialist in your progressive country has regulated my diet."

"I don't believe much in specialists," asserted Patsy. "If _you_ do, go

ahead and kill yourself, in defiance of the law. According to common

sense you ought to eat plenty of good, wholesome food, but you may be so

disordered--in your interior--that even that would prove fatal. So I

won't recommend it."

"I'm doomed, either way," he said quietly. "I know that."

"_How_ do you know it?" demanded Maud in a tone of resentment.

He was silent a moment. Then he replied:

"I cannot remember how we drifted into this very personal argument. It

seems wrong for me to be talking about myself to those who are

practically strangers, and you will realize how unused I am to the

society of ladies by considering my rudeness in this interview."

"Pshaw!" exclaimed Uncle John; "we are merely considering you as a

friend. You must believe that we are really interested in you," he

continued, laying a kindly hand on the young fellow's shoulder. "You seem

in a bad way, it's true, but your condition is far from desperate.

Patsy's frankness--it's her one fault and her chief virtue--led you to

talk about yourself, and I'm surprised to find you so despondent

and--and--what do you call it, Beth?"

"Pessimistic?"

"That's it--pessimistic."

"But you're wrong, sir!" said the boy with a smile; "I may not be elated

over my fatal disease, but neither am I despondent. I force myself to

keep going when I wonder how the miserable machine responds to my urging,

and I shall keep it going, after a fashion, until the final breakdown.

Fate weaves the thread of our lives, I truly believe, and she didn't use

very good material when she started mine.

Page:: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48; 49; 50; 51; 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 57; 58; 59; 60; 61; 62; 63; 64; 65; 66; 67; 68; 69; 70; 71; 72; 73; 74; 75; 76; 77; 78; 79; 80; 81; 82; 83; 84; 85; 86; 87; 88; 89; 90; 91; 92; 93; 94; 95; 96; 97; 98; 99; 100; 101; 102; 103; 104; 105; 106; 107; 108; 109; 110; 111; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 120; 121; 122; 123; 124; 125; 126; 127; 128; 129; 130; 131; 132; 133; 134; 135; 136; 137; 138; 139; 140; 141