The Argosy — page 322: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Little Maid, an Old Maid and the Major. 301 first glance towards her, Dr. Dodson’s expression changed. He approached her quickly, felt her pulse, listened to her heart, then curtly asked for a mirror and held it to her lips. ‘‘She is dead!” he announced. ‘© Dead!” Miss Dodson’s voice rose to a consternated shriek. ‘© And what on earth am I to do with her?” ‘Who is she?” asked the doctor. ** How should I know? She forced herself in here to wait for Major Murdoch. I daresay she was no better —— ” “Hush!” cried Miss Tippany, and fell to sobbing again, the nervous, soft-nearted thing. For once in her life, and for one brief moment, Miss Dodson looked a little abashed. Somehow, a rebuke from so flabby a nature as Miss Tippany’s seemed to affect her more than any sterner protest could have done. Dr. Dodson, feeling very angry with the Major, of whom, as a reputed rival, he was not unwilling to think ill, went off to despatch a telegram to the Abbey; while Miss Tippany, assisted by a servant, proceeded to render some of the last services that the living can bestow on the dead. The corpse was laid out and covered with such flowers as the season yielded, when the Major, looking very white and stern, drove up. Dr. Dodson received him, and gave him the only explanation he could furnish. ‘‘A stranger—wished to wait—evidently the final stage of consumption—fatigued by the journey,” and so on. Major Murdoch listened in silence, betraying no surprise and no violent emotion. When asked to look at the body, he silently bent his head. Miss Dodson and her brother accompanied him upstairs to the darkened room, suddenly become so solemn, where the dead woman lay. Miss Tippany, who was standing by the bed, turned the light of a candle upon the wax-like, wasted features ; but even then the Major did not speak immediately. . “You know her?” questioned the doctor at last. “Yes,” said Arthur Murdoch gravely. ‘She was my wife.” (Zo be concluded. ) connicloooks (C(O)