THE SICK-A-BED LADY
evening, plunge for a freshening swim into the salt water, don his white clothes and saunter round to the quaint old house at the edge of the ocean. Here in the breezy kitchen he often sat for as long as an hour, talking with the Old Housekeeper, till the Sick-A-Bed Lady's tiny silver bell rang out with absurd peremptoriness. Then for as much time as seemed wise he went and sat with the Sick-A-Bed Lady.
One night, one full-moon night, he came back from his day's work extraordinarily tired and fret ted after a series of strident experiences, and hur ried to the old house as to a veritable Haven of Refuge. The Housekeeper was busy with village company, so he postponed her report and went at once to the Sick-A-Bed Lady's room.
Only fools lit lights on such a night as that, and he threw himself down in the big chair by the bed side, and fairly basked in peacefulness and moon light and content, while the Sick-A-Bed Lady leaned over and stroked his hair with her little white fingers, crooning some pleasant, childish thing about "nice, smoky Boy." There was no fret or fuss or even sound in the room, except the drowsy mur mur of voices in the Garden, and the churky splash of little waves against the shore.
"Hear the French Verbs," said the Sick-A-Bed Lady, at last, with deliberate mischief. Then she
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