Miss Dexie: A Romance of the ProvincesEveleth, Stanford
General
Miss Dexie: A Romance of the Provinces
Eveleth, Stanford
Fiction
"Do not be alarmed, Miss Dexie; I am not so bad as I look," he said,
reassuringly, as Dexie started at the sight of his bandaged head and
splintered arm. "I have an ugly scalp wound, and that makes the bandages
necessary, and my broken arm is nothing. Now, be brave," he said, as they
stopped before the door of the house where her father had been taken. "He
has been suffering great pain and looks badly, and he will not be able to
see you unless you are calm. The doctor is with him now. I will go and see
if you can come in."
"Do not keep me waiting, Mr. Traverse. I will be quiet. Indeed, you can
trust me," and she lifted a white face, full of entreaty, to his gaze.
"My brave little girl!" was Guy's inward comment. "It is just as well that
she came alone, for no one else in the family has self-control enough to
bear this."
In a few minutes Guy returned and conducted her to her father's side, and
she bent over him and kissed his white face tenderly.
"Dear papa, I have come to stay with you. What can I do to help you?" and
she laid her hand in his. "Mamma feels too badly to come just now, dear
papa."
The quiet manner in which she removed her hat and cloak and then returned
to the bedside to await the doctor's orders impressed the latter favorably,
and with a few words of instruction to Mr. Traverse he departed to see his
other waiting charges.
They were sad and anxious days that followed, for it was feared that Mr.
Sherwood might not, after all, survive the shock; but Dexie never lost
heart, and was rewarded, after many days, by hearing the welcome news that
her father could safely be moved to his home.
Traverse had proved himself a helpful and faithful friend, and more than
one broken-hearted person blessed him for his ready help and sympathy, for
the accident had been attended with much loss of life and had spread
mourning into many homes.
Dexie had written twice daily to her mother; but having once mentioned the
fact that the few houses in the vicinity of the accident were filled with
maimed and wounded who were too ill to be sent to their homes, Mrs.
Sherwood considered it impossible for her to witness the sight, and Dexie
advised her to stay at home. She was well aware that the distressing sights
and sounds which were to be witnessed hourly in every house would have such
an effect on her mother that her presence would be more hurtful than
beneficial to her father in his present condition.
Dexie was very anxious to know if everything was in readiness for her
father's arrival, and Mr. Traverse relieved her anxiety by offering to go
to the house with the family doctor and make everything sure, and then
return and accompany them home.
It was with a feeling of shame that she gave her last message to him as he
was about to leave her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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