THE EXAMINING COMMIITTEE



  Following the direction indicated, the doctor
saw, drawn up near his door, an old-fashioned
one-horse wagon, such as is still occasionally seen
in New England. A square-boxed, dark green
wagon, drawn by a sorrel horse, sometimes called
by the genuine Yankee " yellow," and driven l)v a
white-haired man, whose silvery locks, falling
around his wrinkled face, gave to him a pleasing,
patriarchal appearance, which interested the doc-
tor far more than did the flutter of the blue rib-
bon beside him, even though the bonnet that rib-
bon tied shaded the face of a young girl. The
note was from her, and, tearing it open, the doc-
tor read, in the prettiest of all pretty, girlish hand-
writing:
  " Dr. Holbrook-"
  Here it was plainly visible that a " D " had
been written as if she would have said " Dear."
Then, evidently changing her mind, she had wvith
her finger blotted out the " D," and made it into
an oddly shaped " S," so that it read simply:

  "DR. HOLBROOK-Sir: Will you be at leisure
to examine me on Monday afternoon, at three
o'clock
                       MADELINE A. CLYDE.
  "P. S.-For particular reasons I hope you can
attend to me as early as Monday.  M. A. C."



Dr. Holbrook knew very little Of girls, but he



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