Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1852-11-03
CHAPTER Xxx.

! The miser had ranking in his age worn body
the pangs OF disease d; his joints, his limbs were
racked with torturing agOnieS, and his leftside.
from his head to his feet was dry and with
cred with deadly paralysis The affection
sent upoE him had strangely afflicted his face ::
the muscles Of the left side had lost their viror
and tone, and it was drawn and contorted un-
I'll 1t was hideous to behold. He was forced
to hire servants to wait upon him and help him
from his miserable bed to his armchair. lie
oh'ss''ye e. sir-s ont his eAsistanea st the same
| house where his French Servant lefthiir. but
the property and its improvements he had un-
lawfully wrested from MS brother and sister.
was restored to them according to the proyis-
ions of the viii made by old Ambrose, that
was stolen by Allan. He still lived there in
the old house, without the companoGship of
any one, other than his hired menials, who min
istered to his wants for the pieces of money
ne grudgingly gave them for their services
Considerable Of his wealth was taken from him
by the arm Of the law and restored to Walter
and Emma, but he still had an abundance of
gold, and old as ne was, he bowed down and
Worshlpped it. He kept it locked in a strong
box ana lald the key under his miserable pill
low at times he would cause his servants to
carry hlG to where it was and seat him in his
char over it, and, with his right hand that was
lett him, he would lift it up in the canvass bags
ana feast his dim and fading eyes upon it. At
times he would loan portion of it to men of
Sood character, at an enormous and eXorbitant
per cent, which he added to his Golfers and de-
MED himself the comforts of iife He subsis-
ted on dry bread and cup of water persisted
his body and fed his soul on the gold that Law
rustng before us eyes Arfrr " ii 5sfeed
stIll mser; old as he was and Withered with
disease, trembling on the verge of eternity,
he yet bowed down and gave to AIammon the
alteration that should have been qiven to God.
lie seemed to be unaware Of the tendency of
| age and the disease that had signaIed him out
Tor It's prey--death and decay was fretting, day
by day, and inch by inch, his living vitaIs away
day and night, wien he sat among his bags
and counted the per cent, it was busy and
ceased not its solemn work. Death was with
HIM on his wretched bed, in his chair, palpabIy
before him day and night, but he was blind to
lis awful presence and saw it not Death -
How could the miser see or fear the contiguity
OF death He could not, gold filled his soul i
his eyes were dazzled to blindness whit; his
ears were dull with its ringing music; every
thought every attribute was welded to gold
then how could he see, hear, feel or dread
death lie could not, and yet it had walked,
step by step, with him, since the scene in the
courtroom, now near a wear.
One night he had sat up late. counting the
him he had taken no iiourlsnngnC during s@svrc
day, because he 'felt no need of H. as he told
his servant. His servant left him at early dark
sitting atthe table, with his greasy lamps, coun
ting piece after piece Of the shining metal and
making marks on the table with chalk, to keep
the numbers of his wealth. The night wore
on until late hour and the servant could yet
hear him ringing the gold and silver on the
table and dropping it for The hundredth time
into the worn bags where he had kept it for
years. The servant wondered why the rap
pings of the miser's cane did not call him to
ease his master to his ragged couch as usual !;
and he grew weary himself with waiting At
Tenth the feeble rap of the miser's cane fell on
the floor and his faithful servant stood before
him. The miscr told him he felt intolerable
pangs in his body, and asked him what he
should do. The servant suggested the pro-
priety ola Physician being called The misel
, rested his brow among his bags that were
/ heaped on the table and groaaed painfully
! His servant insisted on helping him to bed, but
! he refused and bid hi m 90 and call Il Physician
! to relieve him of the intolerable pangs he felt
, The servant obeyed, and in Il few minutes re
a turned with Il physician to ease his MASTER
:, mscr's room, horrible picture was presentet
i to them there sat the miser before the table
on which was gold in piles and gold in bags
e the chalk scores and tally marks he had tha
= night counted in his alteration the huge swea
- drops glistening on his forehead, his old whit
: locks wet with the sweat-deWs that agon
- had gushed from his pores and hanging
;, shreds around his brow; his face distorted int
a a hideous fright, and his body drawn into mu
| dering cramps!
u Il have sent for YOU to do something for m
II DOCTOR said the miser. The doctor and I'll
~ servant aided the suffering man to his miser
y bic couch and spread the coverings over hir
~ The doctor felt his pulse hr q long tin
~ and the miser lay quietly on his bed pantil
20 and groaning. 1t was not apparently t
-, couch of a rich man; no rich curtains of 60
2, and silk no clean white linen no yelyet
!, no rose-colored flowers or tassels Of silver
,ss lace hung about the misers bed but coaI
!, coverings and hard mattrass, with fl
no and tattered canopy, was all that was SCI
IA The miser grew impatient and said to
~ physician "There is nothing the mat
-" with my wrist and he snatched it away q
80 beat his breast with agony, saying-'he
ing in here is where ! suffer. Tell me what is t
80 s57 that feels so smothoring, so heavy, SO full
30 agony, so cold here-here
!, The physician laid his hand on the brow
~. ~ the sufferer and then turned to where he
aa9 y laid his package of medicine and poured
on draught in a cup and held it to the lips of
,.,l VI miser and he drank it. saying-"That i
'u'' make me we'll again, is it doctor p
The physician stood at the bedside ct
feey patient and after few moments laid his
iyen ger on his wrist again. The miser watc
Ia3zy him, raised up his dim, CLASSY eyes to
the medical counsellor and anxiously enqull
lnds !" How now, doctor-am | growing bt
etch almost well again ?"
The physician brushed a tear from his
Cra- and replied
bats 1T is my sad duty to inform you that
day are fast passing away ~
t the What ~
,aves "Dying!" replied the doctor.
ioce Dying dying did yousay Oh!
when Ha Ha! Hal Oh! doctor why do you
and, and teaze me so ?"
obli- Truth-truth; you are passing sv
away, and it becomes my painful duty to
DR. he you to prepare to meet your account th
emed recorded in the books of Eternity"
n his What did Won saw of twenty five per ct