The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-06-09

DaVId was ABOUT TO reply warmly
but l took his arm and whispered il
l1is ear that he would please his fathe
best by yielding to his brother.
but before six months are gon
they will have sold everything, sir,
} demonstrated the young man in return
''All the old furniture will be in til,
hands of strangers"
4 II will provide against that" I said
\ y will make Reuben an offer for it.
4ACome,S David, SAID his hair broth
er, with a sneer, "can't ye make ~
your mind without consulting the par
"Father," replied David, stif YOU
were not lying sick I should ask for 8
fair division ; as it is, I'm willing thai
you should give Reuben everything,
except the clock and the shelf of books
Will that suit you, Reuben?n
GAY, that it will bravely,' cried
Reuben, exultingly "Give us your
hand, Davy. You're better brother
than l took YOU for
81 should like Reuben to have one
book, murmured the old man, sstjust
by the way of remembrance. Would
sye kindly look through them, Mr..
Woodward ?''' s,....f-,-..-. .......
r. At these. words I took the books
from the shelf they were only doz-
en- in number --and laid them on the
TRIBE. - .-.
''The Whole Duty of Man ?" I said
interrogatively. ;,.5s ---..5 g.
e' ''No.' answered Reuben, with a
shake of his head, mot in my line, sir y
"a Prayer Book ?" I continued, si.
ftNo, let DaYy, keep it." answered
Reuben, contemporary. 20. .ye- !.
"This seems a precious old family
relic" 1 observed. The title pagebore
the date of 1929. - -
Is."No, sir,' replied David, ''father
bought it only a few days before he
took i'll. He bought it of a travelling
hawker for the sake of. the big print. !"
As he spoke l was slowly turning
over the leaves of the volume, search
ing from idle curiosity to see if the
form of service appointing for. touch
ing persons afflicted with the kings
evil was contained IN it. Suddenly /
uttered an exclamation of surprise
"My friends" l SAID, ''this prayer
book is more valuable than any of US
probably suspected" .,s-
AS I spoke these words I held up a
fimsy piece of paper, yellow with
age. 1t was a Bank of England note
for one hundred pounds, dated in the
issar Of 1905, and signedzby Abraham
Newland, the famous chief cashier of
that period.
The storm which had so long laid
brooding on the horizon had by this
time burst over the village. The
thunder growled, the rain poured
down in torrents, while although the
sun was still high in the heavens, the
room in which we sat was nearly dark
ened by the dense gloom without, and
was chiefly Illuminated by the inces-
SAINT flashes of lightning which darted
across the sky. d. -r
Everybody, with the exception of
the sick man, rose eagerly on hearing
my words, and pressed around me to
gaze upon the treasure which 1 had
unwittingly discovered. Doctor Webb
pronounced it a genuine note and held
it before John Dymond's eyes, briefly
telling him how and where it had been
found. This thin, discolored slip of
paper represented n sum of money
which three years of hard toll, under
frost and heat, would not have gained
for the humble laborer, yet he regard
ed it with unmoved eyes. His
thoughts were elsewhere. eff it be
lawful to keep it," he said quietly,
"part it fairly between Reuben and
David" f-
No one had handled the note ex-
cepting Doctor Webb and myself, for,
as 1 entertained strong distrust of
Reuben and his wife, L did not care
to excite their jealousy by affording
David privilege which I would not |
grant to them. / took the note from
the doctors hand, and, having re-
sumed my seat at the table, was about |
to place it in my pocket-book, when a !
flash of lightning of an ap-
palling blue that Illuminated the room,
in an instant by roar of
thunder as if a thousand cannons had |
been discharged simultaneously. We,
one and all uttered an instructive cry
Of dread, and I fancied that a conyul- |
sive shudder shook the limbs OF the |
invalid. A few moments later per-
ceived that Doctor Webb was point !
ing with unwonted solemity of man
ner toward the bed. e.. I started from |
my chair, and bending forward peered |
eagerly through the obscurity at John !
Dymond's face. He had ceased to
breathe, the jaw had fallen, and in the
midst of natures mighty conflict, his
spirit had passed peacefully and pain
lessly away. -. ...,-.
CHAPTER Iu.-LOST. ,-.a
By degrees we began to recover
from the two-fold shock which he mo-
mentarily confused our senses, and
my first thought was that / had left
the hundred pound note lying on the
table.o 1 say my. first thought, foriaf-
my ideas upon the subject be-
came confused from incessant attempts
at recollection, and 1 began to doubt
wether l had not put it in my pscket-
book or replaced it within the leaves
of my Prayer Book. The inmates of
the chamber of death soon perceived
that something was anniss. The thun-
der storm was rapidly passing away, I
and as the air grew brighter, they no
iced the intensely anxious EXPRESSION
Of my face and the nervous manner
with which, I turned out the contents
/. e I'll 1>of n