The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-01-21
ASSURANCE WARNING

BY I. II. 8. EsC0Tr.
We were sitting in what was called by
courtesy "Mr. Franks study. " but which
was in reality the ~smoking-room of the
Yicarhge, late at night; three of us-my
brother, Frank Mainwaring. my cousin Guy
Gervayse, and myself. Guy we had net H.
er Of US seen for years; not, l think, since
theold days when he used tOtspend part Of
his long vacation at Burnley aud helped
Us TO annihilate the game in which my poor
fathers coverts were rich, Even Frank
aud | had seldom met Of late, for our paths
were different; he my fathers cumte, and
| but just returned. bronzed and altered by
seven years beneath au Indian sun.
Returned, too, to find the heavy hand Of
death just closing upon the Yicarago. A
telegram waited me Mt Southampton, bid
ding me come with all speed. for my father
was fast sinking. | was in time, however
just in time to receive his farewell bles-
sing, and to press my lips to the old mans
forehead eIe il was cold in death. We had
only buried him that morning; and on the
previous evening we were all Of us a little
surprised at receiving a message from our
cousin Guy, who we had thought was in
Algeria, saying that lac would be with as
by ten next morning to follow his uncle's
corpse to the grave.
II was one of my fathers peculiarities,
that during his whole lifetime he had al
ways been singularly reserved on matters
Of business: but ! was very much surprised
10 hear from Frank that my father had not
in the course Of his illness given even him,
his favOrite son, any information as 10 the
position Of his affairs. As / have said, the
funeral had taken place that morning; but
the will had not been found. Drawers and
desks had been searched for days, over
and over again, but IL was nowhere discov-
cradle. Thata will existed both my moth
er and Frank were convinced, from the oc-
casional hints of il which my father had
thrown ont. Much depended on it; forthe
living, my fathers owl, had been long in
the family, and there was other property,
the disposal Of which it could not but seri-
ously affect
While I had been dressing that very
morning, Frank knocked ut my door, and
entered the room with the words.
arthur, you are so skeptical on all these
matters, that you will smile when you hear
what have to say, but, as / live I saw your
father last night. Yes, Arthur, the poor
old governor stood by my bedside, Just as
| have seen him a thousand times, and
said 10 me in a voice that sounded perfect.
ly natural, Frank, my dear boy, you want
the VIII you will ind It with my papers Of
orders. / wished TO tell you so the other
night, wien you were with Arthur in the
study; bat you were smoking and talking.
and could not interrupt you And then"
continued Frank, 'he said, God bless YOU,
my dear, dear son. just MS he used 10 say
every night when / gave him his bed-can-
die. 1t was as real as life"
This was Franks story. Duringthe day,
AS may be easily imagined, we had had lit
tie time to think or talk further OF it; b Mt
now that the fearful ordeal of the funeral,
which We all dreaded so mnch for nv poor
mothers sake, was over, our thoughts and
conversation had naturally reverted 10 il,
and Frank had only that minute narrated
to Guy Gervayse, in precisely the same
words which / have given allow, the story
which he had already told me.
/ noticed as he listened that n curious
look came over the unreadable counten-
ance OF Guy. He said nothing, but there
wa n strange sort of twitching about his
n%ostrils, and q contraction about his fore
head, which plainly indicated that he felt
much. Perhaps he pulled away at his pine
a ~littleqnieker than usual, but that was all
l " | was skeptical.
only dear Frank" / said, ''you know we
have examined all the documents, and not
even the papers or orders are to be found.
We have hunted high and low, and no trace
Of them is visible. / very much fear that
your dreams will be purposeless. What
say you, Guy2"
But Guy was still silent, only there was
the same strange preoccupiod look about
his face. Presently Frank threw away the
end OF his cigar into the midst of the logs
which were blazing upon old-fashioned
dogs, lit his candle, and babe us good
night.
He was not a man TO say much, was nv
cousin Guy Gervayse-a curious, impene-
trable ehRracter-A man who was MT all
times given to actions rather than words.
who had been at most places in the course
OF his rowing life. and who spent his time
roaming mp and down Europe, and out of
Europe, as his fancy took him. We used
to be almost afraid of him as boys. There
seemed about him a desperate fxity ofpul-
pose which was1 almost cruel. And as |
looked that nigh on the SCARED face, and
noted the penetrating expression Of that
cold p~assionless eye, and saw the mans
lips set like steel, / thought that anyone
who might happen to cross his purpose
would have assuredly n poor time of il.
arthur" he said at last, IF l were
you, | would renew the search for those
papers,"
''Yoa think there's something in Franks
story, after alp / scarcely expected 10 find
you a proselyte to the theory of revelation
by dreaming"
But Guy was still silent, though his
c-ountenance spoke for him and mace me
anxious to know what his thoughts'were.
"lll tell you a story about a dream, Ar
thar, he said, after a long pause, cutting
the while n cake of CanYendish as an init,
atory step toward a new pipe; ga dream
which / had once, which didn't end with
by Heayenl-if you care about
hearing il"
The offer was bluntly made, but ii be
tokened an extraordinary degree of com
municatiyeness on Guys part, and l wal
not reluctant TO accept il. The man, az s
said, was in some sense an enigma 10
us all Whatever he had done, where he
had been, were facts which he chose TO
keep - himself, and On which he would
scarcely care to have closely questioned him.
But the story ofthe dream which Guy Ger
Vayse told me now was in no small meas
ure the story Of his life. Such az il is, /
Wlll relate IL, using az much as / can the
very words used by Guy himself-and he
wasted very few in the narration, that you
may be sure of.
II suppose it was" Guy Gervyse began,
''because, poor child, she seemed TO need
one whom she could cling 10, and
would defend her, that she was attracted
towardB me in the first. Poor Sibyl Heav-
en- knows whether she could have been hap
py with me-she might have been-and
The child grew to love me. But il was not
10 be; you know I've been q good deal