Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-07-20
prom the St. James M'gaaiue.l
A TRUE Low E R,
IN THRER CHAPTERi.
CHAPTER I
"orF Win THE OLD LOVE-

fpry white Stars Wituou'i uuanJ "iI o'ii"ii5
nSi ,i,,d dull glimmerng candle within, pull
Inu.' !"'. 'doomfnily with the blank stick tack"
w. w. watch. which some hand, forgetful of
,re needfu tasks, has wound up and
%'.ol nm a shelf An Indian night, awfully
a,ntifil outside but here, In sick room,
g',,ilv redolent of vinegar and ether lying
H.. a. palpabe horror on hot forehead, wet
iri,h sickcned dews, a laboring chest, and
nmyen. wasted hands, that toss moaningly
IN and fro and seek in vain Tor an easy place
I'M that furnace-bed of fever.
dennis Kilcourcy, who at present, owns
,,,e.r inconyenient proofs OF humanity, but
,hn is not likely if appearances are correct,
~, avn Them long. has been lying here for
,,cks uarched and frozen to the heart al
,ornntrly. 'Jairly melting away" as his
s,,rrt Irish voice half comic, half pathetic,
,,,,rrssrd IL when he could still smile at his
ADM sulTrinrs; till all strength of mind and
Lniy seem drained out of him, or concentra-
irl into those big black-blue eyes, ablaze
Nh fever glistening from their dark circles
with a terribly intent look, such as men sell
dom wear Ill they lie face TO face, shut up
br,ond chance Of escape with the last great
uruhcm
He looks awfully white as he lies on the
willie pillow-iusl n touch of scarlet ON his
.mrpencd cheekbone, and his lips that move
driN with faint iluttcring breaths his voice.
muilering plants that in their agony are al
most prayers, is nearly eXtingulslied; and
thr hdy comrade Newsome, who shares his
amrrrs. who left him, weary of the piteOus
,pcrmclc half afraid Of one more piteous
y,t two hours ago has 10 night all the sad
Importance of the first bearer of i'll news.
'Kicourcy's amtuAg bad, he has an
nonrcd to one man after another, Il don't
think h. can live
Poor old Paddy he used to be so jolly"
SAYS some one, regretfully ''always ready
tnhrlp man out of scrape,
''Or into one, remarks an unpopular per-
son. whom an angry repetition of Newsome's
intelligence speedily checks
somebody ought to go and sec him,
ancW voice observes.
'lc-cs,' replies Newsome, rather doubt
iuIh comfy
"Nhy moi?
'Wcll, he grOans So and...l think he's off
his head "A little, and you know, quite......
dying
He drops his voice nervousy at the last
words, and fidgels with ring ON his finger,
while an oppressed silence falls on the rest.
THEY are most of them young, and afraid,
not exactly Of death, but of death bed scene
of any sort of gloom embarrassed, too ;
wondering, perhaps, If that pleasant, hot
tempered, soft-hearted reckless daredevil
Paddy, will be as daring to the last, or
need prayer and comfort such as they never
knew, or have forgotten how to give. So
they look at each other soberly, till u man
rises from the shadow, where he has been
sitting, and goes with gentle heavy step to-
wards the door
"Ephinstone,' says some one as if the
nanc were in itself comforting and explain
atory and messages are shouted after him,
ioWhirh he listens conscieniousy, and with
sadness on II usually cheerful face, and then
goes ou his mission
"lls in his line, remark those he leaves
and they are 50 far right, that doing Il kind
ncss, under whatever circumstances, is al
way in Shafto Elphinstone's line,
He reaches the door of kicOurCy's room
Il III course Of time, and after knocking twice
in vain enters. The candle has burned
lower, and the sick man lies much quicter,
with look of awe and helpless terror in his
bright eyes and on his wan face that goes tu
SNios kindly heart
lie turns his head sharply as the latter
enters, having heard him outside speaking tC
the doctor, who has been here since New
some left
"llr says III @eP" he asks piteously
son EIphinsonr.' And he shuddcrs ant
nnd that Shaflo lays tenderly upon him, AZ
il for very life
No, no, he doesn't say that
ponl tell me lie now, to keep me quie
".hc,hlrs, l-l-OugM TO know. to prcpar,
,.Mr used to try and teach me these things
ri hn' my heads so bad can't remember DE-
yoa think God can forgive ?...D'ye think b,
"s how hard".Dye think He'd take IN,
when I'm so unfit n
but the doctor dOseht say you're dying
Oh fellow, replies Shafto s0berly, interrup
Inc &
nave driven NewsOme away terrified. 'II
say your very bad but you may pul
ln'oo9h and he trusts you will. And evel
Il y"a couldn't, ii isn't your sins that matter
pUI your being sorry for them to God"
'Nh' said so, answers the other eagerly
brushing the drops off his forehead. "Bu
trH thought it might be because she care
loF me little, and so wanted to look at
ua' way, But you'd tell me the ttutl
wouldn't YOU =
You know | would"
And it isn't sure I'll die this time ?"
NO
NIeourcy heayes long sigh of relief an
Cln-ins fast TO Shafto's hand, turns his hea
81 YEARLY to the pillow
y think I'll be able to rest now," lie mu
YI' rAhaustedly. Il was afraid before,
Wlll keep stirring, I'd die in my sleep.
any 'ltIt was message, and q locket'
JUS words die into tired murmur i
y iiH asleep with them on his lips, and ShaftC
moNlNg down with simple unenvying admi
a''"n at the delicate beauty of his feature
uic long black lashes that culver on Ii
K NaNgh cheek, the wet glossy rings of ha
l"lsuhg on his white forehead wonde
+ Nn','er the message and the locket" we
!T tha' same ''she' who used to try m
y,p, Ualh poor Dennis the good things he III
"n @ heeu OF now whether she loved hi
a,N much, and was really the secret of b
ms ol rtGktssness and sorrow, of his ma
ton, Wv '0'e0 VI Wv -
Poor girl !" he thinks, 'and poor Padd
"' II evident it can't have gone ve
IIn'"tlly And as he makes this reilectiO
tl'' sllts, and strokes caressingly, wi
J iJoor leverlsh fingers, the strong hand
,"Sl"' and mutters Darling" over al
VT with name Shafto does not catch.
o, nt listens tenderly, with little curio
H.. 'T a feeling he has never known.
S,l ,l'g mas been very calm and steady currel
iM enough, with scarcely an event TO bre
t'ltSe illl that which is sending him ba
sroi, 'uG'aliu now, namely, his uneXpect
4, 'NNlD TO estates and fortune
d;I,g ,r ~ lolces over it In Il quiet way, for
" ",nhca India, and thinks England the OF
II,uyIiy worth living in; but he is not undu
o,Ilpt o,l ahd has mild schemes for the good
i,iS-lls nai,i1 triends-his future tenants a
itslloois as wellas for his own pleasure,
tgi,ia'"he Is quiet, indeed, in every thing,