American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-15
Miscellany.
sPR1NaING A MINE.

IT was curious and pleasant, 80 certain
Of Mr.. Herdock's clients held, to discern
through his Office windows-heavily bar
rod to defeat the designs of the burglar
ious-a small patch of enclosed land, rich
in rank grass, and shaded, little as it
needed shade, for the neighboring houses
hemmed it In on all sides, by an old, stunt
ed murky elm-tree. The land had origi-
nally pertained to a church that had long
since vanished. sometimes. after a
ghostly- looking, solitary sheep, coming
none knew from whence, or by whose
authority, had been turned into the en-
closure, and mad cropped and munched
away the long grass, faint outlines of re-
cumbent tombstones could be traced
whitening here and there the vegetation.
Within living memory no interment had
taken place there; and the Inhabitants of
the adjoining buildings took little heed of
1t now, except now and then to turn it to
account g . dust-bin, = receptacle for
broken glass and crokery, cinders, litter,
refuse. and rubbish of all kinds.
Mr.. Herdock's offices were on the
ground-f1oor Of rambling old house in
one Of the tortuous, confined thorough
fares of Walbrook. His private room
was at the back of the building, and thus
obtained its feeble sort of rural outlook.
He was solicitor Of sound repute, enjoy
ing an excellent practice; q tall, lean,
elderly man, with good features, worn
very sharp by time and hard work at his
calling. His tall, bald forehead had the
look Of old parchment, or of discolored
ivory; his safiow face was deeply lined
and very gaunt. Yet his aspect betrayed
no trace of i'll health or of premature de-
cay. He was alert of movement; the
fringe of hair at the back of his bald head
was still a dense black; there were no
threads of silver in the sharply-trimmed,
- IL a. y L.
high cheek bones; although his lips were
colorless. his teeth were sound and white,
and his gray eyes twinkled piercingly be-
meath his heavy penthouse brows. He
was, plainly, wiry, spare man, who
could still endure much wear and tear,
and make q good fight with time.
Mr.. Merdock sat at his desk-idly for
enclosure to be seen from his window.
now at tin box, one of a large pile of
similar tin boxes, ranged against the wall
opposite to him. now at the Times news
paper, spread out before him. With
moditative air he was rubbing the palm
of his large, yellow, bony hand against
his very blue chin, for his strong black
beard opposed a stout resistance to the
razor, let him ply It as persistently as he
might. He paused to take noisily a huge
pinch of snuff, and then passed large
scarlet and puce silk pocket-handker-
chief across his face.
'Pocr Delpratt r. he said, with glance
at the tin. box. The legend, THE DEL
PRATT TRUST, was inscribed upon it in
dim gold letters. ''Dead I" He gazed
from the window at the wavy grass and
-Four days ago 7" he laid his hand upon
the newspaper. It contained among its
advertisements of deaths the following
brief notification:
'On the Goth OF November, at the
Manor House, Lupton, Hants, EUsrACE
we're DELPRATT, aged fifty-seven."
Mr. 4erdock shook his head mourn
fully, sighed, and then shrugged his
shoulders, making an effort, as it seemed,
mind just then one of his clerks en-
tered and handed him a card He
started a. he read the name it bore. After
q moments hesitation he said:
'You must show him in, Booth"
A young man entered, Creased in deep
mourning.
'Mr. Ernest Delpratt ~ Mr.. Merdock
was reading aloud the name on the card
"You have forgotten me, I see, Mr..
Merdock But il Is not surprising. We
have not met for some years. I know
that lam much changed in appearance
was mere boy then"
PRAY be seated"
BE was now perhaps about thirty; wear
ing thick. ed.brown beard; and rather
h: f ss n Eli, nsg asa9s Sss
was no doubt increased in effect
But his eomSle1ion was Of that deadly
wilderness which knows little variation,
and resists all influence of temperature,
refusing to be bronzed by the sun, or red
dened BY exposure to the wind. 1t was
Late to ~ 49, Al
naturally sultry. Still 1t had not brought
any increase ofcolor to his face; only the
glisten of CLEANLINESS on the surface of
his skin.
"You are aware. of course, of the sad
occurrence that has brought me heref"
II have only just read in the Times of
Mr.. Delpratt's death" Mr. Merdock's
"You knew him Intimately"
II can scarcely say so much as that. I
saw him frequently at one time. But of
late years we seldom met. I rarely quit
London, he rarely visited it. Still re-
garded him az a friend. l heard from
him occasionally. He was kind enough
always to address me in the most cordial
terms. have learnt of his death with
extreme regret"
you know more of his private affairs than
any one"
''That may be So" said Mr.. Merdock,
cOldly.
Gle executed a will, in your presence,
some ten years agO?"
Mr.. Merdock made no reply.
81 should EXPLAIN" the young man
went on, ''that as his sole surviving re-
lative"-
pardon me-" Merdock interrupted.
illegally speaking, the late Mr.. Delpratt
had no relatives"