Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-12-12

change dat must come to ebbery soul on
dis yer planetary ball, de las change
eath."
Nora did not faint, nor cry out nor
weep. She sat still and shivered, while
she clasped her hands with strange
feeling that henceforth she had only her
self-only those weak hands with which
to fight the battle of life.
"Twelve o'clock, +" said Chloe, looking
at the clock, " "dey mostly goes bout dat
noon or midnight. De Lord rest his
soul, pears like he always was so on
restful here, he nebber could settle down
but de Lord, He knows"
Little Bunny was standing at her
mothers knee and looking up with her
pathetic eyes. Even to the child the
mystery and miracle of death was mani
fest, and she did attempt to 60 to her
father or to speak to him.
Come, honey; papa's asleep" cried
Chloe. ''You can kiss him good
by, and come wild yoS-sauntie. I'll jes
settle her for her nap. an den you'll
may be get awink. If ebber poor soul
wanted rest, you does"
Nora shook her head. She felt that her
heart was too full, her brain to busy for
sleep. The past, with all its memories,
moved before her-a shifting pageant:
One eshOrt dream oflove, ,pique, estrange-
ment; a marriage hurried into madly
that one should know that she was not
pining; the few restless, stormy, miser-
able years; her little child, who had
once more wakened her heart to ecstacy,
only to thrill it with deeper pain; and
now, death-this sudden stop to all.
But there was little time tor retrospect
or meditation. The future lay before
her-a future of struggle and toll. She
knew that when her bills were paid
there would be but few hundred dol.
lars left; only enough to go North; to
pay, perhaps for medical treatment for
Bunny, and afterward-sh scarcely
dared to face that afterward!
Philip Leonard's mortal remains were
laid under the magnolias, and the young
widow was making her hurried prep
arations for departure, when Chloe en-
tered the room one morning with let
ter.
Nora took the letter with a throb of
curiosity 1t was large and business
like. 1t was addressed to "Philip Leon
ard, ESQ.," and Nora felt little thrill
as she opened it. How savagely her
usband would have resented such an
act had he been living, and she could
not help timid tremor now, as if she
almost expected ghostly hand to
snatch it away.
But she opened it. and read as fol-
lows:
"NEw YORK May %.
''PHILIP LEONARD, ESQ. Upon exam
lining the will of our late client, Nicholas
Reeves, Esq, by which he leaves
his entire property to next of kin living
at the time of his decease, we instituted
proper inquiry and find that you are en-
titled to said estate. We desire you
will at once open correspondence with
us. Your late relatives solicitors,
''STURM q HURLBUT."
Inclosed was slip cut from city
newspaper:
"Died on the 10th of May, at midday,
half-past twelve o'clock, suddenly, of
aneurism of the heart, Nicholas Reeves,
Esq, Of Great Russell street, Bedford
square"
Nora telt great and sudden relief as
she read this letter. A burden was
lifted from her life. She knew well
what money can do. How it smooths
the rough places and makes "the will
derness to blossom as rose"
She saw her darling in restored
health, with the baby bloom on her
face, with all the abounding grace and
freedom of childhood now back again
through some mans wondrous skill. She
saw vistas of happiness for heFself-for-
eign travel, cultured society, unlimited
books. Oh, God was good to l,er-very
good and she had so often murmured; ;
or w.rse, perhaps, forgotten Him en-
tirely.
She read the letter over again with a
quick throbbing heart full of thanks
giving. Ah! what was it that suddenly
dropped like a cloud before her and the
sunshine of her hopes, as if at high noon
a pale eclipse had fallen over every.
thingP She had not noticed these par
ticulars on the first reading: "To the
next of kin living at the time of his de-
cease" then, the words from the news
paper item" at half-past twelve o'clock
midday"
"The sixteenth?" why, that was the
day her husband had died the very
day, only he had died before twelve!
and this man had died afterward; so
they were paupers after all, and could
not claim q penny
The revulsion of feeling was horrible.
She felt as if she had been suddenly de-
prived of rich inheritance Although
she had owned it in imagination only for
about fifteen minutes, the thought of
giving 1t up sent great pangs of anguish
through her soul. All! why had she
been dazzled with such visions only to
make life seem harder, barer, bleaker
than beforep Why should God lift her
up and cast her DOWN. Had life been so
sweet, so tranquil, so smooth, that she
needed this chastisementP
She could not bear it-she would not.
If she only had to suffer she might en-
dure it; but this money meant life and
health to her child. She threw down
the letter and paced the room as she
thought of it. She held the golden keys
of life as it were in her hand. Should
she throw them down for weak scru-
plep How could she live on bereft OF
allP
"God forgive mel" she murmured.
81 cannot cast this fortune aside for a
mere qualm of conscience. Who knows
that our time was right, or that the diff
ference in time might not All, me!
where am I driftingP Am l turning
swindler-thiefp"
And she paced the floor still, with fast
throbbing heart, her head aching with
a hundred tumultuous thoughts.
mo one knows" whispered the arch
! tempter at her ear, "what time your
husband died. No one knows but Chloe
and you will leave her behind you
The secret may be forever shut in your
own heart. You need this money, and
it seems as if God had put it into your
hand. The next of kin knows nothing
of it, has not expected it, does not need
it, in all probability. At all events, youl
need is the greatest; yours is case O
life and death.'
One more thought of her child, anC