Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-03-30
need refreshment-rest. Have you slept since

you arrived ?'
''Slept Pho could not sleep" said Har
ry, sadly enough. Now that the excitement
of the meeting was abating, and his first an1'
iety for his uncle past, his own cares rushed
over him again. 81 saw her-last evening.
went there as soon as I found you were not
at home.'
"My boyr' The Captain pressed his hand
looking wistfully at him. "What did she
say?"
s'She said-oh, can't repeat it all, uncle, ]
don believe she knows her own mind. And
yet-she does seem to be fond of me still. God
knows what is going to come of it." He with.
drew his hand, and risingfrom his seat, began
to walk excitedly about.
"Does Mr.. Erskine know of your return ?''
"Dont mention his name can't bear 1t, y
said Harry, huskily.
The Captain was greatly distressed. He
longed to say something, but he did not know
how to commence Affairs had indeed got
strangely, sragically mixed. Oh, he thought,
that had he never uttered the words which
had helped to persuade Sophy, and lead to this
dilemma. His heart pleaded his nephews Is
cause. Indeed, it seemed that his rights in
the case were almost indisputable. But Mr..
Erskine! What treatment would it be that he
must receive at Sophy's hands He longed to
question Harry, to find out something more OF
his interview with the Mays, but he felt that
he had better not ask anything just then.
He little dreamed, while pondering thus in
his perplexity, and casting troubled glances at
Harry's sad, stern face, that the Gordian
knot had already been cut by hand more
powerful than any of theirs.
Suddenly there came loud, agitated knock
ing at the outer door. He fastened to open it,
and discov, red Mrs. Perry, pale, bTeathess,
and with arks of tears On her face.
ooh sir! Oh Captain !" she cried, lifting
up her han s, ''Mr. Erskine is dead"
"What !! The Captain staggered back at
this annor acement he could not believe his
ears.
s'He is, indeed the poor, dear gentleman !
AS good gentleman as ever lived. And on
his wedding day, too. ''What will poor Miss
Sophy say"
Chow did it happen % asked the Captain,
almost too bewildered by this succession of
incomrrehensible events to know whether he
was dreaming or awake.
ssGod knows, sir. went to his room to
ask him question, pretty early, and getting
no answer when called to him through the
door, 1 went in. There he was, sir, on the
bed, in his clothes, stark and stiff. He
couldn't never have gone to bed at all, but
just laid down in his clothes. But oh sir, the
look of his FACE, with such smile! It's just
like picture. Will you kindly come over
with me, sir, for indeed don't know what to
do I'm that flustered, T feel ready to drop"
The news of this catastrophe quickly spread
over the whole place, and was received gen.
orally with mixture of feelings difficult to
describe. Almost simultaneously came the
announcement of Harry's return, and all who
knew the circumstances of Sophy's later en-
gagement as who did not, in the little COM
munity where she was universally known and
beloved p felt an awed conviction that the
hand of God was indeed in the matter. Mr..
Erskine had been friend to them all. There
was not one, old or young, in the village, who
had not respected and even loved him, and to
more than one he had been a benefactor in no
small degree. But Harry! He was almost
one of themselves. How could they but rejoice
over his unlooked-for, almost miraculous re-
storation? Thus the general feeling was
greatly mixed !; but through it all the widest
excitement prevailed. The stir went on, how
ever, quite apart from the Mays house, which
was kept shut up through the day. No one,
except the two friends who had a right, would
venture to intrude.
As to Harry, Of course his difficulties were
now at an end. Sophy had never really waver-
ed in her allegiance to him and while his JOY
was shadowed by the nature of the occurrence
which had set his doubts at rest, he might be
pardoned for not exactly grieving over the
event, his acquaintance with Mr. Erskine had
been, after all, but a brief one.
$50 we are to have funeral instead of
wedding, it seems, " remarked Mrs. johnson to
Tom Hardy's wife, as, joining the general ex-
ample, she left her work to gossip over the
news.
Likely the wedding amt far off," was the
reply. 'sWen, we'll things does happen queer
in this world. To think o. Mr.. Erskon' (this
was the commonly accepted pronunciation of
his name in the neighborhood) ''dying so sud-
dent, just after Harry's coming home ! S'pose
Sophy'd been married before! Twas mercy
she wasn't
'sWell, hope she'll cheer up bit, poor
thing. Time has gone hard with her since
her father died; and guess She always have
been pining after Harry, if things had turned
out as we expected them to. But it seems
pity that that grand house won't be hern."
The ''grand house." as it proved, was actu-
ally hers BY Mr.. Erskine's will, dated some
months back, it was found that the entire
property had been bequeahted to her, for her
sole and uncontrolled possession, with the ex-
ception of some smaller legacies, the chief of
which was five thousand dollars to his old
friend the Captain, sum sufficient to main
tain him in affluence through the remainder
of his life. A letter written by him Oh the
night previous to his sudden demise, after his
meeting with Harry, confirmed the provisions
of the will, stating that although he consider
his former relation to Sophy annulled by the
circumstance of Harry's return, he in no wise
desired to alter the arrangements he had made,
in thus constituting her his heir.
In this letter, his noble and unseltish spirit
was clearly manifested. and his intention OF
relinquishing all claim to her hand openly eX-
pressed. 1t was addressed to her, and through
it's lines breathed tenderness that awakened
her deepest emotion; for in reading them she
recalled his long self-sacrifice, his generous
devotion to her welfare, and she wept to think
that Fate had debarred him from the happiness
which he had so desired her to enjoy. Her