The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-01-28
TIE HEIRS RETURN.

| oWHcE III INC IalT estate named Ihf
Hurst, Il gave orders to have him
brought up here at once, and sent fol
/ Sandwith to ascertain the extent of the
1 poor fellows injuries. They won't be
4 long behind me, expect, though o.
1 course they can't move very quickly :.
| 1T certainly is great borer' ex.
| claimed Mrs. Castleton, in tones very
different from the dulcet falsetto with
which that lady was apt to regale so
ciety.
Just at this time, toor' echoed the
| young ladies, in much the same injured
1 voice
''But, my dear, what was to be done?''
! appealed the master of the house. In
| the name of common humanity, was ]
to leave the poor fellow, the victim OF
/ the criminal carelessness of one of nv
own gamekeepers, lying on the damp
ground, bathed in his own blood, in
| sensible-dying, perhaps within
/ hundred yards of my own housep'
'*But who is hep Nobody knows, ~
| continued Mrs. Castleton. ssHow can /
allow my daughters to wait upon a
! stranger? Neither can / spare time
| mysef; and to leave him to the mercy
OF servants seems inhospitable and
strange. Besides, he may die, and we
shall have all the horrors of a resident
| corpse.''
Spite of his perplexity, Mr. Castleton
COULD not repress a smile.
"A resident corpser' he repeated.
AT all events, my dear, such visitor
| is too transient to be termed resident.
| at is very wen for you to make sport
| of any inadvertent expression my excite
ment may call forth, +" retorted his wife;
''hut for all that, I repeat that at this
time you should have had him carried
| to the cottage of the man who shot him.
In fortnight we give a bah, as you
know, to welcome the return of Lord
Beaufoy to Templehurst. If this stran-
ger IS very i'll in the house, we shall not
| be able to do so, and you know how
many plans we have built upon it,
bstIndeed! i think can guess. Which
is it to beP Is May or Ella selected for
this conquering heroP'
''There is no occasion for leyity, Mr..
Castleton,'' said his wife, severely.
'tNeither May nor Ella lack for suitors;
but nevertheless had hoped that Lord
Beaufoy would be attracted by one or
other of them. And the old friendship
existing between the families, and his
return after fifteen years residence
abroad, warrants US in showing that we
appreciate his presence among us. He
was but lad of fifteen when he babe us
| goodbye. He returns a man of thirty''
And Mrs. Castleton's face frightened
with the advent of happier thoughts.
Meantime, the subject of all this con-
versation was stretched full length upon
his back in one of tie comfortable up
stairs bedrooms, gradually recovering
consciousness, with its unhappy accom-
paniment of realization of intense physi-
cal suffering.
A half-involuntary movement caused
deep groan to escape from his white
Ups. Some one passing the door heard
and entered-a little, delicate figure,
clad in deep mourning.
She resembled an exquisite pansy,
with her golden hair tight cooled about
her little head, her dark blue eyes and
rose-flushed cheeks.
Shrinking somewhat, as if the sight
of pain hurt her, vet nerying herself to
the effort, she approached the bed.
IF you can bear it moment, l will
try and make you more comfortable
she whispered.
And in few minutes the sufferer felt
that his head had found fresh, cool
place, and his wounded arm better
support, for which he tried to look his |
thanks. He could not speak them.
''Ah, Miss Manners! you here?'' ex-
claimed Mrs. Castleton, standing on the /
threshold. and speaking in tone of
percePtible relief, as if seeing way out |
of the difficulty into which she had
found herself so unexpectedly plunged. |
''Would you mind relieving me in the
care of this young manP You know / /
have SO little time, and my daughters
are so young and inexperienced; besides, |
with them
She stopped. hesitating.
81 understand, Mrs. Castleton,n an
swered the young girl. II am used to
nursing. and all the time / can spare
from the schooEroom viii relieve you
gladly
81 will excuse you from the school
room. The children can have holiday.
/ should like you to be always present
to receive the doctors directions, and to
see that they are carried out"
Left alone, Sybil Manners returned to-
the bedside of the suffering man, upon
whose pale, drawn features she looked
down with glance of plying compass
sion.
'EWho are you, / wonder, that they
leave you to my carep" she thought to
herself. s'Ah, if you could exchange
places with this Lord Beaufoy they
. pCoh oO 11AttSAk- ssSoAbs NOV" WOu10
vie with each other IN their care of you'll
But, pshaw! i am growing uncharit-
able. My life, is hardening me. Poor
fellow! Whoever you may be, you look
as though you had a hard, long siege
before your which verdict the physician
when he made his call
The fever had risen, the inflammation
in the wound increased. A painful
operation was necessary.
The doctor looked about him for an
e. feN +
..You, my child? No, nor he said,
rs Sybil Indicated herself. IL need a
not nervous child.'
81 was twenty my last birthday she
seplied. II viii not fail YOU.
. Once or twice her cheek blanched, but
The never relaxed her hold. She went
through her part bravely; then, when all
vas over, tainted dead away.
But, fortunately, her swo0n was short,
md left no i'll effects behind.
6 For two weeks, night and day, she
beside the sufferer. twas she
Who soothed his defiritm, who moist
med his parehed lips, who loosened the
,andages when they pressed, who
while 1Ieaslept. ssa
Occasionally Mrs. -Gastleton would
vs.lk on tiptoe tor the door and peep in.
II can do no good, = she would say; 4
i must not run myself down. Lord
.eauff,v n, Az arrive. now any day. DO 4