The Osceola times., 1884-08-23
A MILLlONAIRE'S DEATH,
Tons Of Gold Weighed upon Him, but
Nothing did he take Away.

Joaquin Miller.
The guest had come back and was
there distinctly now. The millionaire
did not cry out or lift hand. He did
not even open his lips. Maybe he could
not have cried out or even opened his
lips to save his life if he had tried
He sat there helpless, alone in the dim
light, startled, terrified, fascinated. His
eyes were fixed steadily and still on the
great chair just opposite. He looked
long time.
And then, at last, he saw in the dim
light that this ghost was not empty
handed He could not see who or what
manner of man was there. In fact, the
occupant of the chair did not seem. to
take any real form at first. After a
while, however, the millionaire, who
mad been farmer in his day, seemed to
vaguely recognize the figure and form of
an old, bent and deformed farm hand.
A great relief!
He was glad. He had not been gener.
ous to this old farm hand, nor to any
one, insided, as to that. But he promis-
cd himself that the old farm hand, who
had always been so old, and bent, and
helpless, and tired-looking, he would
now help most generously.
| But how did he get in? And what was
that which he had brought with him on
his arm and shoulder? Why was it
hanging there?
1t was surely not haying or harvest
time. There was snow on the ground
outside. And yet this strange, silent,
obtrusive and crippled old Farmland
had surely brought the seythe with him !!
The millionaire holding SO tight on to
his one hundred millions with bis two
massive red hands was about TO speak,
to cry out, to protest. But Just then the
bent and bony old farmland reached
out long, heshless arm and sat some
thing down right in the center of the
table between them.
| Then he drew back his shadowy, fes h.
less arm and sat still. He sat so silently
and intently still, looking straight at
that little something which he had set
down there 81 silently and so mysteri-
ously between them.
The millionaire tried to move his
hand, to lift up and appeal in some way
against this all this. 1t was horrible !!
So horrible So still So terrible, all
this He could not move his hand. He
trieo to move his foot. 1t was as if it
weighed thousand tons. He tried to
cry out. His lips refused to obey him.
Ii was Us if all his tons of gold weighed
him down, and held him still and help
less.
Suddenly and yet slowly the long,
feshless right arm of the bent and bony
and pointed at the little object which
had been set down between them.
The long, fieshless fingers touched
this.
The eyes of the millionaire fastened
eagerly upon it. And then-oh horror |!
1t was an hour.glass An hour-glass and
the sands were running fast and few.
There were but dozen grains-gone |
The blood rushed to the Mortified
mans head, the stout neck swelled as if
it would burst, the head rolled back on
the leather and gold and lay there, ST.
lent, the mouth open, the eyes wide
with terror.
Then the two fat, red hands that had
held so lightly to the hundred millions
now rolled heavily off to the right and
to the left and hung down on either side
wide open wide opeh and wide open
for the fist time. The great millionaire
and railroad king was dead; was gone
away on the long journey. And he had
not a cent in either hand to take with
him.