The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-03-15

naples, with leaves all covered with
dust, whose tops just reached the open
window by his bed, yearning for one
breath of pure, fresh, air, one hour OF
perfect quiet. But there never would
be anything else but this until it was all
over, he would never leave this room
until he left the world. He turned
YEARLY away from the window and COW
cred his ewes with his hand.
There was knock at the door, and
he responded feebly, Come in" 1t
was too early for the doctor; it might
be his landlady, who sometimes came
in to see if he needed anything, and
to give him his medicine. He heard
the rustic of drapery, and smelled a
faint, sweet odor. He lifted his hand
from his eyes and beheld vision. A
fair, slender woman, clad in soft white
null that seemed to make the room
several degrees cooler, was standing by
the bed. She wore a bunch of hello
trope in her belt,whose fragrance seem
ed like blessed breath from that far
away nook he had been longing for
only moment before from under the
fluffy, feathery poke bonnet fell a
slightly curling fringe of bright brown
hair, and a pair of violet eyes beamed
on him with sweet compassion.
He was an unpromising subject
truly his face was sharp and sallow,
and beard about a week old added
much to his haggardness. He must be
very tall, for he seemed to stretch away
from her indefinitely, as she stood
there at the beds head, and he was
thin to emaciation.
"This is Mr. Hemingway" she said
at last.
1T was once" he answered, YEARLY.
Il am Miss Margaret Winthrop"
she continued. II am DR.. Ainslee's
sister-in- law. | believe you are his
PATIENT"
eyes Tom and l ore old friends,
and l remember your father very we'll.
Won't you be seated?" he asked, sud-
denly remembering his position as host.
She drew up the shabby arm chair
and sat down by the bed. 1t was not
SO easy to begin as she had imagined.
'He will take me for lunatic or an
assassin with designs upon imaginary
wealth" she thought, as she sat there
revolving her cold blooded scheme and
wishing she had deliberated upon it
more fully before taking this step. But
| it was too late to 60 back now. What
plausible excuse could she give for
having come there unattended He
would tell Tom, of course, that she had
been there. tona would tell Annie,
who would look unutterable things and
| lecture her for a week. He had evil
IDENTITY suffered much he was lying
there SO miserable and helpless it
seemed that he had never appreciated
the inhumanity of the whole proceed
ing until now. But she was woman
of resolution. She had satisfied herself
that the arrangement would be one of
mutual advantage. The only question
in her mind was how to begin.
at was very kind and thoughtful of
you to come" he said, breaking the
somewhat protracted silence.
"Thoughtful but not kind, perhaps
she replied, with nice discrimination.
"Tom was telling us to-day how uncom-
Portable you were here, and how i'll. I
understood from him that you did not
hive proper attention and-that-you
could not get well, and | came with
a purpose
He looked up gratefully, and she could
no: have felt more guilty or contempti-
Die if she had stabbed him with knife
and received in return his dying bene-
diction. But she had the courage OF
desperation and she kept on. She told
him her plan, which was, briefly to
marry him and attend him carefully for
the trihing remnant of his existence, in
return for which he was to bestow upon
her the inestimable privileges of widow
hood.
1t was not so bluntly stated, of course,
and was accompanied by many why's
and wherefores intended to modify, tc
some extent, what she considered the
fiendish conception and the indeliCate
execution of the plot.
1t was of no consequence whatever
to Hemingway that she desired his de
mise was even figuring upon it at tina
moment with pleasurable anticipation:
of time when it would have cast abou
her mantle of unimpeachable dignity
and permanent security from social per
secutions. She was sitting there, like
section of paradise, fitted in that ding,
chair, illuminating the whole room anc
filling it with the exquisite odor of hell
otrope. To such presence MAJ
: may forgive much. There was but on,
thought in his mind after he was as
sured that it was not an illusion which
had come to torture him with malicious
contrast. "Her friends would certainl
object"
She assured him with strict veracit,
that it was her own affair entirely ant
rested with themselves.
When it all came out Annie wa
shocked beyond anything. She hat
always known that Meg" would d.
something disgraceful, but she was no
prepared for this. To deliberately pro
O., | IL. l..