The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-04-11
IT was NEVER FINISHED.
fS,. I.oaiS Savings. i,

one stronger than any of them. It Is a manusciias written partly and partly die tated by A m "a who was dying, Would you like to see Il P
 Assurediyh
 "lt is in my study and n you will walk with me"
 With pleasure"
 The reporter accompanied the phy- sician to his ccxy little office on Olive street. The latter bade him await his re. turn in the office, stepped into an ante, room and Tn two or three minutes came back with a yellow and wrinkled sheet of foolscap paper
 "Now, l wouldn't let you take this from the office for anything" he said but you can examine it here all day if you like," and he gave i, to the re porter.
 The sheet was closely written, the first page and part of the second in a scIawl. ing and barely legible hand the remain. der of the second and all oi the third in feminine hand that began very firm and clear and soon grew indistinct, and the few lines on the last page in the run. ming hand, apparently, of professional man.
 "Whose work is this ?" asked rhe re- porter.
 Well, the story is a rather long one. but all ot it ,ha. concerns the manuscrlp, can be told in few words:
 There gre~ up in my fathers family hiscs-eys5 girl, ~So, though SC: related. was regarded by us boys just as much a sister as the other two girls in the house hold. She was beautiful girl and had more suitors than either of my other sis- ters. She chose, however, to their sur. prise, poor lieutenant stationed at Jeff terson barracks. it was especially to their surprise because the war had re- gently broken out and there vas every probability that the young man would be ordered to the front at once. The mar. riage took place. however, and it was three weeks after it that ohm Maddock- that was his name was ordered out. He went and served we'll 1 understood. 4, Chicksmaugs he received q snnshot wound in the side and he was brought home to die. He was brought to our house. We'll, young Maddock and my selt had been friendly. was just enter ing the practice of medicine then, and perhaps l fAncied him more because found that he too had been young doc tor than for any other reason. Three days after he was brought back he told me that he had always determined in case he should have possession of his reason while he was dying, to write out his i'm. pressions. He said that he knew that he was going very fast and he wanted to be- gin. He asked to bring him paper and pencil and complied with his request His wife came in and as he grew weaker he begged her 10 write at his dieta.ion. She wrote for time as he feebly and slowly spoke the words, until at length he began to speak oi her. Then her strength failed her and she burst into tears. took up the paper nysel and followed his dictation to the end. You have the paper"
 The reporter copied the strange manu. scrip; carefully, IL was as follows:
 know that the end is coming and wonder now that dreaded 1t so much IL comes SO slowly and so quictly-likc sleep.
 thought should be distracted. l am wonderfully calm. can feel the bleeding within me. The hemorrhage is doing its work. But it does not pain me. am only weak, and would like to close my eyes.
 can think and remember we'll. 1 re. member where stood when l was shot The battle was almost over Ciarkson had just been shot dead before me. Clark. son had six little children. God pity them. It seemed very long time before was brought home.
 Yes can remember everything. 1 can remember longer than could before. can remember, l thins, when was three years old, and my mother dressed me in a white dress to go to church. can remember the little choir up in the loft and ho1 used to count the rays of light that came in through the big blinds. It doesn't seem so very long ago. can remember those 1 played with then. can see some of their faces now and can almost speak their ames.
 "The bleeding seems 10 have stopped but my heart beats more faintly and it IS hard for me to write. l know l am dying. 1 know that don't want to die. and yet do not feel like weeping. am sorry that must go, but l am going SO easily.
 It is so strange how distinct every. thing is in my memory. think of the books l read. read them most at home my fathers books Dickens and Scott, and Burns and Shelley. How real the death in sickness were. And am dying now.
 want to write on till die. wanted to write my impressions, but l have no impressions. l only know that am dying, that am not in pain, that my dear wife and the doctor are with me, that 1t will soon be over and that l am very weak 1 cannot hold the pencil any longer"
 Here the writing is in another hand, evidently the hand of his wife, writing a. his dictation.
 "l thought should be fearing what would come after death. l have not been a bad man and have no enemies, bs: :kc.sh. .hc.,ld b> aearing the other world. for have no, been church man. But fear nothing. A man whO