The Penn's Grove record., 1886-04-03
A STRANGE CLIENT.

1t was a bleak December day. A
biting, snow-laden n~or'-easter was
sweeping over the wide expanse of
Murley Heights, and apparently exult-
Ing in ITS untrammelied freedom. OPP
position to its wild will upon these downs
there was none. The only defiance to
the keen Vikings blast was found l IL
the person of the solitary pedestrian
who was daring enough to have detied
the threatened snow storm in his eager
ness to journey from Ettisdale to Muir
ley Coombe. He was a little man, and
bent and shriYeled with cares and toll
if not with age. But his head and
neck were of the true English bulldog
type, and upon his face there was
stamped an expression of indomitable
resolution and ~unwavering p%erseyer-
ance. He was dressed In a rusty and
threadbare suit of black, which to the
average observer would doubtless have
marked him out as belonging to the
large and saddened army of the shabby
genteel. But IN the easy assurance of
his carriage, in the flash of his gray
eyes-on occasion almost gleeful-in
the conscious power lurking IN the
rigid lines about his mouth. there was
nothing of the dependency, the nery-
d~ifidence, the futile resentment at
fortunes thrusts, which are the moral
inheritance of the class.
'This is a bitter day, this is, and no
mistake, the traveller muttered, paus-
ing to gather his thin coat more tightly
about him. "No wonder Reckitt, yon-
der, was afraid I'd get a chill, as he
calls it. Little the landlord of the Bell
guessed as he'd seen me beforel Hail
Hahl But Pm not the nan to be stop.
ped by either storm or sunshine-I've
seen a bit of both in my time. | vowed
I'd be at Murley before nightfall, and
I'll keep my word"
And on he plodded.
But although the spirit might be
contemptuous of difficulties. the flesh
was at the mercy of failure, induced
largely by past illness and fatigue.
When some two-thirds of the weary
eight miles between the villages had
been accomplished an ominous numb
ness seized upon the w~ayfarer's limbs,
his gait became uncertain and strange
darkness seemed to close in upon the
horizon OF his vision,
''If there were a cottage anywhere
nigh as l could get a warmin-" he
soliloquized. SPIN nigh persisted with
cold; but there's no house nearer than
Donaldson's farm. However, l shall
soon be there. and"
He reeled, gave a helpless little cry,
lurched heavily forward and lay-a
~senseless, spider like object-on the
damp turf. If he had not indeed re-
ceived a ''chill," he was IN imminent
danger of taking one. Fortunately
succor was at hand.
A ~gentleman'S gig was rafting over
the curve of the hillside at apace which
told either of confident horsemanship
or of an errand which brooked 10 need
less delay.
Stitch, what is the meaning of thisp"
asked the stalwart young driver OF his
s~erveant.
The groom bestowed a single per.
functory glance upon the PROSTATE
form, and answered, "Drunk, SIR"
"Quite as like overcome by cold and
fatigue. The poor fellow looks III
clad and thin, anyhow, and Frank
Archer followed his arrest of the horse
by a transfer Of the reins to his atten-
dant. In another second he was try
ing to arouse the sleeper; he shook him
lie shouted in his ear-without effect.
1.-THE man is in a stupor of some
kind. 1t will not be safe to leave him
thus" said Frank in dismay.
''There's no house nigh, sir"
swell just have to drive back to
Murley with him. You and l can lift
him into the trap, l fancy, | shall be
late for my appointment, but when life
is at stake business must wait"
The groom, whatever his private
opinion of his masters quixotic con-
duct, obeyed orders, like the model
satellite he was, with no word of de-
mur, and beng champion in rural feats
of strength, found his allotted task light.
In a very brief space the gig was climb
ing the hill 1t had so lately descended.
Either the disturbance Of removal or
the motion and the renewed breeze, or
both combined, gradually revived the
safferer. He first groaned, then shifted
his head uneasiIy off Fitch's supporting
shoulder, then Enclosed his haIf-yacant
eyes. and murmured inarticulate words
which sounded like ''sorry-trouble-
couldn't help-cold." His friend In