Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-12-01
PATIENTS a lady nearly nv own age,

patients, lady nearly my own age,
the widow of an artist, who died IN |
Rome some four or five years before
l met her. She had sent for me to
see her boy, an only child, slowly dy-
inc with an incurable disease of the
spine.
aMrs. Easterwell knew before she
saw me that there was no hope OF
saving the child's life, but she tho't
l could ease pain and restlessness
from which he suffered. She was her
self an artist, working in water col
ors for the large stores that dealt IN
fancy goods, and embroidering most
exquisitely. But her child claimed
much Of her time and attention, and
/ know she worked in hours when she
should have shared the boys slum-
bers.
sPatient, self-sacrifcing, gentle
and refined, she filled my ideal OF
pure 'womanhood. and | loved her
with all the strength of the first love
of years. | gave her mans devo-
ton, and not boys infatuation.
But l knew that it was useless for me
to speak while the child lived. She
would have thought it sacrilege to
give my love consideration while the
mother love in her heart was the rul-
ing spirit. Loye-making while her
child was dying! | could see how she
would shrink from the mere sugges-
ton.
$50 / tried to be content with win
ming the place of a trusted .frlano
ence comfort and help to her, and
doing all that I could to make smooth
er the hard path the childish feet were
pressing.
"One afternoon she came to my
office to ask some questions about the
little boy. and, as the waiting room
was full l took her through the par
lor to the front door. AS we went by
the mantelpiece of the front room she
suddenly gave cry of pain and sur
prise, stopping short before life-size
portrait of Mr.. Fanshawe. Her face
was white, her whole form trembling,
and before l could catch her, she gave
one cry of s'father - and dropped in
a deal faint.
''It was the old story, Tom. She
had loved her husband better than
her father, and eloped with him, never
winning forgiveness. The home she
had left was broken up and Mr.. Fan
shave removed to another city, so
that for years she had not known
where to find him and had never
heard of his death. Her husband had |
taken her abroad soon after their mar
riage and she did not know whether
her father had ever tried to trace or
follow them.
"You may imagine how like thief
[ felt when [ could calmly consider
this story and think of my Inheritance
Il living in luxury and she toiling
for bread And the money was hers
by every claim of humanity.
CAT once l commenced to arrange
for restoring the property to her, and
knowing her pressing needs, instruct
ed my lawyer to supply her with
ready money and inform her that as
soon as 1t could be legally done her
fathers fortune would be resu,reer &C,
Der.
"Tom, she fatty refused to take
it. She had offended her father and
accepted her punishment, and she
would not listen to any proposal to
accept his money. In vain | urged
The justice of her claim, the burden
hat money SO wrongly willed away
from her would be to me She threat
sned to leave the city and never re-
urn if [ persisted.
s'While nothing was settled her
child died. She grieved as only the
mother of an only child can grieve,
md yet | think / comforted her. | ,
dropped all questions of the disputed t
Inheritance in those long months,
when her loneliness led her to turn to
ne, her true, loving friend.
"And so, Tom, when a year had
passed, and the little life was sa-
red memory, no longer a passionate
,ain to remember, l asked her once I
more to accept her fathers fortune '
md his heir with it. {
'We needed no lawyer then to
make the transfer, for [ won my wife
Without losing my inherita nee
s'And there goes that COMPOUNDED {
ffice bell p said Tom, rising; $50 | /
m off," +