The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-06-11

meEt interplayeI 10 roster conceptions
of duty and of moral obligation such as ,
to the world ut large would be untena- i
bic. and, rs time went ON, her views ,
became more and more impractical, :
conservative and romantic She was
woman of sturdy gill and domineering
spirit, and. while Kind OF heart by ma
divide up handsomely among the Royal
clan"
after moment he went on: Il feel
like the yeriest scoundrel that ever drew
breath. But for her discrimination TO
bring about this marriage my aunt
would have left her money To Phyllis.
The only thing / can do for her now is
TO marry her before II o'clock tomorrow,
and God only knows how it's To be man
aged! That cursed accident His eyes
were filed with yearning pain.
The doctor smiled cheerily and looked
at his watch. Don't fret" he said; Its
bad for you. The marriage is the main /
thing and we can secure that. I'll take
that 4:30 train and go after the young
lady, and you can be married at once. |
The conditions. whatever they may be, |
must be put up with. It's case of half |
:. loaf or no bread. By the way, what |
are the conditions" He rose Us he put |
the question.
That neither Phyllis nor myself shall |
touch one cent of the money for ten |
years, dating from midday tomorrow.
..Tl:o aev;l,'
''You may well exclaim"-speaking |
fast and bitterly. THE marriage be- |
fore 10 o'clock tomorrow would leave
nv poor girl comfortable and cared for;
after r. as good as a pauper. And she's
helpless helpless"- His voice broke
and he turned his head away.
| Royal felt something hot and singing
rush into his own eyes; his heart ached
| for the pain he could not mitigate.
The head on the pillow turned again;
the eyes sought Royals appealingly, CO.
ercively:
MAN, have you no help for me?
Haven't you science or skill enough to
put vitality into this miserable carcass
sufficient to enable me to drag it few
miles further: Can't you do anything
| for me?' The sense of impotence was
| strong upon him; his voice was hoarse
and feeble, his eyes showed that he
knew beforehand what the answer
must be-
Royal put out his hand to him pitt
fully, but shook his head:
''My poor fellow, God himself couldn't
help you that way. Stop minute and
let me think. There ought to be way
out of it-there must be way out of it,
if only were smart enough to see it.
Don't fret, please. It exhausts vitality
and does no good. Try to rest"
The closing phrases were born OF pro-
fessional instinct and delivered mechan-
ically His mind was busy with the
problem he had set himself to solve.
He was man quick to trust his own
Judgment and to form new plans. En-
phatically man Of action, prompt IN
conception, prompt also and untiring in
execution, DR.. Royals mind worked
habitually along positive lines. To rush
: at difficulty and carry it by assault
was the method which most recommend
ed itself to him, and the active, practical
life of the frontier had fostered his nat
J ural proclivities. There was little OF the
= 'sshivering and shaking on the bank SO
= condemned of the English wit about
- Hart Royal. To Jump in and scramble
through as well as he could might be
reckoned his rule of conduct.
The plan he elaborated within the
next half hour might, as q legal meas
= the merit OF tanglbiIisy and could be
: | put into immediate execution. 1t was,
:, in brief, that John Royal, fiat on his
back on that which might well be his
y dying bed, in Matoacca, should at the
appointed hour on the following day
- marry his cousin, on the other side OF
!. the mountains, by proxy.
h II don't know how the law stands,
the originator of the scheme admitted,
). ''and there isn't time to look it up.
= never heard of a marriage by proxy out
= side of a novel, to be sure; but if q man
can marry by telephone [ don't see why
he can't be married by proxy. To me it
. looks as though it wonld give fighting
= chance for immediate possession of the
money. You can have the marriage re-
e celebrated if the lady should prefer it.
- She will join you at once, of course"
- The sick man caught at the plan. His
own knowledge of the laws Of the com
monwealth in regard to marriage was
- nebulous, but to him also the scheme
:, proposed seemed to offer fighting
- chance, and even that appeared of price.
4 less value. His eagerness was pitiful,
his insistence almost aggressive. The
poor fellow, drifting into the shadow OF
u the inevitable, yet holding back with
u terrible earnestness, with yearning ten
e derness, not for his own sake, but fol
IL that of the woman left to his care, the
u pathos of it dimmed Royals gray eyes
II more than once, and acted as spur tc
his helpful, sympathetic nature.
II There was no question in the mind OF
either man as to who should be the repre-.
sentative The bond of the order had
ID done away with all strangeness or sense
of obligation between them, even before
D. the recognition of the deeper, human
brotherhood had come. Royal made the
- necessary arrangements for the care OF
u the sick man during his absence, and
q also provided himself with the wedding
Al ring which he found in his nalnesake's
1t pocket. The license would be waiting
/ at the other end of the line, John Roya
i said; he had written about it from the
l. hospital to the gentleman in whose fam
: lily his cousin had lived since their aunt's
IL death.
fs In the urgent need of haste it occurred
= to neither man that DR.. Royal, being &
II stranger, should have some sort of Gre
II dentials, OF that it might be necessary
IL for a proxy to have written power Of
re representation, as it were, from his prin
e. cipaL Nor did the thought that the
$ similarity Of name might cause com
u plication suggest itself. The sick mar
a. was unaware Of the coincidence, and the
l, mind of the other was illed with weight
&c ier matters. There was little time TO,
VI detail.
d LContinued next week