The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1892-10-22

eyes at me in the gloom; my uncle
is unable to speak. His complaint is
nervous paralysis, you understand?
Otherwise he is in perfect possession
of his faculties. The doctor is with
him now; and certifies to his fitness
to sign"
I merely bowed and followed him
into the house. Thirteen was a fac
smile of IA, with the exception Of
some slight differences in the fur
niture which stamped it as what it
was-a second rate seaside lodging
house. Mr.. Pierrepont conducted
me up stairs to the first floor, and
stopping outside the door on the
landing knocked three times. There
was a slight pause and a movement
inside the chamber, and then a voice
said, Come in"
Grasping the door handle, Mr..
Pierrepont turned to me hurriedly.
as if he had forgotten something.
II Think" he said, lit might be as
well if I knew who was going to per
form this service for us. May
ask
stopped him by acceding to his
very reasonable request. took out
my pocketbook and gave him one of
my visiting cards with my name
Angus Newfoundland the address
of my studio in St. Johns Wood en-
graved thereon. He put it close to
his eyes, blinked at it and said in a
tone which somehow OF other sug-
gested relief:
"Ah, you live in London-not here
Il see."
He opened the door. andI followed
him into the room. There was a
dim light from a shaded lamp which
stood on a small table at the head of
the bed, but so disposed that the cur
tains prevented it's rays from falling
on the sick man. On the bed, half
reclining, half supported by a young
man with fair hair and wearing
spectacles, was an old man whom,
even in that dim light, I saw to be
of stately presence and dignified
mien.
His scanty locks we're snow white,
as, were the bushy eyebrows, which
he kept bent down toward a paper
lying on the bed before him. But
what surprised me most was the
ruddy glow of health in General
Maitland's cheeks. The latter were
sunken, it is true, but the faint lamp
light was strong enough to show me
a pink and white color that would
have done no discredit to a maiden
of sixteen.
Ny conductor introduced me brief
ly. The general merely acknowl
edged my presence by a courteous
inclination of the head, a movement
which he repeated when Mr.. Pierre
pont asked him affectionately if he
was ready to go through the usual
formalities.
very well, then, | will fetch Mrs
Buffers as a second witness" said the
nephew. THE doctor there would
do, but his attention must not be
taken from his patient"
THE DOCTOR" l thought, wonder
ing why the portly individual whose
brougham l had watched so often
should have given place to the f1aXer
haired young a whose right ann
encircled the general SO carefully
The parsonage with the brougham
did not cure quick enough, / sup
posed.
Mr.. Pierrepont returned with q
snufiing, tremulOus female, whose
vacuous countenance at once relieved
my own landlady from a charge OF
libelirg her neighbor and rival which
l had mentally preferred against her.
Stop there by the door till you
are wanted; we must not crowd the
general" said Pierrepont, and Mrs.
Buffers halted obediently, paying a
good deal more attention to the pat.
tern of her own carpet than to the
proceedings around her,
Here is the will" Pierrepont Went
on, holding up the paper, with the
place for the signatures OF the tesla.
tors as yet blank. Then he replaced
it re~verently before his uncle, who
bent over the document, and sup
ported by the ever careful doctor
Slowly affixed his name-"William
Joseph Maitland"-at the foot. As
soon as his pen had made the last
feeble scratch Pierrepont brought
the will over to me before the ink
was dry, and l added my name,
using the dressing table as a writing
desk. The vacuous landlady fol
lowed, and in her tremulous scrawl
General Maitland's last will and ties
lament received it's finishing touch.
/ Immediately prepared to leave
the room, and Pierrepont made NJ
attempt to detain me. I said good
night" to the general, adding some
commonplace about hopes for his re
covery, a compliment which he
again acknowledged with one OF hls
grave bows. That is my last recol
lection of the scene-the venerable
old mar sitting III among the pillows
with the watchful doctor by his side
Pierrepont followed me On to the
landing to conduct me to the street
door. He thanked me profusely fol
coming-indeed, he said a good dea
more than the occasion demanded
I stopped him, and to turn the con
versation said:
you have changed your doctor
Mr.. ~Pierrepont?"
He stopped in the passage ent
blinked at me inquiringly.
"Ah," he said, you have perhap:
noticed Dr.. Lorrimer here. That is
Andrews, his assistant. The doctor
could not come tonight, and between
ourselves, Andrews is the best man
l think"
We parted at the door OF -, ant
| went back to my pipe and news