Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-11-12
"Ah. YOU live in London-not here

Il see.
He opened the door. andI followed
him i1ito the room. There was &
dim light from shaded lamp which
stood on small table at the head of
the bed, but 30 disposed that the cur
tains prevented its rays from falling
on the sick man. On the bed, half
reclining, half supported by young
man with fair hair and wearing
spectacles, was an old man whom,
even in that dim light, saw to be
of stately presence and dignified
mien
His scanty locks were snow white,
as were the bushy eyebrows, which
he kept bent down toward 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
pink and white color that would
have done no discredit to maiden
of sixteen
Ny conductor introduced me brief
ly. The general merely acknowl-
edged my presence by courteous
inclination of the head, movement
which he repeated when Mr.. Pierre
pont asked him affectionately if he
was ready to go through the usual
formalities.
very well, then, l 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"
1.-THE doctorr' thought, wonder
ing why the portly individual whose
brougham l had watched so often
should have given place to the fiaxen
haired young man whose right arm
encircled the general SO carefully.
The parsonage with the brougbam
did not cure quick enough, sup
posed.
Mr.. Pierrepont returned with a
snuffling, tremulous female, whose
vacuous countenance at once relieved
my own landlady from a charge of
libeling her neighbor and rival which
! 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, T" Pierrepont went
on, holding up the paper, with the
place for the signatures of the testa-
tors as yet blank. Then he replaced
it reverently before his uncle, who
bent over the document, and sup
ported by the ever careful doctor
slowly affixed his name-''William
Joseph Maitland"- 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 | added my name,
using tie dressing table as writing
desk. The vacuous landlady fol-
lowed, and in her tremulous scrawl
General Maitland's last will and tes-
lament received its finishing touch.
] Immediately prepared to leave
tho room, and Pierrepont mace no
attempt to detain me. said good
night" to the general, adding some
commonplace about hopes for his re-
covery, a compliment which he
again acknowledged with one of his
grave bows. That is my last recol-
lection of the scene-the venerable
old man sitting up 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 for
coming indeed, he said a good deal
more than the occasion demanded.
] stopped him, and to turn the con-
versation said:
$50 you have changed your doctor,
Mr.. Pierrepont2'
He stopped in the passage and
blinked at me inquiringly.
"Ah," he said, you have perhaps
noticed DR.. Lorrimer here. That is
Andrews, his assistant. The doctor
could not come tonight, and between
ourselves, Andrews is the best man,
/ think"
eAs.x@~ss'