The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-06-18


said nothing more OF himself, and
supposed him unwilling to confess to
poverty and the inability to pay me
Tor my services.
81 do not takc much credit to my.
self for my hospitality or devotion
because l was SO deeply interested in
, the 'case,' professionally considered
that would have lived on bread
and water rather than have it taken
out OF my hands.
AS he became stronger, my patient
became my friend, and interested me
deeply by the variety and depth o.
his Information, his experience Of
travel and charms of conversation.
Not until he was convalescent and
had been an inmate of my house for
four months did know that he was
n man of wealth, living in the house
now occupy.
ITO cure him was beyond human
skill, but through two years i at.
tended him, alternating great ufier.
ing and often accepting his invita-
tions to spend an hour or two with
n lonely old man.
"When he died he left me his entire
fortune, which supposed to be mine
only because he had no direct heirs
or near relatives. He had never
spoken hut once of his family, and
then said briefly that he was widow
er and had lost his only child.
81 had enjoyed my inheritance for
more than nine years, when fell in
love. !, who had never cared for fe-
male society before, became deeply
attached to the mother OF one OF my
patients, lady nearly my own age,
the widow of an artist, who died in
Rome some four or five years before
/ met her. She had sent Tor me to
see her boy, an only child, slowly
dying with an incurable disease of
the spine.
"Mrs. Eastwell knew before she
saw me that there was no hope of
saving the child's life, but she
thought / could ease the pain and
restlessness from which he suffered.
She was herself an artist, working in
water colors for the large stores that
dealt in fancy goods, and embroider-
ing most exquisitely. But her child
claimed much of her time and atten-
ton, and l know she worked in
hours when she should have shared
the boys slumbers.
Patient, selfsacriflcing, gentle
and refined. She filed my ideal OF
pure womanhood. and / loved her
with oil the strength of the first love
OF years. ! gave her n mans devo-
ton, not q boys infatuation. But I
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
ruling spirit. Love-making while
her child was dyingl Icould see how
she would shrink from the mere sug-
gestion.
$50 tried to he content with win
ming the place of trusted friend, deli
cately trying to make my presence
a comfort and help to her and doing
all that could to make smoother
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 took her through the
parlor to the front door. As we
passed by the mantelpiece OF the
front room she suddenly gave a cry
OF pain and surprise, stopping short
before q lifesize portrait Of Mr.. Fan
shave. Her face was white, her
whole form trembling, and before I
could catch her, she gave one cry of
'Fatherp and dropped in q dead
faint"
1T 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.. Fansliawe removed to another
city, 80 that FOR years she had not
known where to find him and had new
err heard of his death. Her husband
had taken her abroad soon after
their marriage, and she did not know
whether her father had ever tried to
trace or follow them.
"You may imagine how like thief
I felt when could calmly consider
this story and think OF my inheri-
tance-I living in luxury and she
toiling for breadl And the money
was hers by every Claim OF human
ity.
SAT once I commenced TO arrange
for restoring the property to her,
and knowing her pressing needs, In
structed my lawyer to supply her
with ready money and inform her
that as soon rs it could be legally
done her fathers fortune would bere-
9 tored to her.
"Tom, she fatty refused to tnke it.
She had offended her father and had
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
that money so wrongiully willed
away from her would be to me. She
threatened to leave the city and never
return II persisted.
awhile nothing was settled her
child died. She grieved as only the
mother Of an only child can grieve,
and yet I think comforted her. /