Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-11-12
for her husband. who happened to

-
for her husband. who happened to
be out for the evening. On hearing
his the gentleman had inquired il
there was any one else in the house
Who could accompany him back next
loor for few minutes on q matter
Il business. The landlady was una
ole to go herself, the servant being
yut, but as the gentleman seemed
disappointed she had taken the lib
arty of suggesting that he ask me.
Would /, at any rate. see him and
then decide3
/ was only too glad to be of use to
people who appeared to be in great
trouble, far from their friends in a
seaside lodging house, and i told the
.ady to show the gentleman in.
In another moment the tall, loose
framed man whom ! had seen so oft
EN- attending the doctor to his car
rage stood bowing in the doorway.
Pray come in, said, rising I'm
what way can / be of service to
youT
The stranger entered the room.
Ills eyes, which l saw were weak,
blinked in the bright lamplight He
disregarded the motion / made to
ward chair and answered me
standing. He seemed nervously
anxious to conquer his shortsighted-
ness in order to make out what man
ner of man was. In other words,
he peered at me somewhat rudely.
1T is simply the small matter of
witnessing the signature to a will, y
he said. ''If l might trespass on
your kindness to step in the next
door for that purpose / should be
greatly obliged. My uncle is i'll, and
though trust he is in no immediate
danger he is anxious to afix his sig
nature tonight"
Il shall be most happy" l said,
taking up my hat. Il will come with
you at once"
II must introduce myself" said
the stranger as / led the way down
stairs. MY name is CASTOR Pierre
pont. My uncle, whom you are about
to see, is General Maitland, of Gold
ney Park, Northamptonshire. ]
brought him here in the hope that
he might derive benefit from the sea
air.
with good results, I trust" was
the reply which politeness drew
from me, though the frequent visits
of that ominous brougham led me to
expect a negative answer.
TO my surprise Mr. Pierrepont re-
piled in the Affirmative.
Yes" he said, my uncle is bet
ter, though still dangerously ill.,
By this time we were out in the
street at the door of 13. He had
already inserted his latchkey in the
lock, when he paused and looked
at me.
There is one thing l must prepare
you for" he said, blinking his weak
eyes at me in the gloom my uncle
is unable TO speak. His complaint is
nervous paralysis, you understand
Otherwise he is in perfect posse ssion
of his faculties. The doctor is with
him now, and certifjes to his e f5ness
to sign"
Imerely bowed and followed him
into the house. Thirteen was Il fac
sirnile 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. Pielrepont conducted
me up stairs to the first floor, and
stopping outside the door on the
landing knocked three times. There
was slight pause and movement
inside the chamber, and then voice
said, Come in"
Grasping the door handle, Mr..
Pieuepont turned to me hurriedly,
as if he had forgotten something.
II think, he said, lit might be as
well if ! knew who was going to per
form this service for us. May ]
ask
lstopptu MN Wy dcCoeiuS w iiis
very reasonable request. took out
my pocketbook and gave him one of
my visiting cards with my name
Angus MacDonald-and 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 or other sug-
ccsted relief,