The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-08

and whispered as he kissed her: fIf we
have nothing else, we have each other.
which is more to us than all else"
For the next few minutes they were
rapt high above the sordid, suffering,
desperate present, and were recalled to
it only and as from a dream by knock
at the door.
Come in.'
'Please, madam, a telegram" the
servant said, just opening the door suf-
ficiently to thrust in a grimy hand hold
ing out the pink envelope.
Lucy hurried to the door, took the
envelope and brought it to Mark, who
tore it open expecting it to be favor
able answer to one of his numberless
applications for employment
Its from Martial" he exclaimed.
and then proceeded to read the mes
sage: "Your father is dying. Come at
once AL depends upon it,
Martha was Marks old nurse. who
was always on the lookout for his in
terests and had never despaired of his
restoration to his fathers favor
''Markl You must go"
Yes, dear; of course. I shall not
lose moment Poor father"
He started up and hurried from the
room for his hat, but at the hall door
he turned round abruptly to cry to
Lucy, who had followed him:
But have no money for my farrell"
''Oh! l forgot
Perhaps the landlady-"
Lucy shook her head most decidedly.
Then l must pledge something,
dear"
There's hardly anything OF any value
left, Mark. Oh, what shall we do?"
However, they got together what
was left and available-only bundle
of well-worn clothes. which Mark car
ried off to the nearest pawn Office.
But here he was offered something
less for it than the amount of his third
class fare to Westwich, and he had
therefore to hurry off to another with
no better success. at third, how
ever. by taking OF his waistcoat and
adding it to the heap, he obtained =
few pence over the fare, with which he
made all haste on foot to Paddington.
1t took him in his exhausted state
nearly an hour and half to walk tho
FIVE miles to the terminus, and he
reached it only to find that the last
train for Westwich was gone.
AS he had had nothing to eat since
breakfast, and had been all day upon
his feet, he was SO utterly done up that
this last cruel disappointment quite
crushed him. He dropped down upon
a bench and stared straight before him
for an hour or more, without seeing
anything, or thinking anything def
inite-his stunned mind being only
conscious of blank, black despair.
At length he rose to return to Pop
lar, but found himself SO weak that he
had to spend some of his hard-got pit
tance of money upon food. Leav-
ing him to his weary trudge back
to Poplar, let US go with his thoughts
to the bedside of his dying father.
Old Mr.. Apjohn had been struck
down so suddenly that he had time
to do little more than disinherit Mark.
Like many men, he had in health such
a superstitious horror of making a will,
that all his wife's continuous coaxings
could not induce him to put the bust
ness into the hands of his lawyer.
Convinced at last that he would make
will only when in extremis, she had
got her own legal adviser to draw up
for her in the tersest form in which
valid will could be compressed docu-
ment leaving everything to her in trust
for her son.
This she copied out upon an ordinary
sheet Of letter paper, to give an I'M
planned, impromptu appearance to the
business, and got the dying man to
sign it in the presence, as witnesses, of
the butler and of her maid
Just then the doctor appeared, and
Mrs Apjohn put away the will hur-
riedly and guilty. in a blotter. Before
the doctor had finished his examIna-
ton. she was called away to minister
to the wants of her son, who had just
arrived, and upon the doctors leaving
the room no one remained in it but
old Martha, Marks nurse and faithful
guardian.
Your son, Mark. is dying in Lunnon
of want, do you hear?" cried the Old
woman, excitedly, in the dying mans
ear. and what will you say to his
mother when you meet her beyond?
Listen to this: Il have been brought up
to do nothing, and can do nothing, and
of course can get nothing to do
'Who brought him up to do nothing,
and then flung him to die of starvation
upon the Lunnon stones? Who? And
what will We say to his mother when
she axes We, as she will. after her ooy?
VIII We dare say: i 'Af. him to an old