Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-02-16

dreams.
The undertaken, coming to summon
the dreamer to the doctors presence,
fore he took any notice, and even then
he followed quite mechanically, nut.
tering and smiling to himself in u
quasi-idiotic way.
"Well, sir, what can do for your
A grave, clean-shaved. keen-looking
man sitting at desk, was cycling him
with the closest observation; and it
dawned upon him that he was in for a
serious consultation he who had never
had days illness in his life He had
Intended to give the undertaken half a
crown and to depart as he had come;
but he had put it off till too late.
Here was preposterous dilemma!
The doctor, who seemed to be in great
hurry, felt his pulse, looked at his
tongue, and sounded him with a stetho-
scope, before he had in any way recov-
cred his self-command.
what excuse shall / maker" Sydney
asked himself meanwhile. "What ex-
cuse shall make when he finds there
is nothing the matter with me?"
To his surprise, the doctor, having
finished his examination, sat down at
his desk to write prescription, look
ing very grave, indeed, and trying not
to meet his patients eye,
"Your heart is all wrong" he said,
gloomily. You must be very careful.
No excitement, mind. no violent exer-
ton! Light diet; chop, fish, weak
Observation-Disclosures; no wine, no beer,
no smoke Take this three times a
day, and come to see me again in a
week. Pm afraid it's all over with
you. Good morning. Good morning"
Sydney was in the sunlit street
again, and the tide of London life
roared around as before. But to him
everything was changed. He stood a
stranger in city he had never seen.
Heart disease-I've got heart dis
ease" he repeated to himself, stupidity.
Its all over with me. He needn't
have put it in that brutal way. Oh,
boshl There must be some mistake;
the mans an internal charlatan. I'll
take no notice of him." But a moment
afterwards he was painfully calling to
memory every word of the interview,
every tone, every look, and weighing
them with anxious deliberation. He
could see nothing but the greatest con-
| centration and seriousness in the doc
tors demeanor--no trifing, no non
sense; he evidently knew what he was
talking about, and he had condemned
a man to death! Perhaps his was only
the mistaken Consequences of extreme
sympathy!
mo excitement, no wine, no beer
no smoke, no nothing" he muttered
"Why, the things impossi ble-it's a
nightmare. / shall wake soon. wa:
all right when went into his accurset
consulting-room-or at least thought
I was"
And then he recollected having heart
that people who had heart disease wer,
often the last to know of their state
and he remembered, too, that he haC
been troubled more than once with /
curious feeling in the left side. Al
that very moment sharp pain wen
through him, like knife.
''Thn doctor is right enough" h,
muttered; Pm very bad. l feel i
now. I'll go and get his stuff made NJ
at once. No excitement! II get ex
cited suppose | shall fall down dead
But how am to get over tonight with
out excitement? II l. happen to di'
just as am handing Sylvia into the car
riage, there will be frightful scandal
However, must risk that. She mus
be taken out of the clutches OF that OLE
brute of father of hers at all hazards
And then l must say good by to he
forever--if survive-for it's clear tina
can't marry her now with one foot
perhaps both feet, in the gravel"
He had his medicine made up an,
took dose. But what could medicin
do in serious case like this? He wa
too far gone! He had no doubt it wa
only colored water--prescribed for tn
sake of soothing him. as if he were
child. But he would look the thing il
the face and set his house in order
He went to livery stable and ordere
a carriage to call for him at eigh
o'clock in the evening. Then he poste
off to his solicitor.
The lawyer was q personal frien
,, my dear boy, am glad to see you
: Come and lunch with he at the clut
! and we'll go to Lords afterwards. Blu
l say, you don't look very bright. Moth
ing wrong, hope.'
Can you make my will-now-d
rectly-this very moment-right Off
: on the spot?"
"Most decidedly I can," replied tn
, lawyer, becoming professional at once
and pulling sheet of fair, whit
/; foolscap from his desk. Then
9 looked hard at Sydney, whom thre
: hours of mental misery had change
considerably.
: 'There's nothing wrong" blurted on
e Sydney, but want it out of the way
J once for all should like to have
signed and finished by two o'clock,
possible"
: THAT is in two hours, remarked tn
r lawyer, looking at his watch, "Ye,
: we can manage that, provided it ism
very long, and still go to Lords after,
4 and he began to write. You're NJ
going to die, old man, never fear, you
3 cheat the devil yet bit and have man
e another lark with me"
The will was finished by half pas
: one and deposited in the safe The
= shook hands and Sydney said, YEARLY
!. you'll excuse my not lunching wit
you to-day, won't you? ] don't seem
: have any appetite. And you'll excus
? my silence, too, for the present You
know all there is to know pretty sool
4 | 4 L Il 4 A.