Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-07-18


but his excitement and ecstasy were
such that he could scarcely behave with
sobriety. A golden future lay before
him; his pulses throbbed as if to music,
he dreamed rose colored dreams.
The undertaken coming to summon
the dreamer to the doctor presence had
to touch him on the shoulder before he
took any notice, and even then he fol-
p lowed quite mechanically, mutterinG
and smiling to himself in quasi idiotio
way.
''Well, sir, what can do for you?'
A grave clean shaven, keen looking
man sitting at desk was eying him
with the closest observation, and it
dawned upon him that he was in for
serious consultation-he who had never
had q days illness in his lifel He had
intended to give the undertaken half a
crown and to depart as he had come, but
= he had put it off until too late.
Here was a preposterous die azEoA.
The doctor, who seemed to be in a grsat
hurry, felt his pulse, looked at his
tongue and sounded him with stetho-
scope before he had in any way recov
cred his self command.
''What excuse shall make?" Sydney
asked himself meanwhile. "What ex-
cuse shall I make when he finds there is
nothing the matter with me?"
To his surprise, the doctor, having fin
ished his examination, sat down at his
desk to write a prescription, looking
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-
tion. Light diet-chop, fish, weak
brandy and water, no wine, no beer, no
smoke. Take this three times a day
and come to see me again in week.
I'm 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 q stranger in
city he had never seen.
"Heart disease-I'ye got heart dis
ease," he repeated to himself stupidity.
IL e1l ONSl WIN lilCs LIZ ICCttli AGtNC
put it i'll that brutal way. Oh, boshl
There must be some mistake The mans
an Internal charlatan. I'll take no no
tice Of him" But moment afterward
he was painfully calling to memory
every word of the interview, every tone,
every look, and weighing them with
anxious deliberation. He could see moth
E,,,t l,n
seriousness i'll the doctors demeanor--
no trifing, 10 nonsense. He evidently
knew what he was talking about, and
he had condemned man to death.
Perhaps it was only the mistaken
brusqueness Of extreme sympathy.
''No excitement, no wine, no beer, no
smoke, 10 nothing he muttered.
nightmare. shall wake soon. was
all right when I went into his accursed
consulting room, or at least thought
was.
And then he recollected having heard
that people who had heart disease were
often the last to know of their state,
and he remembered, too, that he had
Uttl btCtDlStl IlOlS IIldtll Oftc VIII u
curious feeling in the left side. At that
very moment a sharp pain went through
him like a knife.
'"The doctor is right enough" he
muttered. I'm very bad. Ifeel it now.
I'll go and get this stuff made up at
once. No excitement! If I get excited,
suppose 1 shall fall down dead. But
how am l to get over tonight without
excitement? If I happen to die just as
am handing Sylvia into the carriage,
there will be frightful scandal. How
ever, must risk that. She must be TAX
Ell out of the clutches of that old brute
of a father of hers at all hazards And
then I must say goodby to her forever
if I SURVEYOR it's clear that can't
marry her now with one foot-perhaps
both feet-in the grave. -
He had his medicine made up and
took dose. But what could medicine
do in a serious case like this? He was
too far gone. He had no doubt it was
only colored water, prescribed for the
sake of soothing him, as if lie were q
child. But he would look the thing in
the face and set his house to order He
went to livery stable and ordered a
carriage to call for him at o'clock in
the evening. Then he posted off to his
solicitor:
"Can you make my will-now-di-
rectly-this very moment-right off
ON the spot?''
''Most decidedly l can," replied the
lawyer, becoming professional at once
and pulling a sheet of fair, white fools
cap from his desk. Then he looked hard
at Sydney, whom the hours OF mental
misery had changed considerably.
''There's nothing wrong" blurted
out Sydney, ''but I want it out of the
way once for all. 1 should like to have
it signed and finished by O'Clock il
possible -
''That is in two hours, - remarked tho
lawyer, looking at his watch. "Yes, We
can manage that, providing it ism t very
long, and still go to Lords afterward. "
And he began to write. You re not 60
ing to die, old man. Never fear. You'll
cheat the devil yet bit and have many
another lark with me- -
The will was finished by /: 80 and de-
posted in the safe. They shook hands,
and Sydney said wearily: you'll ex-
cuse me not lunching with you today,
won't you? I don I seem to have any ap-
petite. And you'll excuse my silence,
too, for the present. You'll know all
there is to know pretty soon, I expect"
And he sidled out of the door without i
looking back.
II wonder what's up?" muttered the
lawyer as he went back to his desk.
He certainly looks very i'll. Some en-
tanglement? Half his property TO Sylvia
Bulpett, who viii have plenty of her
own when the old cur,nudgeor of IA
ther Of hers dies. I shall know pretty /
soon, shall l? Poor old Cartw1ightr'
Gin the midst Of life we are III DEATH" !
muttered Sydney as he strolled through
Linc0ln's S Inn Fields with the carefully
step Of an invalid. He wished !
the sun would not shine SO brightly and
the children scream so loud. 1t affected .
his nerves. Sydney had nerves now. He !
wanted only to hide away and die i'll
peace. Was there anything left to do?
Stay! He thought it would be the prop
er thing to say goodby to his elder broth
or whom he Theoretically hated hl1t !