Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-12-27

So 49,
looking at her till the last CLEAN of
consciousness faded away. After that
for he did not actually die for some
hours-she sat beside Mrs. Jardine,
watching him till the end. And after
the end, Roderick remembered she
had taken his mother out of the room
and comforted her, staying a little
while longer, and then leaving, no one
thinking or saying much about her,
either at the time or aIterward.
Now, recollecting his fathers look,
and hers, too, the whole story, or DOS
sible story, presented itself to the i'm
aginative young man in colors vivid as
lile,. AMI tender as death alone can
make them. And when, carelessly
opening smother letter, he found it was
from the lawyer of this same Miss
Jardine, stating that she had left him
Frederick Henry Jardine, her sec
ond cousin once romoved"-the whole
of her small property, as also dia.
mond ring, (which his father gave me
many years ago." he was deeply
touched.
81 wish ! had known her, | wish
had had chance of being good to her
poor Cousin Silence!" thought he
And as he sat watching the light Of
the dying day." which died so peace.
fully, so gloriously over the western
hills he, with his life u5t begun, pom.
de ed over the two lives now ended,
the mystery Of which he guessed at,
but never could know, except that they
were safely ended,
When the SUI set, going down like a
ball of fire which dyed the river all
crimson and the sud zen gray chill Of
an October twilight came, Roderick
started up, little ashamed of himself,
and II more ashamed when he found
he had entirely neglected to ask the
time OF the return train to Richerden.
Just like me, mother will say" and,
half laughing, but veXed, for it always
veXed him to yeX his mother, he tore
along a. fast as his long legs could
carry him, to the railway station. The
train was Just going, and it was at the
risk OF his hle-to say nothing Of
penalty of forty shllings-tnat this
foolish young fellow contrived to leap
into it, breathless, exhausted, having
nearly killed himself in his endeavor
to do his duty.
So he represented to himself, at
least, and felt most tremendous mar
tyr all the way to hicherden. 1t did
not occur to him that simply looking
at his watch and the time table would
have saved all. But at his age we are
apt to overlook the little things on
which, like the coral Islands of the
South Sea ocean, our lives are built
How far we build them ourselves, or
Fate builds for us, GCd only knows.
Tearing up in cab to his own door
or rather his mother's-he all eady be-
gan slightly to feel the difference,
ringing as If he thought the house was
on fire, andIbeing met by the imperturb.
abe butler with the information,
Yes, sir, dinner is served; Mrs. Jar
dine waited half an hour, and then
asked Mr.. Thomson to take the foot of
the table all this did not contribute
to Rodericl1's placidity of spirit When
he at last walked into that blaze of
dazzle of crystal and
plate-that strong aroma of dainty
dishes and excellent wines, and clatter
of conversation, which makes up a
Richerden dinner-party he was not in
the best frame of mind to enjoy the
same.
His mother was so busy talking, and
the silver-gilt epergne was such an eff
fectual barrier between the upper and
lower ends of the table, that she never
noticed that her son-in- law-elect
quilted his place and her son slipped
into it, till the deed was done. Then
ROderick might have received a good
hearty scolding, not undeserved, had
not something in him-was it his
fathers look?-repressed the ebulli-
tion. She merely said: "Oh, my son
is there, | see! Better late than
never" And the dinner went on.
When, the ladies having retired, he
still had to keep his place and pass
the hottle"-which he loathed-to
elderly gentlemen, ay, and young ones,
too, who evidently did not loathe it
meanwhile to talk in which,
whether it was his own fault or not,
he could not get up the smallest in
terest, this young Cantab for
three years had lived in what was
little better atmosphere than that of
Enthusiastically, as well as physi-
u good deal to be pitied.
So was his mother, too, when, hav-
ing succeeded in Turing the guests up
stairs, he-her only son--went and hid
himself in tho drawing-room and
"sulked, as he overheard her say, la
over him as a black sheep, in
the loudest of whispers, to lady he
particularly disliked.
But it was not sulking, for he had
his father sweet temper 1t only
the utter wear ness Of spirit, which, in
circumstances comes over
the young as well as the old.
And then, with the habit he had of
passing over things at the time and re-
curing to them aGterward, there came
into his mind sentence in the letter
from Miss dardine S lawyer, explaining
that in making her will she had said to
him that her only other kindred were
some distant cousins, living, she be-
lieved in Switzerland, whom, if they
were DOR, she left to Roderick's kind
ness.
Capital idea! I'll go straight to
Switzerland and find them 1t would
at least be something to do"
And the mere notion of this bright
ened up the young fellow spirit and
warmed his heart-he was, l. fear, bat
a foolish young Quixote after all; so
that when his mother called him to do
civility to the departing guests, he
came forward with an air of cheerful
ness, such as he had not worn all the
evening, Ay, even when he had to
escort the most honored quest to tho