Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-05-22
STAUNTON, VA, WEDNESDAY, MAY y, 1896.

nau never before spent night Win
dying man in haunted house. stole
softly to the bedside, but he was sleep
ing nicely. He had several days to live
still
''Well, how did you get on? What sort
of night had you?''
Kathleen was like breeze. Her voice
swept off the vapors of the night.
Beautifully" said l. 81 have had a
delightful night. -
"When shall I get better?" asked our
patient. whats the good of paying a
couple of nurses and a doctor if they
can't cure me quicker than this? Why
can't you speak, doctor? Answer me-"
"Hartland, it is time to prepare your
self for another world. You cannot get
better.
81 must-I must. I've great sum Of
money in the house that ought to be
banked. And James hasn't got in all the
rents. He's fool at it. Send him up to
me at once"
Dr.. Puckle told us that this perpetual
worrying about his business was hasten
LIN tlt CllO 1lC Stllu ~ COu1o AOU UC 1cl
distakt-nGw, and Kathleen and I deter
mined to try to get the poor man to
think of other things more appropriate
at this solemn time.
"You cannot take your money with
you," I said, $50 why worry about it
now? You are dying, Mr.. Hartland
Surely you can leave your money mat
ters alone. What importance can they
possibly be just now?"
"Much you know about business, !"
sneered the old man. Business is bust
ness, whether man is dying or not :"
Then he burst out crying like child.
"All my ife," he walled, "all my life
I've spent in getting it, and now I've
got to leave it. 1t ism t fair Send James
up to me at once. Iwant to know wheth-
er he's made that. villain Richards pay
up. Why, the fellow owes two quarters.
It's infamous -
looked at Kathleen in despair.
1t was always like that. Sometimes
he cried and sobbed, sometimes he rail
ed against the justice of life. His one
and only idea was still his money, that
money which he had made himself, and
which he loved with concentrated pas
sion. He looked at the cold, useless
thing, and never missed the warm, hu-
man faces that ought to have been round
him now. He had no relations, no
friends. His money had come between
him and all the softer joys of life, and
in dying he cared for nothing except that
he had to part with it.
Kathleen started at the little heap Of
salt she had split.
"What's the matter, Kathleen?''
"Oh, nothing" she answered, start
ing. ''Of course I don't believe in any
such nonsense, but I saw crow this
morning-now I've split some salt"
.'Throw pinch over your left shoul-
der, )" I suggested, laughing at her.
"Goose," she retorted, "do you think
I'm so silly?''
I stopped to pick up my serviette, and
she made a rapid movement as though
throwing something over her shoulder.
Kathleen!" I cried sharply. "Put
your knife and fork straight. -
"Why? What's wrong with them?"
She looked at them, then suddenly
snatched up the fork and laid it down
beside the knife.
''I do not believe you were frightened
because they were crossed" she said.
''Did you hear the screech owl last
night?" I asked.
'No, but I heard dog bowling. and
when I got up to see the time saw
shooting star. -
Superstition is such nonsense, !"
said I.
eyes, isn't it?'
was sitting by him, and in the dark
ened room saw his bony hands cropping
about aimlessly or picking at his sheet.
When 1 had washed him, he had fret
fully declared that we nurses did moth
ing in the world but wash him, and
"the other cne' had done it that very
morning. tried to persuade him that
the morning had nothing to do with the
evening, but he didn't see it. He was
now muttering to himself or lapsing in
to Inconsistencies. He did not know
me- His mind seemed to be wandering
into the money getting past, for could
hear snatches of calculations and some.
hing about the Stock Exchange which
lid not understand
Then all was silence, but for the beat
ing Of my heart.
There came a tapping at my window.
/ sat up straight, clutching the arms Of
the chair Death himself might have
been knocking for admittance! knew,
was sure, that it was but a bird, but I
had heard that when a sparrow taps at
the window it means death. A few
minutes after there sounded loud crash
down stairs, and sprang up and rushed
into our room, having just presence Of
mind left to see that our patient had not
been disturbed. Kathleen was sitting
up in bed.
sDid you hear that noise?' I gasped
"Ye-es," said she, through chattering
teeth "Do you think there's burglar
here?'
"Well, perhaps you'd better go and
see," said L 81 would, but l cannot
leave Mr.. Hartland. -
"Oh," said Kathleen, 81 would, but
I'm not dressed What's the matter, Ag-
nes?"
took her shoes, which she had left
on the table by accident, and threw
them down. She started.
"I-I tumbled up stairs yesterday,
Agnes" she said, seizing my arm.
There was another crash. had knock
ed over hand glass!
Next morning large picture Of Jo-
siah Hartland was found on its face in
the dining room Mrs. Jones said it had
fallen several times before, for the cord
was rotten and kept breaking, but MIR.
Hartland wouldn't t buy new one. We
said it had better not be hung again, as
we did not like going to see what was
the matter in the middle of the night.
She seemed surprised and evidently
wondered what we were here for.
told Kathleen that she looked pale,
and she said looked ghastly. I asked
her whether she thought we could en-
dure another night of it, and she said
she could not, but if I liked I might
stay, and she would give me all the
profits.
There was no need for us to stay.
Mr. Hartland insisted on looking at