Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-08-30
MICHAEL DARCY'S HElRESS.
(Chambers's Journal.)

had time to do since l unearthed them
from the little. dark. secondhand book
shop that afternoon. There was nothing
remarkable about them; no rare editions
Of weil-known classics, no long-fcrgotten
books valuable from their very obscurity;
merely few bound volumes OF old maya
zines, and a couple OF the novels which
had delighted me IS boy, and which,
from old association. were more precious
in their original type and polished
leather binding than in the spruce modern
editions. Best of all was a copy or
pickenss Master Humphreys Cock,
with the woodcuts that cannot now be
reproduced. As / turned them over | be-
came boy again, sitting in the oil
apple-tree at the end OF the garden at
home devouring the thin. paper-covercd
instruments OF the stories, laughing and
sometimes crying over them. as the pre-
sent day schOol-bOys, weil-crammed and
carefully examined students Of literature
as they are. are too critical 10 do. / ad-
justed my reading-lamp. drew my chair
closer 10 the fire, and forgetting alike
the cup of coffee at my side and the
patient whose unusual symptoms had
worried me all day, l lost myself in the
company OF Nell and her grandfather
Mrs. farley, Miss Brass. and the Marchio-
ness. seeing them with the boys eyes,
and adding 10 the pen and pencil sketches
a roundness and completeness Of detail
drawn from my Imagination o. fifty years
ago, and utterly lacking 10 my reading OK
later life.
When / had gone more than half
through the second volume, / came upon
large sheet Of thin paper covered with
neat, cramped writing | took IL out
and looked at II. a moments inspection
showed me that It was viii, written
throughout in the handwriting Of the
tostator, Michael Darcy, and dated two
years before. II left interest in the farm
OF Carrignalea, with stock and imple-
ments, TO testator's brother, Patrick
Darcy, who was also named residuary
legatee. while the sum OF $500 I'm railway
stock and other investments was be-
queathed 10 my late wife's niece. Anas-
tasia French 1t was. as far as l could
Judge. and / had had some experience In
matters OF the kind. properly executed.
signed, and witnessed.
1t was odd to find an important docu-
ment Of this sort hidden away between
the leaves OF book. Had Patrick Darcy
and Anastasia French been left without
their inheritance in consequence? l won
dered And a picture rose up in my
mind Of a helpless elderly woman ending
her days in poverty because the paper
which would have secured her independ-
ence was not TO be found.
What an Old fool l was. 70 be sure. For
all knew, Michael Darcy might be sun
alive and live TO make halt-a-dozen
fresh wills. or even II he were dead, the
chances were that this was an old WILL
revoked by the existence Of later one,
and Of no more account than any other
slip Of paper used to mark book. Why
Fhad / not thought OF so obvious an eX-
planation before2 / would make some
| Inquiries about the matter next day, how
ever: It would be easy 10 find out all
about Michael Darcy, OF Carrignalea.
Meantime, the will could remain between
/ the leaves Of Master humphrey
/ Clock"
But the morrow found me flying along
/ by EXPRESS train TO the bedside OF my
| only son. VINO had met with dangerous
/ accident And fer many weeks cOuld
! think OF nothing but him, and Of the best
| means OF snatching him from the eX-
| tended arms of death. And when, Dy
/ Gods mercy. he was once more as safe
from those clutches as any one or us
| can ever be, Michael Darcy, his VIII
heirs. and executors, had faded out OF my
mind as completely as If they had never
entered 1t. and the will was resting undls-
| turbed in us hldihs -piaSr aii'0"9 '-'
/ books.
/ some twelve months later I went In
regular course Of my practice to Visit
An old friend. who was suffering from
an acute attack OF pneumonia. She was
an elderly lady, living alone some Two
! or three miles outside the city her ser
wants were faithful and attached. but IN
the absence OF relatives l thought 1t bet
ter 10 insist on the services oil tralheu
/ nurse /. therefore, gave MIS-. fo"et
/ r,afd a note addressed 10 the matron OF
/ nursing institution in the city ashins ne
10 send me, il possible, one or two nurses
! whom, | named; or, II this was out OF her
4 rovyer 20 send some one on whom she
: Gould thorouehly rely. on my return next
I morning. | found, not, indeed, one Oh my
old friends. but a bright, capaDle-looAl'Ie
vouns woman. whose manner OF answer
inc nv questions and taking my dlrec-
tions Impressed me favoraoiy She IolI
me that she had not long returned rom
her course OF training In one OF the Lon
don hospitals, and that this was tHS ~ M
serious case OF which she had had sore
charge. As the case, thousn setioL'
srouqb was a simple one, l had no hssl-
lion in leaving the nursing or = IN heF
Sands and a few days observation snow
"a ~ that even had IL been Iar more
complicated / should have oeen lully
suetiaed In so doing. She was an eA-
coIient nurse. alert and watcntul hho"
inc exactly what 20 do, ana DONG IL WIN
the quiet ease that comes Oh lohs pa
tlce. As the patient gre" better, anu a. !
hod time 10 notice less important ue-
81. nerceiyed that Sister Anna, De-
seIos being an excellent nurses was a
,,erv attractive young woman. she had
nretty brown hair with golden hshts IN ., ~
v,aving and ripping all over Wel,-
shoned. wel-set head; her eyes were oar
h-oH,n and her complexion, though pa4e
clear and healthy looking, She M"s
fairlv tall. and very well buiit' WIN
ioox ~ strength and vitality pieas"n' u
ace Her voice was low-toned ana pleas
ant while her choice or Wofus anu moi.
80 ~ speal<ing showed her 10 De an
Nt,,cated woman Mrs. Power was De
,t,h,ed with her. and spoke much OF IN,
rieesurs she felt in having so intelIlgeh'
a,d svmpathetic a companion Alto
e,n,her thought | had reason 10 con
9rarlilate myself and my proiesslota
linen on the addition 10 the nursing
stan at our disposal. "a.
Tate one October afternoon "aIter
hard DAYS work, / drove down 10 Las
fallen 70 visit my patient whom na'
not seen for two or three Gay. iouii'
Mrs power alone in the little mornin'
: room, where she usually sat aItogethe
sister Annals knftting-basket and WEB o
, crimson neece gave token OF her receh
presence. s,,os d,,-,n,
a pause in the gossip Win my olu irieh
! 1,b,ch succeeded our brief professional in
tervieW. -
r ct ook out OF the window" was the re
. Ply. A., .,-,,,0,,
,,.htcn formed ons end of the room, ant
w." 49, forsr "a r,lon sfrntChin