Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-11-19
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
With feeling of relief Hamburg walk
ed rapidly away. The last words of Leigh
had stirred within him once more the
trouble which had made him shirk meet
ing his mother that morning. The burn
ing down of Leigh's place and the destruc-
ton Of the wonderful clock would afford
a story to be told when he got home, and
he might interpose that history between
the first words of meeting and the ultl-
mate announcement that the engagement
between Dora and himself was at an
end.
When he got back home he heard, with
great relief, that Mrs. and Miss Grace
were at luncheon in the dining-room with
Mrs Hanbury. The presence Of the two
visitors and the general nature of the
conversation necessary to their presence
and the meal would serve as an admirable
softener of the story he had for his moth
er's private ear.
Some reference brought in Leish's
name, and then Hamburg told of the fire,
the destruction of the clock, his meeting
that morning with the dwarf and the con-
viction of the latter that he would not
long survive the destruction of his in
comparable machine He noticed as he
went on that Miss Grace first flushed and
then paled.
The girl had hardly spoken up to this.
She sat silent and timid. She did not
seem to hear quickly or to apprehend ac-
curately. She had hesitated in her an
swers like one afraid. The table was
small, and laid for four people. Hanhury
sat opposite his mother, Edith opposite
her grandmother. The heat was intense.
There was buzZing and beating in the
girls ears. All at once she hastily put
one hand to her left side and the other
to her forehead and rose, swaying softly
to and fro.
'I-I-" she whispered, but could say
no more.
Hamburg caught her. or she would have
fallen. The two ladies got up.
''She is not WE'LL" said the old woman,
excitedly. ''She has eaten nothing for
days!"
The girl reclined, cold and pale as mar
BILE, in the young mans arms. her eyes
were half closed, her lips half open. Ee
half led her, half lifted her, to couch.
Restoratives such as stood at hand were
applied, but she did not quite recover.
She was not exactly unconscious. Inls
was no ordinary faint.
The ladies were terrified, and Hamburg
ran off for doctor. When he came back,
the girl had been got upstairs. She was
still in the same state, not quite con-
scious. and not quite insensible. The doc
for made a long examination. and heard
all that was to be told. When lie came
down to the dining room, where Hamburg
was excitedly walking up and down, he
said the case was serious, but not exactly
dangerous, that is. the patients life was
in no imminent peril. She had simply
been overweight and weakened by want
of food. and Jared by suppressed and con-
tending emotions. There was no organic
disease. but the heart had been function
ally affected by the vicissitudes of the
mast few days acting on an organism of
exquisite sensibility. Quiet was the best
medicine, and, after quiet, careful
strengthening, and then the drugs men
toned in his prescription. But above all,
quiet.
Hamburg took up the prescription and
FASTENED off with it. On his way back
from the druggist he reverted to the past
of Leigh:
eyes 7 owed the introduction to him.
7 freely forgive him now. He, too, was
tho means of breaking off the Ashton af-
fair. I must write at once. l have
behaved badly in not doing so before. I'll
write the moment when get back home.
Yes. I must write when I get back, and
then I'll put the affair out of my mind
altogether. for good and ever"
When he had finished letter to Dora
no closed it without reading it over.
.s\Vhen one reads over letter like this,
he thought, zone grows nice about
nbrases and tries to alter it, and finally
tears it ND. am satisfied that if tried
all day long I should do no better than
this. I shall post It myself when l go out.
srbat letter is great weight off my mind,
and now I am much less disinclined to
break fhe matter to my mother When
tb,+ is over I shall feel that am free"
The next morning he received a mes
coca reouesting him to call upon Leigh,
ot his new lodgings. He found the dwarf
in bod A woeful change had taken place
in face and frame.
az sent for you because I have some
ching on my mind; and, as you are the
only man who knows all the secret of
Mystery Gold, and my deputy winder,
,ynnt Won to do me a service. Will you?"
were Leigh's first words.
.Anvthins that an honest and honor
oA,e man may do, will do for you with
Measure. if I can possibly" said Han
bury shocked and subdued by the change
in the clockmaker's appearance.
care you going to see the Ashton's
soon?"
standing with is back to the light 1.-The
family are leaving town suddenly.
Are you going, too!"
NO" Hamburg was anything but
nleased with all this, but who could be
angry with a dying man, and such
dying man, too!
IF you were going should like to send
a message. But of course you cannot be
going if they are leaving town. told
Won | have some money of my own. l
have made my will since / saw you.
After my mothers death all will go, l
mean the yearly interest of all will go in
enual shares to any hunchbacks that
an,,lv for shares. The conditions will be
advertised in the papers. L