The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-06

Chambers Journal.
Now for it," / said to myself as
undid the Irvine binding my precious
volumes together, and prepared to ex-
anime them more carefully than l had
had time to do since unearthed them
from the little dark, secondhand book
shop that afternoon. There was moth
ing remarkable about them; no rare
editions of well-known classics; no
Iong-forgotten books, valuable from
their very obscurity; merely few
bound volumes of old magazines, and
q couple of the novels which had de-
lighted me as a boy, and which from
old association were more precious in
their original type and polished leath-
er binding than in the spruce modern
editions Best of all was a copy of
Dickens Master Humphreys Clock, "
with the wood cuts that cannot now
be reproduced. AS l turned them over
/ became boy again, sitting in the
old apple tree at the end of the gar
den at home, deVouring the thin, pa
per-covered installments of the stories;
laughing and sometimes crying over
them, as the present day schoolboys,
we'll crammed and carefully examined
students of literature as they are, are
too critical to do. | adjusted my read
ing lamp, drew my chair closer to the
fire, and, forgetting alike the cup of
coffee at my side and the patient
whose unusual symptoms had worried
me all day, 1 lost myself in the COM
pany of Nell and grandfather, Mrs.
farley, Miss Brass and the marchion-
ess, seeing them with the boys eyes
and adding to the pen and pencil
sketches roundness and completeness
of detail drawn from my Imagination
of fifty years ago and utterly lacking
to my reading of later life.
When 1 had gone more than half
through the second volume, I came
upon large sheet of thin paper, COW
cred with neat, cramped writing. 1
took it out and looked at it. A mo-
ments inspection showed me that it
was a will, written throughout in the
handwriting of the testator, Michael
Darcy and dated two years before. 1t
left interest in the farm of Carrig-
nalea, with stock and implements, to
testator's brother, Patrick Darcy, who
was also named residuary legatee,
while the sum of 5000 in railway stock
and other investments was bequeathed
to my late wife's niece, Anastasia
French 1t was, as far as I could
judge, and have had some experience
in matters of the kind, properly exc
cuted, signed and witnessed.
1t was odd to find an important doc
ument Of this sort hidden away be-
tween the leaves of a book. Had Pat
ne ocio
been left without their inheritance in
consequence, l wondered. And a pic
ture rose up in my mind of a helpless
elderly woman ending her days in pow
erty, because the paper which would
have secured her independence was
not to be found
What an old fool I was, to be sure!
For all 1 knew Michael Darcy might
be still alive and live to make half a
dozen fresh wills. Or, even if 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 had not thought
of so obvious an explanation before?
l would make some inquiries about
the matter the next day, however; it
would be easy to find out all about
Michael Darcy, of Carrignalea. Mean
time, the will could remain between
the leaves of Master Humphreys
Clock
But the morrow found me flying
along by express train to the bedside
of my only son, who had met with a
dangerous accident. And for many
weeks | could think of nothing but
him, and of the best means Of snatch
ing him from the extended arms of
death And when by Gods mercy
he was once more as safe from those
clutches as any of US can ever be,
Michael Darcy. his will, heirs and ex-
ecutors, had faded out of my mind
as completely as If they had never
entered 1t. and the will was resting
undisturbed in its hiding place among
my books.
Some twelve months later 1 went in
the 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 some
two or three miles outside the city.
Her servants were faithful and attach
ed, but in the absence of relatives I
thought 1t better to insist on the SER
vices of trained nurse. I therefore
"NO Wis ONSI IIldlU d uOI6 dQQrGS-
sed to the matron of a nursing in
stitution in the city, asking her to
send me, if possible, one of two nurses
whom l named; or, If this was out of
her power, to send some one on whom
she could thoroughly rely. On my
return next morning I found, not in
deed one Of my old friends. but a
bright, capable-looking young woman,
whose manner of answering my ques-
lions and taking my directions i'm
pressed me favorably. She told me
that she had not long returned from
her course of training in one of the
London hospitals. and that this was
the first serious case of which she
had had sole charge
As the case, though serious enough.
was simple one, 1 had no hesitation
In leaving the nursing of it in her
hands and a few days observation
showed me that even had it been far
more complicated l should have been
fully justified in so doing She was
an excellent nurse, alert and Watchful.
knowing exactly what to do and do
ing it with THE quiet ease that comes
of long practice. AS the patient grew
better and 1 had time to notice less
important details 1 perceived that Sis
TQ\cN@ ~ ~