The Irish standard., 1896-07-04

TO cease than to continue our endeavors.
Lamar approached us once, but, after
glance at the scene, turned away with-
out word and reentered the house. A
moment later, however, old Martha ap-
;peared, bearing stimulants, which she
placed beside me, and then stood watch
Ing us with awe-strfeken curiosity. Il
At last johnson rose.
"It's no use, doctor, no use," he said,
solemnly. ''The poor lady's gone"
: The girl gave despairing cry. Some
time before she, must have begun to
realize the truth, but she had battled
against it, striving to deceive herself.
"No, no, it can't be, it can't bel" she
lmoaned. .Oh, aunt, aunt! Gone, gone
from me, forever!"
She reeled, and would have fallen, but
X caught her in my arms, and held her
close as she sobbed upon my breast,
crying her heart ont, it seemed, as ths
sense Of her great loss burst upon her.
Poor Mrs. Loring was laid to rest in
the village burying ground, sincerely
incurred by the new friends among
whom her life had ended. Her foibles
were forgotten, and only her courtesy,
her kindness, her generosity, were re-
membered. She had done little of harm
and something of good in the world
"a better record than can be placed to the
credit of many whose pretensions have
for exceeded those of this victim of q
morbidness Of Imagination approach
ing hype:hondria.
Week after week passed, but Dorothy
Gray was still in Rodneytown, reluctant
to quit the kindly circle whose men,
beers had shown heartfelt sympathy in
her afliction. 7 doubt whether she had
been able to decide whittier to 60 in
case she left the village. She had no
near relations, certainly none to whom
sho would turn at such time. In her
years Of wandering with her aunt she.
had made few intimate friends. In
short, she was left without anyone from
whom she might naturally seek conso-
1ation and counsel. The good women
OF the neighborhood did their best t,
take the place of kinsfolk and old
friends; they wept with her in the days
when her bereavement had just come
upon her, and afterward, when the first
bitterness OF her loss was past they
kept her company and strove to cheer
her, after the hon,ely fashion of their
kind. And SO it happened that she re.
anained with us, bearing her sorrow Ne
best she could. s..
4 Not long after the death of her aunt
I had confirmation Of the story Mrs.
Weston had brought me. The trustee
of The estate, the income Of which Mrs.
I.oring hal received, came to Rodney
town to attend the funeral services.
He was lawyer, cautious and reserved
in manner, and supposedly as free from
sentimen.ality as the desk in his office.
Yet under the professional mask there
ives, after all, something of the emo
tional man, which asserted itself in a
practical way. beft ting the weakness
Of an eminently practical man.
''Dr. Morris, - said he, on the eve OF his
departure, there is result Of this re-
cen. tragic occurrence to which your
attention may not have been called.
Mrs. Loring had only life interest in
the property left by her husband, for
She had surrendered her dover rights.
On her demise the estate passes to her
husbands brother and sister, with
whom, regret to say, her relations
were not amicable. Though she often
told me that she proposed to lay aside,
part Of her income in order to make
provision for her niece, Miss Gray, it
seems that she utterly neglected to put
the plan in operation. In fact, she lived
very close to her income, and had it not
been for reduction in her expenses on
coming here, it is probable that the rev.
cDue coming from the property, call,