Middletown transcript., 1897-06-05

old friend and client, Sir Douglas Rel
wood. Was dead. aud The letter al
announcing the sad intelligence wa
| from his nephew, and ran thus:
i COTTAGE ,STAINEs, JUNE, 1.
"DEAR MR.. GEARY-I have to ir
| form you of the sad death of my ur
Gle. He passed away at 10 o'clocI
last night. 1t was all terribly sudden
He caught violent chill last week
which developed into inflammation o
the lungs We sent for DR.. Holmes
the leading doctor here but he could d.
no good, and the end came last even
ing.
Il write to you because l think j
desirable that you as the family ad
wiser, should eofHe down here here at eael
and arrange for the funeral, and also
to go into other matters connected
with my poor uncle's estate. Yours
faithfully. MARK REDWOOD"
"Ahp said to myself, as | con.
cluded the reading of the letter. 1.-THE
other matters which Mr.. Mark refers
to are closely connected with himself.
He is the next OF kin. Sir Douglas
died unmarried. This means EGO, ,000
year for my young friend"
| then proceeded to continue my
work of opening the morning shelters,
and finding that there was nothing Of
urgent Importance therein 1 deter
mined to act on Mark Renwood's sug
gestiOn aud 60 down to Staiues with
out delay.
i sent to my head clerk and told him
of my intention, bidding him also to
find out when there was train from
PaddingtOn. lie soon returned with
the information that, | could catch a
good one at 1890, ard | accordingly
drove to Kenslngton and cnilected
what | required for my journey, aud
AL hour later was seated In first
class carriage on my Nay to StAiues.
| had announced my Coming by trle-
giaph frOm Iadd,nginn, ,and | WAS.
tirrri0 ., not surprised % lind young
RenwOud ~allirg fur tne When I
alighted.
lie was ,ali, lin young n.an, with
strong, aqmIiue f aiuIes and small,
gray eyes. | had known him since he
was at E nr, ard he l.eld out his hard
to me ID a cordial smile.
{ AN dt lighted To see you come SO
spon, Mr.. Geary," he said. speaking in
hearty tone, "'but ! wish you had
come on more joyous business. This
is sad affair indeed"
"Sad enough" | ehjoined, ''and yet
we must all die some day or other
else where would the young ones come
in?"
The cottage VAS about half a mile
from the station, and our journey took
US along the river bank. As we passed
the boathouse on the slope he said in q
low voice:
This is the spot where my poor uncle
contracted the chill which caused his
end. He and I were walking along
this path one evening, when we heard
a cry for help and the next moment
ehild's head appeared above the water.
of course. would haye plu nged in,
but as you have perhaps noticed l am
suffering from temporary sprain, and
| could not swim an inch. My uncle,
knowing this, threw Of his coat, and
swimming to the spot wliers the child
was fast sinking, rescued it just as the
youngster came up for the third time.n
"A heroic act, indeed. considering
his time of life'' l said.
ut was heroic action, but it cost
him his life. I begged him directly
we reached home, to go to bed, but he
refused, saying that he would simply
change his clothes and have q bath,
and then be as flt as possible. Alas,
he WAS mistaken. Next morning he
said he had caught cold and In the
evening he was so shaky that went
for the doctor. Then foil lwed infiam-
nation of the lungs-and then--death. -"
"This DR.. Holiness" I queIied, sis
he really good manP"
"I believe he is the best doctor in
these parts. Had I known things
were 50 serious / would have wired
to town for our own man, brt never
dreamed that such was the case."
"Poor old genllemanl'' said. "And
he was to have been married soon, was
he notP''
Yes. That IL the saddest part Of
the business. He looked forward so
much to giving up the state of bachel-
ordom In which be had lived, and now,
well, it's no use talking of the past. y
/ followed him into the cottage and
up the stairs until We came to the
room where the dead baroBet lay.
I vent slowly toward the bed on
which my poor old friend aud client
rested. and drawing aside the sheet
u
which covered the dead face took
last. long look on the features ! knew
so we'll.
l was aroused from my reflections
by the entrance OF young Reuwood,
who came up to the bedside aud pulled
out his cigar case, several papers drop
ping from his pocket at the time.
"Have cigar" he said rs | stopped
10 pick up the papers. Aud then see
ing shade of annoyance that could
not conceal cross my face ut tue smok-
Ing at such a time and in such n
place he said hastily: sPerhaps we'd
= tier not smoke, though. It's hardly
decent 10 room with death Ia it,
Tyfc a.11as, <,fnw.e - r.r<>x1n~ r-,y