The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-26
ONLY A MISSING M"

veved 10 me news that considerably
shocked me. My old friend aud CLIENT
Sir Douglas Ranwood was dead, and the
letter announcing the sad intelligence was
from his nephew and ran thus:
"---Cottage. Staines, June l.-Dear Dir.
Geary: / have TO inform you OF the sad
death of my uncle. He passed away at
10 O'Clock last night. 1t was all terribly
sudden. lie caught a violent chill last
week. which developed into Inflammation
Of the lungs. We sent for DIR. Holmes, the
leading doctor here, but he could do
no good, and the end came last evening
II write to you because L think II de-
sirable that you, as the leading family
adviser, should como down here at once
Co arrange for the funeral, and also TO go
into other matters connected with my
poor uncle's estate.
"MARK RENWOOD.
"Aha" said to myself, as | concluded
tho reading of the letter, 1.-THE other mat
ters which Mr. Mark refers 10 are closely
connected TO himself. He Is the next OF
kin. Douglas died unmarried. This
means 10000 pounds year to my young
friend.
| then proceeded 20 continue my work
Of opening the morning letters, and, find
ing that there was nothing OF urgent inn
portance therein, determined TO act on
| Mark Renwoods suggestion and go down
| to Staines without delay.
| sent for my head clerk and told him
! of my intention. bidding him also TO
| find out when there was a train from
! Paddington. He soon returned with the
! Information that / could catch good
! one at IL 80, and / accordingly drove TO
! Konsington and collected what / required
| for my journey, and an hour later was
! seated in first class carriage on my
| way to Staines.
had announced my coming by tele-
7 Ill xkTnE
fore not surprised TO find young Renwood
| waiting for mo when / alighted.
| He was a tall, thin young man, with
J strong aquiline features and small gray
! ewes L had known him since he was at
Eton, and he held out his hand TO me
| with a cordial smile.
Il am delighted to see you come SO
soor, Mr.. Geary," he said, speaking in
a hearty tone, "but / wish you had come
on more Joyous business This is a sad
affair, indeed
"Sad enough" 4" rejoined, land yet we
must all die some uay or other-else
where would the young ones come iny'
The cottage was about half mile from
the station, and our journey took us
along tho river bank. As we passed the
boat house on the slope, he said. in "a low
| voice:
"This is the spot where my poor uncle
contracted the chill which caused his end.
He and were walking along this path
| one evening, when we heard cry for
help ana the next moment child 5
head appeared above the water. l, OF
course, would have plunged in, but as
| you have perhaps noticed, i am suffering
from temporary sprain, and could not
swim an inch My uncle, knowing this,
threw off his coat, and swimming To the
spot where the child was fast sinking,
rescued IL just as the youngster came up
for the third time.
IAN heroic action, indeed, considering
his time of life i said.
at was an heroic action, but 1t cost
him his life. / begged him directly we
reached home TO go TO bed, but he refused
ing that he would simply change his
clothes and have a bath, and then be as fit
as possible. Alas he was mistaken. Next
morning he said he had caught cold, and
in tho evening he was so shaky that i
went for tho doctor. Then followed in
fammation of the lungs-and then
death. "
"This Dr. Holmes" queried "was he
a really good manY'
~ believe he Is the best doctor in these
parts Had 1 known things were so SER
Gus / would have wired TO town for our
own man. but / never dreamed that such
was the case
Poor old gentleman - said And he
was to have been married soon, was he
notg"
'"Yes. That is the oldest part of the
business. He looked forward so much to
giving up the state Of bachelordom in
which he had lived, and now-well, it's
no use talking of the past.
"All the same" L could not help re-
marking dryly, sit is not such terrible
thing for you that this marriage did not
take place. Had 1T done so there might
have been an heir TO the estate, who
would have cut you out most completely.
He looked up with hasty glance.
Il .-s
think of things like that at time like
this NV uncle was father to me, and
better than many fathers. l am well
nigh stunned by the blow-money mat
ters just now seem to me very small, in
deed. I"
"Well, WELL" said, somewhat testify,
Eve cannot do without money, whether
we think of IL or not. But here we are at
- cottage, for / suppose this Is the
place.
This is the place." he answered.
"Come in. "
followed him into the cottage and ur
the stairs, until we came To the room
where tho dead baronet lay.
l went slowly toward the bed on which
my poor old friend and client rested, and,
drawing aside the sheet which covered the
dead face took last long look at the
features L kneY SO well
| was reused from my reflections by the
|
up TO the bedside and pulled out his cigar
case, several papers dropping from his
pocket at the time.
"Have cigarl'' he said rs 1 stopped
20 pick up the papers, and then, seeing a
shade OF annoyance that / could not CON
ceal cross my face at the thought OF sisok-
ing at such time and In such place,
he said hastily: Perhaps we'd better not
smoke, though; It's hardly decent In a
room with death In It, J"
His sudden glow of proper feeling did
not impress me and merely handed him
the papers no had dropped in silence.
One Of these he handed back 60 me.
You'd better look at that, Mr.. Geary, y
no said abruptly; that is Mr.. Holmes
certificate of death. y
glanced at the document. Yes, II
was all in order. 'Douglas Kenneth
Renwood, aged 65, " and so on, but when
! | came 20 the heading, Cause OF death, y
| 4 gave "a violent start.
Good hcavensr said 90 myself, can
this be possibc-can this be possibleY
For something | had seen In that cor-