Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-06-11
A MISSING M"

One Saturday morning l was sitting at
my desk opening my correspondence when
l came across a letter which conveyed to
me news that considerably shocked me.
My old friend and client, Sir Douglas Rem
wood, was dead, and the letter announcing
the sad intelligence was from his nephew
and ran thus:
COTTAGE, Staines, June |.
DEAR Mr. GEARY-I have to inform you OF
the sad death of my uncle He passed away al
10 o'clock last night. 1t was all terribly sud
den. He caught violent chill last week.
which developed into inflammation of the
lungs We sent for DR.. Holmes, the leading
doctor here, but he could do no good, and the
end came last evening.
write to you because think it desirable
that you as the family adviser should come
down here at once to arrange for the funeral
and also to go into other matters connected
with my poor uncle's estate. Yours faithfully
MARK REDWOOD.
"Aha!" said to myself as I concluded
the reading of the letter. "The other mat.
ters which Mr.. Mark refers to are closely
connected with himself. He is the next OF
kin. Sir Douglas died unmarried. This
AAiolAiiS ~@o,ooo yCdi Aoi my youHS
friend.'
then proceeded to 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 Renwood's suggestion and go down
to Staines without delay
sent to 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 l. could catch good one at IL 80, and
accordingly drove to kensington and col
lected what required for my journey, and
an hour later was seated in first class
carriage on my way to Staines.
l had announced my coming by tele-
graph from Paddington, and was there
fore not surprised to find young Renwood
waiting for me when alighted
He was tall, thin young man, with
strong, aquiline features and small, gray
eyes, I had known him since he was at
Elton, and he held out his hand to me with
"a cordial smile.
II am delighted to see you come so soon,
Mr.. Geary" he said, speaking in hearty
tone, "but wish you had come on more
joyous business. This is sad affair in
deed''
Sad enough" rejoined, land yet we
must all die some day or other-else where
would the young ones come in?'
The cottage was about half mile from
the station, and OR journey took us along
the river bank. AS we passed the boat
house on the slope he said in low voice.
EtfDIic is tbn II
contracted the chill which caused his end
He and were walking along this path one
evening, when we heard cry for help,
and the next moment child's head APP
peared above the water: 1, of course,
would have plunged in but as you have
perhaps noticed am suffering from tenn
porary 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 it just
as the youngster came up for the third
time"
"A heroic action indeed, considering his
time of life, l said.
sit was heroic action, but it cost him
his life. begged him directly we reached
home to go to bed, but he refused, saying
oiiuu IO WYNN CltIlRC Ills ClULutS
and have bath, and then be as fit as pos
sible. Alas, he was mistaken. Next morn.
ing he said he had caught cold and in the
evening he was SO shaky that went for
the doctor. Then followed inflammation
of the lungs-and then-death.
"This DR.. Holiness l queried, lis he
a really good man2''
II believe he is the best doctor in these
parts. Had known things were so seri-
Gus would have wired to town for our
own man, but never dreamed that such
was the case"
Poor old gentleman l said. "And
he was to have been married soon, was he
not?''
eyes. That is the saddest 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" conld not help re-
marking dryly, sit is not such terrible
thing for you that this marriage did not
take place. Had it 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
ooh, Mr.. Geary,'' he said, II cannot
think of things like that at time like
this. My uncle was a father to me, and
better than many fathers. l am well nigh
stunned by the blow. Money matters just
now seem to me very small indeed. -
"Well, well, said somewhat testify,
eve cannot do without money, whether
we think of it or not. But here we are at
$1,000 Cottage, for suppose this is the
place"
"This is the place." he answered.
"Come in.'
followed him into the cottage and up
the stairs until we came to the room where
the dead baronet lay
4 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 on the fea-
lures knew SO we'll.
was reused from my reflections by the
entrance of young Renwood, who came UP
to the bedside and pulled out his cigar case,
several pap Is dropping from his pocket
at the time.
Have cigar" he said as stopped to
pick up the papers. And then seeing d
shade Of annoyance that could not con-
ceal cross my face at the thought Of smok-
ing at such time and in such place he
said hastily: Perhaps we'd better not
smoke, though. It's hardly decent in
room with death in it,
His sudden glow Of proper feeling did
not impress me- and l merely handed him
the papers he had dropped In silence.
One Of these he handed back to me.
You'd better look at that, Mr.. Geary,"
he said abruptly. That is DR.. Holiness,
Of death. "
glanced at the document Yes, 1t was
all In order. Douglas Kenneth Rem
wood, aged IS, and SO on. But when /
came to the heading, cause of Death"
gave q violent start.
GOOD heayens!" said tomyself "Can
this be possibles Can this DO possiblef''