The Florence daily tribune., 1898-03-11
-r Neelv.,
End all she said was. "hush. handy.

least. Three weeks the police worked
at that ciew and the doctors at him,
and neither with much success-cer-
tainly with little help from the victim,
who was In woeful state of collapse
much OF the time, protesting ignorance
of any excuse for shooting on the part
Of anybody. and consumed with dread
full fenr of death. 1t was wonder that
under the circumstances be rallied sufii-
cieuily to be up and able to be moved.
The March winds of Frisco were
leagued against him. The doctors
wished to, take him back to Coronado,
but he declared thet any part OF Cali
fornia would be death TO him. He
wished to GO home at once. Within
the week of the shooting Ned Parry ar
rived from Chicago, and had some long
interviews with his sister-in-law, but
was not allowed TO see the patient;
neither was she except at rare inter
walls. an ailliction which she bore with
Christian resignation. Then Purry had
to go back, but not before he had re-
ceived note from Merriam, had visited
him, and had shown every attention to
and deep interest in his gentle bride.
the husband, alone.
When Mr.. McLane was declared well
enough to move they carried him
aboard n steamer and sent him o Pana-
ma. Fanny, his wife. in attendance, as
in duty bound. But even the best and
biggest stateroom was close and stufYy,
us she said, and her hours were mainly
spent on deck. 1t was the nurse who
had TO bear with Macs cense,ess plants.
He had grown suddenly old, childish.
decrepit, fearful. They had to stay
some days ut Panama, and had a
wretched time, at least he did, being
transferred thence to Havana, where
he was enjoined to remain at least six
weeks. But some morbid longing
drew him irresistibly back to New
York. Go he would, and in April they
exchanged the summer seas, the soft,
perfume-laden air. the warm sunshine
of the tropics for the fogs and bluster
of the North Atlantic seaboard. Pneu-
monia set In and claimed the feeble
wreck fer its own. Several weeks be-
fore the anniversary of that brilliant
wedding and still more brilliant re-
ception, Fanny McLape was weeping
decorously in widows weeds and listen
testament.
Much, but not all. had been left to his
beloved wife, Frances Hayward Nc
Lane, but even that much was curiously
bestowed. Why should Uncle MeIlen
be so largely beneficiary? Why
should he be placed in charge OF her
property? Was she not old enough to
look after what was her own? Why
should Uncle Mel.en here and Uncle
Mellen there appear on page after page
OF that formidable document? With
alarming suddenness the tears had van
ished, dried off, presumably, by the hot
flush on her lovely cheek. Some one
had obtained undue influence over her
husband in his last moments, she de-
clared. Some one had swindled
Some one should be given to undo
she was a child-a puppet-no longer.
and two some ones, Uncle and Aunt
Mellen, had tremendous scene with
the widow before the funera. baked
meats were fairly cold-hefore the flow
ers began to droop about the new
filled grave. One row led to another.
and then to litigation, and then Sister
Charlotte had relented, sister love ant
tenderness triumphing over the sense
of indignation which followed Fans
repeated neglects of sisterly letters
and sisterly advice. and she came east
with her imperturbable Ned, and found
Fan looking white and i'll and troubled
and while Ned remained for legal bat
tie royal with the girls rutativ,
guardian, Charlotte took Frances to {,
charming resor, IN the west for &
placid summer, and that ia,l the lovely
widow was domiciled in an apartment
OF her own within view of the flashing
waves of Lake Michigan. within sound
of the cease'css roar ofChicaco.
Meantime the junior member of the
grent fem Of GTaeme, Rayburn & Parry
had bccn doing yeoman service in
'pinching" Uncle Mellen, and many n
valuable concession had been made,
and, thanks to her gifted brother-in-
law, the fair and now fully restored
widow found herself in apparently un-
disputed possession of the revenues of
certain houses, lots and lands. stocks
sAAt DOhds WAT Wouiu nuNe Dteu CeyOn0
her claim; and now had come the long
ing to spread her wings and fly. for
with independence came the intoler-
ance of Charlotte's well-meant, yet i'll
advised monitions. She would have no
elder sister preaching: Don't do this
and don't do that" day after day TO
her. She could not assume at all times
the expression of grief she did not
feel. The weeds, "the customsry suits
OF solemn black" even the little caps
were donned whenever she went abroad,
but that cap was so coquettish as to
draw down Lots sdenunciation, and even
deep mourning was to be discarded
long before the prescribed twelve
month.
Freak, whim, caprice of every kind
had her elder sister expected of her.