The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-29
MICHAEL DAR6YS HElRESS, I


Now for ii, ] said TO mySeI as
nndid the twine binding my precious
volumes together, and prepared to ex-
anime them more carefully than had
had time to do since unearthed shem
from the little dark, secondhand book
shop that afternoon. There was moth
ing remarkable about them no rare edi-
tions of well-kn0wn classics: no long
forgotten books, valuable from their
very obscurity; merely a few bound
volumes Of old magazines, and a couple
Of the novels which had delighted me
as a boy. and which from old associa-
tion were more precious IN their orig
inal type and polished leather binding
than ia the spruce modern editions.
Best Of all was a copy Of Dickens
Master Humphreys Clock" with the
wood cuts that cannot now be repro
duced. As turned them over became
boy again, sitting in the old apple
tree at the end Of the garden at home,
deyouring the thin, paper-coyered in-
stallments Of the stories; laughing and
sometimes crying over them, as the
present day schoolboys. we'll crammed
and carefully examined students Of lit
erature as they are, are too critical TO
do. ] adjusted my reading lamp, drew
my chair closer to the fire, and forget
ting alike the cup OF coffee at my side
and the patient whose unusual symp-
toms had worried me all day, lost my
self In the company Of Nell and her
90 ortIn nFn ur
and the marchioness. seeing them with
the boys eyes and adding to the pen
and pencil sketches a roundness and
completeEcss Of detail drawn from my
imagination Of fifty years ago and ut
terly lacking to my reading OF later
life
When I had gone more than half
through the second volume, ! came up
on large sheet of thin paper, covered
with neat, cramped writing. ! took
It out and looked at It. A moments in
spection showed me that II was a will,
written throughout in the handwriting
Of the testator. Michael Darcy. and
dated two years before. It left interest
IN the farm Of CarignaIea, with stock
and implements, to testator's brother
Patrick Darcy, who was also named
residuary legatee, while the sum of
$4,000 in railroad stock and 9th iTi
vestments was bequeathed to my \
wife's niece. Anastasia french" i.
was, as far as I could judge. and have
had some experience in matters Of the
kind, properly executed, signed and
witnessed
Il was odd to find an important doc
ument Of this sort hidden away be-
tween the leaves OF book. Had Pat
rick Darcy and Anastasia Firench been
left without their inheritance in CON
sequence, l wondered. And a picture
rose up In my mind Of a helpless elder
ly woman ending her days In poverty,
because the paper which would have
secured her independence was not to
be found
What an old fool was, to be surel
For an I knew, Michael Darcy might
be still alive and live to make hail a
dozen fresh Wills. Or, even If he we're
dead. the chances were that this was
an old will revoked by the existence
OF a later one, and Of no more account
than any other slip Of paper used to
mark a book. Why had / not thought
OF 50 obvious an explanation before?
would make some inquiries about the
matter next day, however; 1t would be
easy to find out all about Michael
Darcy Of Carrignalea. Meantime, the
la. hot T.-
If Master Humphreys Clock"
Bot the morrow found me flying
along by express train to the bedside
OF my only son, who had met with a
dangerous accident And for many
weeks ! could think Of nothing but him.
and OF the best means Of snatching him
from the extended arms Of death. And
when. by Gods mercy. he was once
more as safe from those clutches as
any Of us can ever be. Michael Darcy,
his win. heirs and executors had faded
out OF nay mind as completely as il they
had never entered It. and the viii was
resting undlsiurbed in its hiding place
among my books.
Some twelve months later I went in
the regular course Of my practice to
visit an old friend. who was suffering
from an acute attack Of pneumonia.
She was an elderly lady, living alone
some two or three miles outside the
city. Her servants were faithful and
attached. but in the absence Of rela-
tiyes ] thought it better to insist on
the services Of a trained nurse. there
fore gave Mrs. Powers maid a note
addressed to the matron Of a nursing
institution in the city. asking her 20
send ne. IL possible. one Of two nurses
vhcm Lnamed; or. Il this was out OF
her power. ID send me some one on
whom she could thoroughly rely. On
my return next morning I found. not
indeed one Of my old friends. but a
bright. capzbie-looking young woman,
whose manner Of answering ny ques-
tlcns end taking my directions im-
pressed me favorably She told me