Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-02
DAILY STORY
THE TWO POSSESSORS.
tOriginal.l

gliStened ON the roof of her house, on ,
the leaves of the trees and the plants
in the flower beds. Mrs. Westervelt +,
had opened all the windows, put the
pillows on the sill and left the beds
open for the regular daily airing. She
had servants to do her bidding, but
there were certain duties she reserved
for herself. She was an excellent
housekeeper and especially particular
as to cleanliness and fresh air.
Mrs. Westervelt had at seventeen
loved man of thirty-five. He never
knew that she loved him. He drifted
away from her and married. Later
she gave her hand to a man of means. (
Her heart was like clock that had
stopped or, rather, beat for her first
and only love.
Mrs. Westervelt was in one of the
upper rooms busting her own especial
memento trinkets when she heard car
rage wheels on the gravel driveway
and vehicle stop at the front porch.
Then u maid came up and said that a
gentleman had been driving and had
collapsed in his carriage. His coach
at the house. Mrs. Westervelt went
downstairs and out to the carriage.
There his head resting on the cusl-
Ions, his eyes half closed, his white
locks falling on his forehead, was the
man she had loved i'll her youth-had
always loved.
In few minutes servants had car
ried the invalid to Il divan, where he
lay propped with pillows while Mrs.
| Westervelt ministered to him. \ ply
stefan came and pronounced the heart
so feeble that the old man could not
be moved, at least for time. without
I serious risk. and Mrs. WeStervelt per-
| suaded him to remain for an indefinite
period. He had broken down while
making tour from the city in his car
riage, not being able to endure the
| excitement of a train. His wife was
herself an invalid, and his children
were occupied with families of their
! own. His stay at Mrs Westervelt's
proved his last Sojourn on earth.
He was carried to bedroom up
stairs. From a window he could look
upon a height of land, on the crest
of which were forest trees. He would
| lie looking up at these trees, watching
| their topmost branches sway in the
wind. Is there anything more sooth-
! ing than slow, monotOnous notion
! hither thither; hither, thither; hither.
! thither?
| One morning Mrs. Westervelt brought
a likeness of herself taken forty years
before and showed it to him. 1t was
q daguerreotype The skirt of her
dress was covered with little flounces,
and on her head was a bonnet The
hair was parted in the middle of her
head and smoothed down on each side.
| The face was young, innocent, loving.
He asked who the girl was. Mrs.
Westervelt sighed. closed the case and
, put the picture away.
Again she asked him if he remem-
/ bered Agnes Lee. He pondered and
said no. Then she referred to several
incidents that had occurred when he
had known her. At last she touched
i upon one that he remembered. They
had been out together on horseback.
Her horse had thrown her. and he had
picked her up for dead. The impress
sion stamped upon his brain by this
incident served as a spark to kindle
a flame. 4 succession of memories
sprang up in his mind.
"I remember" he said. "She was
Agnes Lee, a beautiful girl. a lovely
girl! But l have no recollection Of
her face or figure. Singular" he add
ed musingly, ''how the past fades. l
remember one evening that l came
very near making love to Agnes Lee.
l checked myself in time l was mid
way between thirty and forty, while
she was not long out of short dresses.
It's more than quarter of century
since the incident has occurred TO me.
What life she would have had had
she married me with all my vicisSi-
tudes! And now that I'm broken old
! man she would be burdcned with my
care. What n lucky escape for her.
He felt a hand stealing over his.
[ yes" said the woman beside him,
"she would have been in my place"
( One day. while be was looking out
J upon the crest of the hill, he said to
( his nurse:
81 have a wish. I dare say it can't
\ be gratified. I would like when my
\ spirit goes outward that my body
should pass to resting place up there
\ under those trees"
"You can have your WISH she re
piled THE hill is included within
my grounds"
y Letters came from the old mans
h children thanking her for her kindness
Y to their father They would gladly
X have remunerated her. but surmised
y that such Il course would Ike out OF
X the question. A son was abroad and
a daughter on the Pacific coast
K Neither could come to him withou
y seriously disarranging their plans
Their mother was an invalid herself
y and unable to nurse him.
K The man died in the arms Of The
v woman who had ministered to him
Z She wrote his children that he hat
expressed q wish to be buried on hel
premises and asked permission to car
" ~ out bis desire. 1t was granted.