The Delta independent., 1907-01-04

nitc!i himself out of bed. Within roach
were the crutches which he was to es-
say tomorrow. Once he put out his
hand to the bell, but drew 1t back, NUT
tering: NO! by the Lord. I'll do it all
myself! I'll show them they can't run
over me-not quite" Then. still NUT
tering and mumbling. he wrapped him
self in his dressing gown, reached for
the crutches and swayed and staggered
across to the door.
The squire sat down heavily upon the
second step of the broad stairway and
began craftily going up backward. He
lifted himself from tread to tread, then
drew the crutches after him. BY some
whim he had kept his desk and all his
papers in the big south chamber that
had been his wife's. He was going there
now If he lived to come back from 1t,
he would leave behind Il new will, one
that would come near to disinheriting
his rebcllious child. 1t would do more
than that. 1t would set forth her re-
bellion. her neglect of him, in such
fashion as to shame her, here where
decency.
Painfully. with set teeth and agoniz-
ed twingcS, he won to his goal and sat
in front OF the opened desk. He found
the will readily and tore it through an
grily. then wrote upon the biggest frag-
ment, This is the work Of Il neglected
father"
But all this had taken time. and dusk
was falling rapidly.
He snatched up Il fresh sheet and
began to write. but the racing dark
ness was too quick for him. Before he
was half through he stopped and look
ed about him. full OF thwarted. impo-
tent rage. He flung out his hand and
struck it against a taper which had
lain there so long lie had forgotten 1t.
by its feeble light he finished the new
will and signed his name with n heavy.
scrawlng flourish.
Slowly. heavily. he got up and tried
to steady himself while lie put the
crutchcs in place. but II sharp ,wingc
made him stagger. He lost balance
and fell prone, ovcrturning the lighted
taper and bringing II In contact with
tLt VI III oleh W. Sis lucy
blazed up merrily. In wink the
whole room was ablaZc. As lie lay
helpless he saw the flames lick ut the
carvings on top OF the desk. Then in
deed the squire groancd aloud and
dragged himself to the open window.
\ wall of fire was behind him. be-
fore him fall of almost twenty feet!
To swing out and drop down below
meant certain death even IL he had
Ing came of It. Sally was really fast
asleep in the cool back yard. lie shut
his eyes and thought OF Edith's moth.
er. In the great extremity there came
n fash of cOmfort-whcn lie was dead
both wills would be burned, and Edith.
his only child. would have everything.
He ought to have been angry. but
somehow he could not be. The mount
Ing flames made his own wrath look
poor and tame. He had given mp and
was waiting for the end when straight
through the wall of fire there burst
slim figure. shceted and blackened. but
moving like the light itself In n wink
II had torn of the wet blankets pro-
tecting 1t, swathed the squire In them
and was bearing him out TO safety re-
gnrdlcss OF the flames that leaped at
Its own head. Once through the door
other arms laid hold on him and helped
to bear him down the stairs When he
came to himself fully he was stretched
on the grass at n safe distance, while
neishbors and farm folk fought the fire
to n finish.
The squire lay very STILL but kept his
eyes on one slim scorched figure that
led all the rest. When the danger was
past he raised himself on his elbow
and said. pointing to the slim leader:
daughter. | take back everything.
You've chosen man"