The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-04-03
Michael Lj1rCy'5 EIGrGGy2y. s

~ecc~c &C 800
~ I'll said 10 myself, as l
! y 4 wine binding my precious
~ and prepared TO canine
,' more carefully than , l mao ,h mao
~ ! DO since unearthed mem
% u 1,ttle, dark, secondhand
.ns hat afternoon. There was
WV .remarkable about them; 40
W 's,,,ous Of well know classics;
=. forsotten books, valuable
II lssir very scarcity; merely ,I1l;no =
-,d volumes of old magazines
00u.r a,e If the novels which had
LA svIp me as a boy, and which
l. "a association were more pre-
~ = their original type and pol
i leather binding than IN the
!. modern editions. Best Of all
COPY Of Dickens' Master hum
s'f c,ock." with the woodcuts
s,,ot now be reproduced. AS
a them over, | became a boy
I -, citing in the old apple tree at
"a of the garden at home, de-
40 the thin, paper covered IN
sns s of the stories; laughing
nmetimes crying over them; as
present day sehoolboys' wen
,med and carefully examined stu
n literature as they are. are
.,,tieal to do. | adjusted M
,,rs lamp, drew my chair closer
A fire, and, forgetting alike the
4 coffee at my side and the pa
those unusual symptoms had
IA me all day, | lost myself il
,ompany of Nell and her grand
~ Mrs. farley, Miss Brass and
warehouses, seeing them with
boys eyes, and adding to the pen
wncil sketches a roundness and
uDeteness of detail drawn from
Imagination of fifty years ago,
Utterly lacking to my reading OF
" life.
When I had gone more than half
msh the second volume, l came
Il large sheet of thin paper, COW
With neat, cramped writing. l
1 Il out and looked at it. A mo-
sts inspection showed me that it
- will, written throughout in the
Dfvriting Of the testator, Michael
kr, and dated two years before.
In interest in the farm of Carrig-
~ with stock and implements, to
h!or's brother, Patrick Darcy, |
vas also named residuary lega-
while the sum of three thousand
nds In railway stocks and other
tments was beQueathed to my |
giie's niece, Anastasia French"
-. - far as / could judge-and |
- had some experience in mat
NJ the kind-properly executed,
u and Witnessed.
ms odd to find an important
nent OF this sort hidden away |
uea the leaves Of book. Had
~ Darcy and Anastasia French
lett without their inheritance in
lueaee, wondered. And a pic
fose up In my mind of an heir
eaderiy woman ending her days
sfty, because the paper which |
ave secured her independence
~ to be found.
~ N old fool l was. to be sure. |
g knew Michael Darcy might
" Alive, and live to make half
en fresh wills. Or, even if he
VA nd, the chances were that this
e old will. revoked by the ex-
q Z later one, and Of 40 more |
y .tnan any other slip of paper
h y mark a book. Why had II
s9ought Of SO obvious an explana-
eelofe! ! would make some in
about the matter neyt dav
- Il would be easy to find out |
- Michael Darcy of Carrig-
Aeantime, the will could re-
oetWeen the leaves of Master
parey's Clock"
the morrow found me fvins
y express train to the bedside
only son, who had met with a
~. accident. And for manv
could think of nothing but
~ q the best means of snatch
g from the extended arms Of
ana when, by Gods mercy.
4. = SAFE from those clutches
one Of us can ever be, Michael
a's Will, heirs and executors
4. .aeo out of my mind as COM
y, !. y Il they had never had en-
3 and the will was resting nv
dks. pace among
wslVe months later, went
asar course of my practice
az old friend who was nffer
o. = acute attack OF pneu-
|aI.,s sAe was an elderly lady, liv-
va i some two or three miles
=, .ue city. Her servants were
" ], ana attached; but in the alb
= relatives. l thought it better
---s w the gnrvsaAz |