The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-11-22
y MARTHA BELIaINGER.


scene below, though with apparent re-
luctance, she took from the pocket OF
her coat an opened envelope which
| she regarded a moment with thought.
fulness, before drawing forth the en-
closures. There were two letters, one
of which was brief and written In bad
script on a single sheet Of paper bear
ing legal head. 1t was dated at
Charlesport, Maine, and stated that
the writer, in conformity with the last
wish OF his friend and client Hercu-
les Thayer, was ready to transfer GER
tain deeds and papers to the late Mr.,
Thayer's designated heir, Agatha
Redmond; also that the writer re-
quested an interview at Miss Red
mond's earliest convenience.
Holding the halfopened sheets in
her hand, the lady closed her eyes
and sat motionless, as if in the grasp
of an absorbing thought. With the
disappearing child, the signs Of life
on the hillside had diminished The
traffic OF the street passed far below,
the sharp click-click Of a pedestrian
now and then sounded above, but no
one passed her way. The hum OF the
city made a blurred wash of sound,
like the varying yet steady wash OF
the sea, As she opened her eyes
again. she saw that the twilight had
perceptibly deepened. Far away,
lights began to fash out in the city,
as If million 1refies, by twos and
threes and dozens, we're waking to
their nocturnal revelry.
On the hill the light was still good,
and the lady turned again to her read
ing. The other letter was written on
single sheets Of thin paper in an old
fashioned, beautiful hand. Wherever
a doubles occurred, the first was writ
ten long, in a style of sixty years ago:
and the whole letter was as easily
legible as print. Across the top was
written: "To Agatha Redmond, daugh-
ter Of my ward and dear friend, Aga
tina Shaw Redmond" and below that,
in the lawyers choppy handwriting,
was date Of nearly a year previous.
AS Agatha Redmond read the second
letter, a smile, half of sadness, half
Of pleasure, oyerspread her counte-
nance, It ran as follows
"Ilion, Maine.
"My Dear Agatha: / take my pen in |
hand to address you, the daughter Of |
the dearest friend of my life, for the |
first time in the twenty-odd years of
your existence. Once as a child you
saw me, and you have doubtless heard
my name from your mothers people
from time to time; but can scarcely
hope that any knowledge of my pri-
yate life has come to you. 1t will be
easy, then, for you to pardon an old
nan for giving you, in this fashion,
he confidence he has never been able
% bestow in the flesh.
when you read this epistle, my
lear Agatha, I shall have stepped into
hat next mystery, which is Death.
indeed, the duty which l am now dis
serves as partial preparation
or that very event. This duty is to
make you heir to my house and es-
ate and to certain accessory funds
which well enable you to keep up the
lace.
you may regard this act, possibly,
s the idiosyncrasy of an unbalanced
mind; it is certain that some of my !
insfolk will do so. But while I have
cen able to bear up under their l
reater or less displeasure for many
ears, I find myself shrinking before t
ne possibility of dying absolutely un- I
nown and forgotten By you. Your {
lother, Agatha Shaw, of blessed mem /
ry now for many years, was my ward
nd pupil after the death Of your S
I think | may say with t
ut undue self-congratulation that few {
omen of their time have enjoyed as f
1und a scheme of education as your g
lother She had a knowledge of
could construe both in 7
attn and Greek, and had acquired b
.ir mastery of the historic civiliza- r
on of the Greeks, EgyptiaNs and an e
ent Babylonians. While these at d
inments would naturally be INSULT a
ent for mans work in life, yet for
woman they were of an exceptional s.
der. n
Sufficient to say that in your moth Il
s character these noteworthy abili- fl
ss were supplemented by gracious, il
arts; and when she arrived a
maturity, l offered her the honor IL
marriage. D,
1T is painful for me to recall the
enc and the consequences Of your re
1ther's refusal of my hand, even 81
Ter these years Of philosophical re- bl
ction. It we're idle for a man of al
rts to allow mere preference in al
gard to his domestic situation to fiji
luence his course of action in any af
sential manner and | have never fir