Charlevoix county herald., 1913-01-11

CT which was brief and written in bad
script on single sheet OF paper bear
ing legal head 1t was dated at
the writer. in conformity with the last
wish OF his friend and client. Hercu-
les Tbayer. was ready TO transfer GER
tain deeds and papers to the late Mr..
Thayer's designated heir Agatha
Redmond; also that the writer re-
qnestcd an interview at Miss Red
monds earliest convenience.
Holding the half-opened sheets In
her hand. the lady closed her eyes
and sat motionless. as il in the grasp
OF an absorbing thought. With the
disappearing child. the signs OF life
on the hillside had diminished. The
trafilc OF the street passed far 0elow.
the sharp click-click OF 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 II a million fireflies. by twos and
threes and dozens. were 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
hnanfifnI NhnraV0r
doubles occurred, the first was writ
ten long, in style of sixty years ago;
and the whole letter was as easily
leeible as print. Across the top was
written: ITO Agatha Redmond, daugh-
ter of my ward and dear friend. Ago
tina Shaw Redmond" and below that.
in the lawyers choppy handwriting
was date OF nearly year previous.
AS Agatha Redmond read the second
letter. smile. half OF sadness. half
OF pleasure. overspread her counte-
nance. II ran as follows:
"Ilion, Maine.
Only Dear Agatha: ! take my pen In
hand TO address you, the daughter OF
the dearest friend of my life, for the
first time i'm 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-
vate life has come to you. II will be
easy, then. for you to pardon an old
man for giving you, in this fashion,
the confidence he has never been able
to bestow in the flesh.
When you read this epistle. my
dear Agatha, | shall have stepped into
that next mystery. which is Death.
Indeed. the duty which am now dis.
charging serves as partial preparation
for that very event. This duty is to
make you heir to my house and es-
tate and to certain accessory funds
which well enable you to keep up the
place.
You may regard this act. possibly.
as the idiosyncrasy OF an unbalanced
mind: 1t Is certain that some OF my
kinsfolk will do so. But while have
been able to bear up under their
greater or less displeasure for many
years I find myself shrinking before
the possibility of dying absolutely un.
known and forgotten by you. Your
mother. Agatha Shaw. OF blessed mem.
DRY now for many years was my ward
and pupil after the death OF your
grandfather think | may say with
out undue self-congratulation that few
women OF their time have enjoyed as
sound a scheme OF education as YOUR
mother. She had knowledge OF
mathematics. could construe both In
Latin and Greek, and had acquired a
fair mastery OF the historic civilian.
ton OF the Greeks. Egyptians and an.
cient Babylonians. While these az.
,ainments would naturally be insuni.
cient for n mans work in life. vet for
a woman they were of an exceptional
order
sufficient TO say that I'm your moth.
er's character these noteworthy abiIi
ties were supplemented by gracious.
womanly arts: and when she arrived
at maturity, ] offered her the honor
OF marriage
at is painful for me 10 recall the
scene and the consequences OF your
mothers refusal OF my hand. even
after these years OF philosophical re.
Election. II we're idle for man OF
parts TO allow a mere preference In
regard to his domestic situation to
influence his course OF action in any
essential manner and | have never
permitted my career to be shaped by
such details. But from that time.
however. the course OF my life was
changed From the impassioned ora
tor and preacher | was transformed
into the man OF books and the study,
and since then | have lived far from
the larger concourses Of men My
weekly sermon. for twenty years. has
been the essence OF my weekly toll IL