Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-04-04

CT which was brief and written In bad
script on a single sheet Of paper bear
Ing a legal head. 1t was dated at
Charlesport, Maine, and stated ina
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 MI.
Thayer's designated heir, Agatha
Redmond; also that the writer re-
Qnested an interview at Miss Red
mond's earliest convenience.
Holding the half-opened sheets In
her hand, the lady closed her eyes
and sat m~otIonless, as II in the grasp
Of an absorbing thought, With the
disappearing child, the signs or HE
on the hillside had diminished. The
traffic OF the street passed far below,
the sharp cllck-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
p%erceptibly deepened. Far away,
lights began to fash out in the. city,
as II a million lreties. by twos and
threes and dozens, were waking to
their nocturnal r~evelry.
On tho 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
n doubles occurred, the first was writ
ten long, in a style of sixty years ago;
and the whole letter vas as easily
legible as print. Across the top was
written: ITO Agatha Redmond, daugh'
ter of my ward and dear friend, Aga
tina Shaw Redmond" and below that,
In the lawyers choppy handwriting
was IA date Of nearly a year previous
As Agatha Redmond read the second
letter, a smile, half OF sadness, hall
Of pleasure, overspread her counte
nance. II ran as follows:
"Ilion, Maine.
MY Dear Agatha: l take my pen in
hand to address you. the daughter OF
the dearest friend Of my life, for the
first time in the t~wenty-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 I a scarcely
hope that any knowledge Of my pri
vate life has come to you. It will b.
easy, then, for you to pardon an ole
NON for giving you, in this fashion
the confidence he has been able
to bestow In the flesh.
when you read this epistle, m!
dear Agatha, / shall have stepped int
that next mystery, which Is Death
Indeed, the duty which I am now DIS
charging serves as partial preparation
for that very event. This duty Is t
make you heir to my house and es
tate and to certain accessory fund,
which well enable you to keep up tn,
place.
"You may regard this act, possibly
ma the idiosyncrasy OF an unbalance,
mind: It Ia certain that some Of m,
kinsfolk will do Sc. But while / hav,
been able to bear up under thei
greater or less displeasure for man,
years. l find myself shrinking befor
the possibility of dying absolutely ur
known and forgotten by you. You
mother, Agatha Shaw, Of blessed men
DRY now for many years, was my war
and pupil after the death Of you
; grandfather. think | may say will
out undue self-congratulation that fe,
women OF their time have enjoyed q
sound a scheme Of education as you
mother. She had a knowledge {
: mathematics, could construe both 1
Latin and Greek, and mad acquired
= fair mastery Of the historic civiliz,
r ton OF the Greeks, Egyptians and al
cient Babylonians, While these a
tainments would naturally be insun
cient for a mans work In life, yet fe
! a woman they we're Of an exception,
order
;. Sufficient to say that in your mot
: er's character these noteworthy abil
ties we're supplemented by graciou
womanly arts: and when she arrive
n at maturity. l offered her the hone
Of marriage.
9 TT Is painful for me to recall n
scene and the consequences Of 70,
{ mothers refusal OF my hand. eve
d after these years Of philosophical r
d Election. It were idle for a man
parts to allow a mere preference
regard to his domestic situation
d influence his course Of action In al
essential manner, and l have new,
Q permitted my career to be shaped
such details. But from that tim
L however, the curse OF my life WI
changed From the impassioned or
tor and preacher l was transform,
p into the mar Of books and the stud
u and since then | have lived far fro
b the larger concourses Of men. \
weekly sermon, for twenty years, h
l. been the essence of my weekly toll