The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1914-08-20


milk and half tumbler of port wine.
And hurry back. Don't drive-run. I
want you to get back some time this
! week." -
| The doctor looked me. over with
great politeness and as much careful
calculation until he had decided that
l might do. -.
1T is only case of insufficient nu-
triton" he said-''in other words, the
result of poverty. pride and starvation.
Mrs. Caswell has many devoted friends
who would be glad to aid her. but she
will accept nothing except from that
old negro. Uncle Caesar. who was once
owned by her family"
Mrs. Caswell.' said I i'm surprise.
And then looked at the contract and
saw that she had signed it "Azalea
Adair Caswell"
Il thought she was Miss Affair."" I
said.
Married to drunken. worthless
lOafer. sir" said the doctor. at is said
that he robs her even of the small
sums that her old servant contributes
toward her support"
When the milk and wine had been
brought the doctor soon revived Azalea
Adair. She sat up and talked of the
beauty of the autumn leaves that were
then in season and their height of col
or. She referred lightly to her fainting
seizure as the outcome of an old palpi-
tation of the heart. Impy famed her
as she lay on the sofa. The doctor
was due elsewhere, and l followed
him to the door. told him that it
to make reasonable advance of
money to Azalea Adair on future con-
tributions to the magazine. and he
seemed pleased.
by the way" he said, perhaps you
would like to know that you have had
royalty for coachman. Old Caesars
grandfather was king in Kongo.
Caesar himself has royal ways, as you
may have observed"
AS the doctor was moving off heard
Uncle Caesars voice inside, Ibid he
git bofe of dem 50 from you, Mis- Ia
LEAF"
"Yes. Caesar" 1 heard Azalea Adair
answer weakly. And then 1 went in
and concluded business negotiations
with our contributor. ! assumed the
responsibility of advancing $50. put
ting it as a necessary formality in
binding our bargain. And then Uncle
Caesar drove rye back to the hotel.
Here ends all Of the story as far as
can testify as a witness. The rest
must be only bare statements of facts.
At about o'clock went out for a
stroll. Uncle Caesar was at his cor
ner. He threw open the door of his
carriage. flourished his buster and be-
gan his depressing formula: step right
in. sub. Fifty cents to anywhere in
the city. Hacks puffickly clean. sub.
JUS got back from a funeral
/ And then he recognized me. l think
his eyesight was getting bad. His coat
had taken Oh few more faded shades
of color. the twine strings were more
frayed and ragged. the last remaining
button-the button Of yellow horn-was
gone. A motley descendant Of kings
was Uncle Caesar!
About two hours later saw an ex-
cited crowd besieging the front of a
drug store. In desert where nothing
happens this was mamma. so I edged
my way inside. On an extemporized
couch Of empty boxes and chairs was
stretched the mortal corporeality OF
Major Wentworth Caswell. A doctor
was testing him for the immortal In
gredient. His decision was that 1t was
/ conspicuous by its absence.
The erstwhile major had been found
dead on a dark street and brought by
curious and ennuied citizens to the
! drug store The late human being had
been engaged in terrific battle-the de-
tails showed that. LOafer and repro
bate though he had been. he had been
also warrior. But he had lost. His
hands were yet clinched SO tightly that
his fingers would not be opened. The
gentle citizens who had known him
stood about and searched their vocab-
ularies to find some good words. II 1t
were possible, to speak Of him. One
kind looking man said after much
thought, when Cas- was about fo'teen
he was one Of the best spoilers In
school,"
While stood there the fingers OF
| the right hand Of 1.-The man that was.
which hung down the side of white
pine box, relaxed and dropped some
thing at my feet. covered 1t with
one foot quietly and little later on
! picked it up and pocketed 1t. rea'
soned that in his last struggle bis
hand must have seized that object I'M
Willingly and held it in death grip.
At the hotel that night the main top
! ic of conversation. with the possible
J exceptions Of politics and prohibition
was the demise of Major Casweli.
heard one man say to a group OF u.s.
teners:
I'm my opinion. gentlemen. Caswell
was murdered by some of these no &C.
| ,<,,r< v,SoDorc for h3c money He had