The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-01-22
The Evening Story
Mr.. Prior's VIII.
(By Clarfssa Mackie.)

| (By Clarfssa Mackie.)
Nurse" said Mr.. Amos Prior.
clothes like an irascible gnome:
Nurse, did the doctor say that was
The slender. whitehead figure at
the window turned instantly and came
to the bedside.
A pair of blue eyes looked down at
the anxious face of the sick old man.
NO. indeed. Mr.. Pryor." she said
cheerily. DR.. Frale5 says you are
getting along splendidly and that he
will have you out within a month. You
Will have to do your share. though
she warned playfully, ~ she brought
him cup of steaming broth from the
electric plate in the next room.
In month-humph! snorted Mr..
Prior suspicfously. "Out in q month.
hey? Out where? In the cemetery"
"Nonsense!" reproved the pretty
nurse. as she held the cup to his lips.
NO one wOul1 care IL / never re-
covered" muttered the sick man after
awhile.
Nurse Ainslee flushed. "You
mustn't say that" she Protested; your
friends have besieged the house with
INQUIRIES and the parlors are filled
with flowers"
Send 'em to the hospitals" inter-
rupted Mr.. Prior.
That will be lovely-I will attend
to it at once. And your nieces call
twice 2, day or telephone. their in
Quiries-ah your sou ' :, 2 -
my SOM" shouted Mr.. Prior sud-
denly. II have no son!"
Hilda Ainslee soothed him with
gentle words, and administered a
down near the bed and picked up a
book.
| Amos Prior doxed off. quietly, and
slept for an hour. When he opened
his eyes. the nurse was still sitting
there and he watched her pure profile
with satisfied eyes,
She looks good" he thought. "She
| IL good and gentle and kind. If she
was my daughter" he closed his eyes
again and bitter thoughts crept into
his mind.
IT did not want to see her hateful,
scheming facet" he said aloud.
| What 10 it. Mr.. Prior ?" asked Nurse
Ainelee.
Il was talking about the woman my
SON Roger married"
"Oh!" exclaimed the nurse. 1T il
time to take your medicine, sir" she
said to the patient.
| Mr.. Prior obediently took the medi-
cine and lay back on the pillows. The
room was a lofty one, luxuriously
furnished and facing the avenue. The
late afternoon sun pierced the lace
draperies at the windows and cast in
| tricate shadows on the Turkish rugs
Did you send for my lawyer? p
asked Mr.. Prior.
be here at 5-some one Is coming
now.
I 1t was a servant announcing the ar
rival of Mr.. Deeds. the lawyer who had
charge of Amos Priors large proper
ties.
Mr.. Deeds, a large, fair, silent man
came presently and after greeting his
client sat down at the little table pre-
pared by the nurse and drew out writ
ing materials.
mr. Deeds IL to draw up my will
| nurse" announced the man in the bed
please tell Hector and Mrs. Lane to
wait outside-we win need them as
| witnesses"
When Hilda Ainslee re-entered the
room, she found that Mr.. Prior had
lawyer and the silent man was
scratching busily away with foun-
Please read the viii to nurse. Mr..
Deed1.''
/ Mr. Deeds turned lar ;. moonlike
eyes on the pretty nurse, ana having
hemmed and hawed in the accepted
legal manner. proceeded to read In a
droning voice the document setting
/ forth the last witches OF Amos Prior.
He read that after various beauests
| to old and faithful servants had been
pad, and all his loving nieces and
nephews hal been generously remem-
bered, Amos = -or left all of his prop
erty. real 1 pei sonal. to Ht1da Aim
6lee, his faithful nurse
/ During the reading Amos Prior
watchec4 Hilda's face with expectant
| pleasure in his old eyes.
''Ah!" she protested sharply. when
the lawyer had finished. You cannot
you cannot make me the beneficiary
under yo will refuse to take =
penny! Mr.. Prior you are unjust to
your SON.
my soE was unjust TO me. He
married ar unknown W0mAn-And
have state in my viii my reason for
disinheritfng him You will have to
| take the money. NURSE" he pleaded
why. you have been kind TO me-
| like . daughter. If Roger haA mar
ried . woman like you things Wou1d
have been different"
/ The nurse looked 1t him with indig-
| nant eyes. She forgot her duty, fer
rot that the old man was her pafSeuf
that he was moi to BE- ag1tated-
How do you know that your sonfs
| Wiz = not an that aR-ao1 moro9''
- QuoGt3e-so1- ~Yon 1xENo nofuDo0 -