White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1922-12-08
INSTALLMENT Fl.

at me IN KIM OIL screaming wis
per, "Mackellar" - these were his
nothing can kill that man.
He is not mortal He is bound upon
my back to all eternity-to all Gods
eternity" says he, and, sitting down
again, fell upon stubborn silence.
A day or two after, with the same
secret smile, and first looking about
as if to be sure we were alone, Mac
kellar," said he, when you have any
intelligence, be sure and let me know.
We must keep an eye upon him, or he
will take US when we least expect"
He will not show face here again,
said l.
"Oh, yes, he WILL" said Mr.. Henry
wherever | am there will he be"
And again he looked all about him.
You must not dwell upon this
thought, Mr.. Henry" said l.
NO" said he, that Is very good
advice We will never thing of it, ex
cept when you have news. And we do
not know yet" he added: "he may be
dead"
No news could have reached Durris
deer more generally welcome than
tidings of the masters death. This
brings me to speak of the exception,
my old lord AS soon as my anxiety
for my old master began to be re
Taxed, | was aware of a change in the
old gentleman, his father, that seemed
to threaten mortal consequences.
One day that he had sent for his
lawyer and remained long while pri-
vate, he met me as he was crossing
the hall with painful footsteps, and
took me kindly by the hand. "Mr. Mac
kellar," said he, II have had many &C.
casions to set a proper value on your
services; and today, when / recast my
WILL have taken the freedom to
name you for one of my executors. !
believe you bear love enough to our
house to render me this service"
His dissolution, though it took not
very long, proceeded by infinitesimal
gradations. His faculties decayed to
gether steadily; the power of his
limbs was almost gone, he was ex-
tremely deaf, his speech had sunk
into mere mumblings; and yet to the
end he managed to discover some
thing of his former courtesy and kind.
ness, pressing the hand of any that
helped him, presenting me with one
of his Latin books in which he had
9abor1oasly traced my name, and in a
thousand ways reminding us OF the
greatness of that loss which 1t might
almost be said we had already suf-
fered.
To the end, the power of articula-
ton returned to him in flashes; it
seemed he had only forgotten the art
of speech as child forgets his les
son, and at times he would call some
part of it to mind. On the last night
of his life, he suddenly broke silence
with these words from Virgil: "Gna-
tique pratisque, alma, precor, mis-.
erere," perfectly uttered and with a
fitting accent. At the sudden clear
sound of 1t, we started from our sew
eral occupations; but 1t was In vain
we turned to him; he sat there silent
and to al appearance fatuous. A
little later he was had to bed with
more difficulty than ever before; and
some time in the night, without any
mortal violence, his spirit fled.
The death of my old lord was the
occasion Of a fresh surprise to us who
watched the behavior of his successor.
To any considering mind, the two
sons had between them slain their
father; and he who took the sword
with his hand. But no such thought
appeared to trouble my new lord. He
was becomingly grave; l could scarce
say sorrowful, or only with pleas
ant sorrow; talking of the dead with
a regretful cheerfulness, relating old
examples Of his character, smiling at
them with good conscience; and
when the day of the funeral came
round, doing the honors with exact
propriety. could perceive, besides,
that he found solid qualification in
his accession to the title; the which
he was punctilious in exacting.
And now there came upon the scene
a new character. and one that played
his part too in the story; I mean the
present lord, Alexander, whose birth
9th July, 1757) filled the cup of my
poor masters happiness. There was
nothing then left him to wish for; nor
yet leisure to wish for it. Indeed,
there never was a parent SO fond and
doting as he showed himself He was
continually uneasy in his sons abb
sence. Was the child abroad? the
father would be watching the clouds
in case 1t rained. Was it night? he
would rise out of his bed to observe
its slumbers. His conversation grew
even wearyful to strangers, since he
talked of little but his son.
In matters relating to the estate, all
was designed with particular eye
to Alexander; and 1t would be: Let
us put 1t in hand at once, that the
wood may be grown against Alexan-
Jo~ TO- tt,''. xx,it Pa1 II,