aid, of seeing a man in New York about
his wonderful invention. Secondly, that he never went to New York, but
came back the next evening, bringing his model with him, and looking
terribly used up and worried. Thirdly, that to get this invention before
the public had been his pet aim and effort for a whole year. That he
believed in it as you do in your Bible, and would have given his heart's
blood, if it would have done any good, to start the thing, and prove
himself right in his estimate of its value. That the money to do this
was all that was lacking, no one believing in him sufficiently to
advance him the five thousand dollars considered necessary to build the
machine and get it in working order. That, in short, he was a fanatic on
the subject, and often said he would be willing to die within the year
if he could first prove to the unbelieving capitalists whom he had
vainly importuned for assistance, the worth of the discovery he believed
himself to have made. Fourthly--but what is it you wish to say, sir?"

"Five thousand dollars is just the amount Widow Clemmens is supposed to
leave him," remarked Mr. Byrd.

"Precisely," was the short reply.

"And fourthly?" suggested the former.

"Fourthly, he was in the mill on Wednesday morning, where he went about
his work as usual, until some one who knew his relation to Mrs. Clemmens
looked up from the paper he was reading, and, in pure thoughtlessness,
cried, 'So they have killed your aunt for you, have they?' A barbarous
jest, that caused everybody near him to start in indignation, but which
made him recoil as if one of these thunderbolts we have been listening
to this afternoon had fallen at his feet. And he didn't get over it,"
Hickory went on. "He had to beg permission to go home. He said the
terrible news had made him ill, and indeed he looked sick enough, and
continued to look sick enough for days. He had letters from Sibley, and
an invitation to attend the inquest and be present at the funeral
services, but he refused to go. He was threatened with diphtheria, he
declared, and remained away from the mill until the day before
yesterday. Some one, I don't remember who, says he went out of town the
very Wednesday he first heard the news; but if so, he could not have
been gone long, for he was at home Wednesday night, sick in bed, and
threatened, as I have said, with the diphtheria. Fifthly----"

"Well, fifthly?"

"I am afraid of your criticisms," laughed the rough de