Volume I Part 21 (2/2)

”How is he?”

But her next word was the wailing cry of sorrow, ? ”Oh grandpa!”

The old lady took the little child in her arms, and they both sat there by the fire until the morning dawned.

CHAPTER VIII.

Patience and sorrow strove Who should express her goodliest.

KING LEAR.

When Mr. Carleton knocked at the front door the next day, about two o'clock, it was opened to him by Cynthy. He asked for his late host.

”Mr. Ringgan is dead.”

”Dead!” exclaimed the young man, much shocked; ? ”when ? how?”

”Wont you come in, Sir?” said Cynthy; ? ”maybe you'll see Mis'

Plumfield.”

”No, certainly,” replied the visitor. ”Only tell me about Mr.

Ringgan.”

”He died last night.”

”What was the matter with him?”

”I don't know,” said Cynthy in a business-like tone of voice, ? ”I s'pose the doctor knows, but he didn't say nothing about it. He died very sudden.”

”Was he alone?”

”No ? his sister was with him; he had been complaining all the evening that he didn't feel right, but I didn't think nothing of it, and I didn't know as he did; and towards evening he went and laid down, and Flidda was with him a spell, talking to him; and at last he sent her to bed, and called me in and said he felt mighty strange, and he didn't know what it was going to be, and that he had as lieve I should send up and ask Mis' Plumfield to come down, and perhaps I might as well send for the doctor, too. And I sent right off, but the doctor wa'n't to hum, and didn't get here till long after. Mis'

Plumfield, she come; and Mr. Ringgan was asleep then, and I didn't know as it was going to be anything more after all than just a turn, such as anybody might take; and Mis' Plumfield went in and sot by him; and there wa'n't no one else in the room; and after a while he come to, and talked to her, she said, a spell; but he seemed to think it was something more than common ailed him; and all of a sudden he just riz up half way in bed, and then fell back and died, ? with no more warning than that.”

”And how is the little girl?”

”Why,” said Cynthy, looking off at right angles from her visitor, ”she's middling now, I s'pose, but she wont be before long, or else she must be harder to make sick than other folks. We can't get her out of the room,” she added, bringing her eyes to bear, for an instant, upon the young gentleman, ?

”she stays in there the hull time since morning, ? I've tried, and Mis' Plumfield's tried, and everybody has tried, and there can't none of us manage it; she will stay in there, and it's an awful cold room when there aint no fire.”

Cynthy and her visitor were both taking the benefit of the chill blast which rushed in at the open door.

”_The room?_” said Mr. Carleton. ”The room where the body lies?”

”Yes ? it's dreadful chill in there when the stove aint heated, and she sits there the hull time. And she ha'n't got much to boast of now; she looks as if a feather would blow her away.”

The door at the further end of the hall opened about two inches, and a voice called out through the crack,

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