Cora and The Doctor; or, Revelations of A Physician's WifeLeslie, Madeline
General
Cora and The Doctor; or, Revelations of A Physician's Wife
Leslie, Madeline
Physicians -- Fiction
"I hold in my hand," continued the lawyer, looking over a document, "a
deed of gift of a small house and a piece of land. It is in favor of a
widow by the name of Churchill, whose prospects have been ruined by her
husband while in Squire Lee's employ. The language of the deed is a
little singular for a man of his character. It reads as follows: 'Deeply
regretting in the sight of God, before whom I am soon to appear, the
various wrongs of which I have been guilty toward Otis Churchill and
through him toward his family, and in consideration of his long and
valuable services the receipt of which I hereby acknowledge, I do give,
grant and convey unto his wife, Mrs. Hepsibah Churchill, her heirs and
assigns a certain lot of land with the house thereon, it being the same
which I took from her husband in execution of a mortgage thereon,
situated and bounded thus--.'"
While Frank was rejoiced that his dying patient had felt disposed to do
something to restore the widow and orphan to the happiness which had
been destroyed by his influence, he could not help sighing as he feared
lest a suitable provision for his daughter had been too long postponed,
if not wholly neglected. Mr. Colby was exceedingly interested and
anxious to ascertain how long it was after he took leave of him on the
preceding day, when the old gentleman was seized with this attack. He
asked if it were indeed true, as the house-keeper had informed him, that
the old gentleman had not spoken since he left.
Learning from the Doctor that the patient was now in a dying condition,
he departed, expressing great regret that the state of the invalid
should render it impossible for him to transact the legal business
contemplated.
_Wednesday, October 25th._
Emily has just returned from Squire Lee's, where she has been since
yesterday. The servants are in dreadful excitement for fear Joseph
should be left in possession of all the property, since it cannot be
ascertained that a new will has been made. They vehemently declare that
they will leave the house when their dear young mistress does. It
appears very clear that the father intended to make a new will from what
he said to Allen, and also from what Mrs. Burns heard him say to his
daughter the morning after the wedding, when she was preparing him to
receive the lawyer. Lucy was then smoothing his gray hair, and
affectionately kissed his pale cheek, when, holding her hand he said,
"you must try to forgive your poor old father for all his cruel
treatment of you. You can take pleasure in thinking that by your
affectionate care, you have made my last years the happiest of my life."
Then after a short pause, during which Lucy could not command her voice
to speak, he continued, "I mean to give you this estate and Allen
shall--" Here a fit of coughing interrupted him, and he never after
renewed the subject.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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