Our Odd-men 



come In to see him urged him strongly to 

 remain, "for I think it only right to tell 

 you," said he, "that your health is very 

 uncertain indeed ; in fact, you probably 

 have not very long to live." "Is that so ? " 

 asked Edward, surprised, but quite calm, 

 "how strange! and yet I never felt better in 

 my life;" and, then, as he still expressed the 

 strongest desire to return, my brother 

 Fred set off before him to make all things 

 ready in the little cottage at Henfield. In 

 due time Edward rose to go, kissed his 

 father and mother, bade us all a kindly 

 farewell, and stepping into the chaise, fell 

 back dead. This is not the story of our 

 family, else 1 could give a sad enough 

 picture of the poor stricken parents, and 

 the sudden gloom which obliterated all the 

 Christmas joy of our little household. 



Fred, after seeing that all was ready, 

 and the fires burning well in the cottage, 

 strolled out along the road in the direction 

 from which he expected to meet the 

 carriage. Great was his surprise at a 

 sudden bend in the road to meet Sprightly 

 coming full speed towards him. Breath- 

 less with running, the poor fellow could 

 hardly gasp out the dreadful news he had 

 run eleven miles to bringf. 



Fred was only a boy in his teens, and 

 193 N 



