The Argosy — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

2 Edina. young are ever sanguine, rarely gifted with much forethought. Frank and his wife especially lacked it. Some odds and ends of practice did drop in to Frank, just a small case or so, at rare intervals: and they remained stationary for some time in perfect complacency. But when Christmas approached, and Frank found that his five hundred pounds would not hold out for ever, and that the notion of a practice in the Swiss town was but a castle in the air, he took his wife home again. By invitation, they ‘went at once to Eagles’ Nest. The merry Christmas Day had passed, and some of the merry days immediately succeeding to it. On New Year's Day they were bidden to an entertainment at Sir Philip’s Stane’s; Major and Mrs. Raynor, Charles and Alice; a later invitation having come in for Frank and his wife. William Stane was a frequent visitor at Eagles’ Nest when- ever he was sojourning at his father’s; and, though he had not yet spoken, few could doubt that the chief object to draw him thither was Alice Raynor. Yes. Sunshine and merry-making, profusion and reckless expendi- ture reigned within the doors of Eagles’ Nest ; but little, save poverty, distress, and dissatisfaction, existed (speaking of the estate) beyond its gates. Mrs. Atkinson had ever been liberal in her care of the estate ; the land had been enriched and thoroughly well kept ; the small tenants and labourers cared for. One thing she had not done so extensively as she might: and that was, improve the dwellings of the labourers. Repairs she had made from time to time ; but the places were really beyond repair. A few of them were like pigsties: and that was the best that could be said. Each tenement wanted one of two things : to be thoroughly renovated and to have an additional sleeping-room built ; or else to be replaced by a new abode. During the last year of Mrs. Atkinson's life, she seemed to wake up suddenly to the necessity of something being done. Perhaps with the approach of death—which approach will often open our eyes to many things that they were closed to before—she saw the supineness she had been guilty of. Street the lawyer was hastily summoned to Eagles’ Nest: he was ordered to procure plans and estimates for new dwellings. A long row (some thirty cottages in number) was hastily begun. While the builders were commencing their work, Mrs. Atkinson died. With nearly her last breath, she charged Mr. Street to see that the houses were com- pleted, and that the pigsties (to distinguish them by that name) were also repaired and made healthy. Mr. Street could only hand over the charge to the inheritor of the estate, Major Raynor. The reader may remember the Major spoke of it to Edina, Mr. Street could not do more than that, or carry out Mrs. Atkinson’s wishes in any otherway. And the Major did nothing. His will might have been good enough to carry out the charge, but he lacked the means. So much money was required tor his own pefsonal comicbooks.com