been married, was almost without
relatives, and had scarcely a friend. As, hour after hour, he held the
hand of the dying man, "Cobbler" Horn whispered in his ear, from time to
time, a cheering word, or breathed a fervent prayer. The feeble utterances
of the dying man, which became less frequent as the hours crept away, left
no doubt as to the reality of his faith in God, and, about midnight, he
passed peacefully away.

"Cobbler" Horn lingered a few moments' longer, and set out for home. The
rain had long ceased, and the sky was without a cloud. The semi-tropical
shower had been followed by a rapid cooling of the atmosphere, and he
shivered in his still damp clothes, as he hurried along.

He found Miss Jemima and the young secretary anxiously awaiting his
return. They knew of his intention of visiting his sick friend, and were
not much surprised that he was so late. But his sister was greatly
concerned to find that he had remained so long with his clothes damp. He
went at once to bed, and Miss Jemima insisted upon bringing to him there
a steaming basin of gruel. He took a few spoonfuls, and then lay wearily
back upon the bed. Miss Jemima shook up his pillows, arranged the
bed-clothes, and reluctantly left him for the night.

In the morning it was evident that "the Golden Shoemaker" was ill. The
wetting he had received, followed by the effect of the chill night air,
had found out an unsuspected weakness in his constitution, and symptoms of
acute bronchitis had set in. The doctor was hastily summoned, and, after
the manner of his kind, gravely shook his head, by way of intimating that
the case was much more serious than he was prepared verbally to admit. The
condition of the patient, indeed, was such as to justify the most alarming
interpretation of the doctor's manner and words.

Now followed a time of painful suspense. In spite of all that money could
do, "Cobbler" Horn grew worse daily. The visits of the doctor, though
repeated twice, and even three times a day, produced but little
appreciable result. Could it be that this man, into whose possession such
vast wealth had so recently come, was so early to be called to relinquish
it again? Was it possible that all this money was so soon to drop from the
hands which had seemed more fit to hold it than almost any other hands to
which had ever been entrusted the disposal of money?

Miss Jemima did not ask herself such questions as these. She moved about
the house, tryin