Two Moods of a Man (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 Excerpt: ...passed, even in the brief interval between George Hood's opening of the door and reaching his father's side. It was Hood's firm belief that his father was dead before he came to him. For all human uses, at least, his state was equivalent to death, for he never spoke, moved, or showed a sign of consciousness again. "There fell from his hand," said George Hood, "even as I came to him, a paper. The coincidence is striking. What, do you think, that paper was? It was the will made by him when he was on bad terms with me, the will that dispossessed me of all my natural rights, the will he had made under the false impression that I was married to Gracia. He died almost in the act of tearing it." George Hood looked at me curiously. "It was in his hand. He had already torn it," I said, allowing just so much of the interrogative tone to come into the words as would suggest the expectation of an answer. He did not give me any answer. He sat looking at me in the same curious way as before. CHAPTER XIV GEORGE HOOD'S SECOND MARRIAGE Events move fast when life is monotonous. Mine was monotonous enough to permit surprise at the pace with which changes broke the current of George Hood's life. Sooner than I should have supposed that the law's proverbial delays would allow it I saw proof of his father's will, a will of date prior to that of George's gypsy wedding. It argued therefore the destruction of a later will--of the will made while the testator was on ill terms with the son--of the will which the son told me he had seen in the hand of the testator when dying--of the will concerning which I had asked: "He had already torn it?" but had received in answer only my friend's curious, enigmatic look. The will, as stated in the Illustrat...