The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-12-29

sea in maddened rage.
i There was no time for talking now.
| The wind rose 80 high that words would
scarcely have been distinguished. The
storm that had gone before had been but
play to this awful outburst. The vessel
drove on, creakine and groaning, mere
cookie shell ON the pillows.
/ smother of Mcrcies p walled the cap
tain. cts all up with us, signores. |
can't make out the Cape in this darkness.
/ We shall 60 on the rocks. St. Anthony
! save us!"
The seamen echoed his cries
/ The two young Englishmen comprs-
i bending their peril, clasped hands In
silence.
For the next few minutes it seemed
that Pandemonium reigned.
Then noise like the report of can
non suddenly doomed through the storm
and the darkness. The little vessel shiv-
cred, stag gered, and careened upon her
side,
| She had struck upon rock.
| 4 moment later crew and passengers
were struggling in the waters.
A few moments of buhetings and toss
ings, of vain struggles and agonized, in.
voluntary prayer, and then Jasper Low
der felt his senses slip from him, and
became unconscious.
When he came to himself, he was lying
upon rocky beach of the Sicilian shore,
sore, bruised, and as weak rs child.
He opened his eyes. The wind had
spent its fury, and now moaned along the
coast with desolate, despairing wall
The waves beat against the rocks.
/ Lowder struggled to his elbow.
Wrecked he muttered " l am cast
ashore, while the others are drowned
fOh, this Is terrible have lost nay best
friend tonight
He moaned aud wrung his hands.
"He is dead who would have done so
much for me,and SO worthless am saved |!
All my hopes ofan easy and luxurious life
must be resigned now y
| At that moment he beheld dark OBJ
| ject at little distance in the water.
The waves harried this object against the
head of the sunken rock. At the same
| instant Lowder recognized it as the body
Ola man.
He crept toward it and the waters
dashed the body on the shore at his feet.
He put his hands on the face. How cold
and wet it was Lowder's fingers came
| in contact with the soft silken mustache,
and he knew that the body was that of
Guy Tressilian
Of the five who had stood on the
sloops deck half honr earlier, these
two alone were left. The captain and
his crew had found their deaths among
ethe cruel, yawning waters.
Lowder thrust his hand under the
waistcoat of his friend, but he could not
perceive the beating of his heart. Des-
pair took possession of him.
dead he said shrilly. dead! And
he would have done 30 much for me if
he had lived! And his father and the
young girl he was to have married will
wait in vain for his coming His place
at Tressilian Court is empty. Who can
fill it,"
It seemed to him that some demon at
his side echoed the question Who could
Jill the place left pdcant by noble Guy Tres
sSliGn J.?
A thought came to him-a thought so
strange and sinister that he shivered in
voluntarily. Again he felt of Tressilian'S
heart. 1t gave no throb against his ham.
He passed his hand over Tressilian's head
and discovered gaping wound in the
skull The hair was clothed with blood.
Putting his hand into his breast pocket,
Lowder drew out his little waterproof
match-safe. He opened it with trembling
fingers and struck light The red flick
er danced on young Tressilian's face
How ghastly and terrible it looked
The eyes were closed, the smile was
gone. The seal Of death seemed set on
the noble features
Lowder examined the wound. It had
been made by contact with the sharp
rock, and even Lowdcr perceived its ter
rible character.
eff he is not dead, he soon will be,
he muttered. His brain has received |
an awful injury. He will never know
who he is again. He won't live till |
morning, and he is perhaps dead already. |
He must be dead y
Again it seemed to him as though |
some demon echoed his words.
The match dropped from ais fingers
into the water. For little awhile he
crouched on the wet stones in silence,
battling it may be with the better and
nobler instincts of his nature,
At last, with sudden and abrupt
stealthiness, his hands stole into the
breast pocket of Tressilian and drew cut
his private ote-book, packet of letters,
a few trinkets He secured these among
his own wet garments. Their possession
seemed to give him courage, and his face
hardened, and he knelt beside the body
of his friend and rified his garments of
all that they contained, bestowing his
plunder on his own person.
Then he took his own purse, bis note
book. few receipts and trifles from his
own pockets, and put them in the pockets
of H'ressilian.