Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-12-29
He leaned over the bulwark, the spray
dashing over his face violently.

scarcely nave DeeQ distinguished. lHe
storm that had gone before had been but
play to this awful outburst. The vessel
drove on, creaking and groaning, mere
cockle-shell on the pillows.
Mother of Mercies % walled the cap
tain. cts all up with us, signores. I
can't make out the Cape in this darkness.
We shall 60 on the rocks. St Anthony
save u.s."
The seamen echoed his cries.
The two young Englishmen, compre-
bending their peril, elapsed hands in
silence.
For the next few minutes it seemed
that Pandemonium reigned.
Then a noise like the report of a cannon
suddenly doomed through the storm and
the darkness. The little vessel shivered,
staggered. and careened upon her side.
She had struck upon rock.
A moment later crew and passengers
were struggling in the waters.
A few moments of bufetings and toss
ings, of vain struggles and agonized in
voluntary prayer, and then Jasper Low
der felt his senses slip from him, and be-
came unconscious.
When he came to himself, he was lying
upon rocky beach on the Sicilian shore,
bruised, and weak as child.
He opened his eyes. The wind had
spent its fury, and now moaned along the
coast with desolate, desparing wall. The
waves beat against the rocks.
Lowder struggled to his elbow.
''Wrecked !" he muttered. 81 am cast
ashore, while the others are drowned Oh,
this is terrible! | have lost my best
friend tonight -
He moaned and wrung his hands.
"Ho ie dood. who would have done 81
much for me, and L so worthless am saved |!
All my hopes of an easy and luxurious
life must be resigned now !"
At that moment he beheld dark object
at little distance in the water. The
waves hurled this object against the pro-
jecting head of sunken rock. At the
same instant Lowder recognized it as the
body of man.
He crept toward it, and the waters
dashed the body on the shore at his feet.
He put his hand on the face. How cold
and wet it was 1t felt like the face of
dead man! Lowder's fingers came in
contact with the soft, silky mustache, and
he knew that the body was that of Guy
Tressillian
Of the five who had stood on the sloop's
deck half-hour earlier, these two alone
were left. The captain and his crew had
found their deaths among the cruel, yawn-
ing waters.
Lowder thrust his hand under the waist
coat of his friend, but he could not per-
ceive the beating of his heart. Despair
took possession of him.
"Dead - he said shrilly. dead !!
And he would done so 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 Tres
sillian Court is empty. Who can fill it 2"
1t seemed to him that some demon at
his side echoed the question Who could
I'LL the place left racant bynoble Guy Tres
silian2
a thought came to him a thought so
strange and sinister that he shivered in
voluntarily. Again he felt of Trtssilian's
heart. 1t gave no throb against his baud.
He passed his hand over TressiIian's head
and discovered a gaping wound in the
skull. The hair was clotted with blood.
Putting his hand into his breast pocket,
Lowder drew out his little water proof
match-safe. He opened it with trembling
fingers and struck light. The red flicker
danced on young Tressilian's face.
How CHASTITY and terrible he looked \
The eyes were closed, the smile was gone.
The seal Of death seemed set on the noble
features.
Lowder examined the wound. 1t had
been made by contact with the sharpI
rock, and even Lowder perceived its ter
rible character.
off 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 ~
Again it seemed to HIM as though some
demon echoed his words.
The match dropped from his fingers into
the water. For little while he crouched
on the wet stones in silence, battling, it |
may be, with the better and nobler in
Stincts of his nature.
At last, with sudden and abrupt STEALTH
ness, his hands stole into the breast pocket |
of Tressilian and drew out his private note
book, packet of letters, few trinkets
He secured these among his own wet gar
ments. Their possession seemed to give
him courage, and his face hardened, and
he knelt beside the body of his friend and
rifed his garments of all that they con-
tanned, bestowing his plumber on his own
person.
Then he took his own purse, his note
book, a few receipts and trifes from his
own pockets, and put them in the pockets
of Tressilian.
at is DONE" he whispered to himself, |
looking with wild defiant eyes through the
darkness. {" No one is harmed. He is |
dead. If he had lived, he would have
provided for me. As he is dying or dead,
| must provide for myself. This likeness
betVeen as wiU make any fortune. His
friends will be spared terrible grief, and
II shall live at last! Fortune gives
me a chance to gain name and wealth at
one lucky stroke =
As if to give himself no chance for re-
pentance, he arose to his feet and turned |
his searching chances in an inland direction |
A light, as from cottage window, glim-
nering family through the thick haze,
caught his gaze. |
Raising his voice, he called loudly:
Help! Ho, there! help!'
The wind had abated, and his cries
,ang out through the night with startling
1istlnctness. The light he had seen moved
and disappeared. A minute later, answer
ng cries reached Lowder's ears, and he |
heard hasty steps, and saw the approach
ng light of lantern, borne aloft by a |
mans appraised arm.
"This way" shouted Lowder. awe
ire wrecked on the rocks For the love
If Heaven, hasten %
The bearer of the lantern, attended by
! male companion, came running to him,
and was soon at his side Tho lantarr