The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-12-31
ON him. and became uncon-

slip from him, and became uncon-
scious.
When he came to himself, he
was lying upon a rocky beach OF
the Sicilian shore, sore, bruised,
and weak rs child.
He openei his eyes. The wind
had spent its fury, and now moan
cyl along the. coast with desolate,
despairing wall. The waves beat
again st the rocks.
Lowder struggled to his elbow.
Wrecked " he II uttered 4 am
cast ashore, while the others are
d.owned Oh, this is terrible! l
have lost my best friend to night!
He moaned and wrung his hands. |
He is dead, who would have done
so much for me, and 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 a little distance In the
water. The waves hurled this OBJ
ject against the projecting head OF
a sunken rock. AT the same in
slant Lowder recognized it as the
body of a man.
He crept toward it, and the wa
tiers dashed the body on theSshore
at his feet. He put his hands on
the face. How. cold and wet it was!
It felt like the face of dead man!
Lowder's fingers came in contact
with the soft, silken mustache, and
he knew that the body WAS that of
Guy Tressilian!
Ofthe five who had stood on the
| sIoop's deck half-hour earlier,
these two alone were left. The
captain and his crew had found
.heir deaths among the cruel. yaw-
ming waters.
Lowder thrust his hand under
the waistcoat Of his friend but he
could not perceive the beating OF
his heart. Despair took possess
ion Of him.
"Dead!' he said shrilly. "Dead
And he would have done so much
for me if he had lived! And his
father and the young girl he was
to have married will ait in vain
for his coming! His place at
Tressilian Court is empty. Who
can fill it?'
1t seemed to him that some de-
mon a: his side echoed the quest
ion Who could fill the place left
vacant by noble Guy Tressilian?
A thought came to him-a
thought so strange and sinister that
he shivered involuntarily. Again
he felt Of Tressilian's heart. 1t
gave no throb against his hand lie
passed his hand over Tressilian's
head and discovered 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 OPP IN
ed it with trembling fingers and
struck light. The red flicker
danced on young Tressilian's face
How CHASTITY and terrible it
looked! The eyes were closed,
the smile was gone. The seal OF
death seemed set on the noble fea-
lures.
! Lowder examined the wound.
, It had been made by contact with
, the sharp rock, and even Lowder
, perceived it's terrible character.
If 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, aud 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 his
= fingers into the water. For little
: while he crouched on the wet stone
r in silence, battling it may be with
: the better and nobler instincts Of
5 his nature.
t At last, with sudden and brupt
[ stealthine IS, his hands stole into the
: breast pocket Of Tressilian and
/ drew out his private notebook, a
= packet of letters. few trinkets
Y He secured these among his own
: wet garments. Their pos ession
t seemed to give him courage. and
n his face hardened. and he knel
: beside the body of his friend and
rihed his garments of all that they
c contained, bestowing his plundel
; on his own person.
Then he took his own purse, hi.
D notebook, few receipts and tri
fies from his own pocket, and put
/. them in the pockets Of Tressilian
It "It is done!" lie whispered te
r him self, looking with wild defian
r eyes through the darkness. "Nt
!. one is harmed. He is dead. II
f he had lived, he would have provi
u ded for me. AS he is dying OF
r dead, I must provide for myself
This likeness Jet,oeen as ac,U make M,
d fortune. II is friends will he spared
Il a terrible grief, and IL shall liv'
r at last! Fortune gives me chanc
to gain name and wealth at on
II lucky stroke!'
d AS if to give himself no chanc
d for repentance, he arose to his fee
l. and turned his searching glance il
an inland diection. A light a
Q from a cottage window. glimmer
t ing family through the thick haze
n caught his gaze.
At Raising his voise, he called loud