Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-07-22

|
In England dearer to mo than all the world
beside. BY the by, Doctor, when we first
met you expressed desire to examine this
ring of mine. 1t is n simple keepsake, one
that [ had made according to my own
fancy. He touched a spring as he spoke
and tue Jewel disappeared, and in its place
a tiny miniature, most exquisitely painted
came up to view. 1t was a picture of q
young and beautiful girl, most beautiful
with dark hair and eyes, complexion
soft. clear and transparent, a being made
| to love, and one, too, whom once she loved,
would love forever.
Oh, Cora he murmulc1, l shall again
see thee again clasp thee in my arms.
And now, my good friend, said he, be-
fore ! complete my arrangements, l wilt
stroll over the hills for short timc to calm
this excitement under which am lGboring.
L will see you again tonight before going
on board, should [ not, then good bye,
| and God bless you. l will write you as
soon as L arrive out; goodbye, goodbye.
| He hurried from my Office, and IN the
dim twilight [ saw him turn the corner of
Front and Market streets, going up, and
| it was the last time L over saw him alive.
The morning after my parting with
Nolan l WAS called into the country to
visit patient, and left town ut an an ear
ly hour. did not get back until late in
the evening. The Dundee had sailed, ac-
cording to appointment, and, the wind be-
| ing fair, had gone directly out to sea, as I
afterwards learned.
l was sitting in my office, musing upon
my friend Nolans story, and wondering
what would be the effect of his sudden re-
turn to the home from which he had been
so roughly elected, when a man, dressed
in the garb Of an ordinary seaman, pro-
sented himself, and requested my profes-
| slOnal services. He had been skylarking,
| n IA wit afa nd in
The struggle had cut his hand badly. I
| did not like his looks. He was a thick
set, burly fellow, with as sinister O coun-
tenarco as I ever beheld. Two of his
front teeth were gone, and ha had u deep
scar over his left eye, the effect of some
debauch had no doubt. He wore shaggy
wbiskers, and his hair was thick and mat
ted, and, from appearances, had never
made the acquaintance of either comb or
brush. He was, in fact, rs villainous a
looking rascal as one would care to meet,
even in broad day, much less at night, and
in lonely place.
Undoing the wrappings in which his
hand was enveloped, found it was badly
cut indeed. Three of the fingers were
laid open to the bone, as if knife or
other sharp instrument had Eeen drawn
| rapidly through the hand. "When did
this happen" [ inquired, as I proceeded
| to dress the wound. Yesterday" he re-
piled. "And why have you not had it at
| tended to before % [ asked. He muttercd
something in an inaudible voice and his
manner was so disagreeable, and his ap-
pearance so forbidding, that I hurried my
preparations as rapidly as possible. Hav-
ing bound up his wound, told him 1t
would be necessary for him to carry his
arm in a sling for some days, and enQuired
| if he had handkerchief. He drew one
out of his pocket, and | arranged it prop
erly for him, and he departed, much to
my relief AS was preparing to leave
my Office. the hour being late, l discovered
knife lying on the floor. 1t was knife
with single blade, about four inches
in length, with spring in the back to
keep the blade stationary when opened.
| One half the blade was gone, broken off,
though from appearances it had been re-
gently done. Supposing it belonged to
| my late visitor, and that he had drawn it
out of his pocket when he gave me his
handkerchief, and that he would probably
call for it the next day, threw it into q
common receptacle for odds and ends, and
| thought no more about 1t.
Three months bad passed since the Dun
dee sailed and / had heard nothing from
Nolan. / had seen the arrival OF the ship
announced in the papers and was expect
| ing every mail to receive the promised
communication, but days passed into
weeks. and weeks into months, and still
no letter came. / was disappointed and
anxious, and though busily engaged in the
duties of my profession, which indeed ab-
sorbed my whole time. there were mo-
ments when the face of my absent friend
with its sad and melancholy expression,
would como vividly before me rs to fill
me with prcsentiment Of some appalling
evil | endeavored to shake off the feel
ing and tried TO fancy him side by
side with the beautiful creature whom he
| loved so WELL and whose "soft eyes looked
love to eyes which spake again, but de-
| spite my efforts this presentiment weighed
upon my mind and would not be shaken
| off.
It was now midsummer, tho heat intense
and the season unusually sickly. The
twenty fifth day of July-shall / ever for
| get i'll had been in the aaddlo oil the
morning visiting my patients and had just
returned from ride of some milos in the
country, worn down with fatigue and the
heat of the weather, when I was sum
moned to a patient who resided at the
corner of what is now Fifth and Orange
streets. From the corner of Market and
Third in Southern or South -eagterly dl-
rection al that tiIlo no streets were laid off
aud no buildings erected; jamestown aud
other weeds tlourished luXuriantly, with
scrub oaks, chinquepln bushes and few
dwarfed specimens of the short leaf pine.
I mounted my weary horse, las much,
if not more fa!igued than his rider.) and
passing up Market turned into what is now
Third street, intending to pass diagonally
through the bushes to my place OF de 'ti-
nation. had left my whip ut my Office,
and finding it difficult to urge my horse
forward, without some stimulant, dis
mounted for tho purpose Of cutting a
switch. AS I stopped to do SO, my eye
fell upon hard, witherod, bony sub
stance about the size of ones finger, pro
iecting little from the earth, though al
most covered with decayed leaves. IS l
brushed away the rubbish to examine it
moro closely something flashed i'll tae sun
hight with dazzling brilllancy. One glance
was sufficient Tor me to recognise that it
was Nolans ring, and that doubtle No
lan's body lay beneath the earth on which
I stood. Overwhelmed with the horror
of this discovery, sank npon the ground,
dizzy and almost paralysed, aud with
- IL &I,14H 4 fI,T