Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-08-10
Bleed on the Ring.

soualid chamber OF an ancient anu
tdtiapidated house alone in the half
ruined suburbs Of q large city.
By the dim window sat a young
man of perhaps ive-and-twenty, with
a book in bis hand, which, however,
he was gazing upon with q frowning
brow, but distracted eye, that showed
its pages had no connection with. his
thoughts.
A more than usually deep groan
caused him to turn his head towards
the occupant of the sick bed.
why does he not die?" he NUT
TERED.
old man in q a faint and broken voice.
Comel you won't-ugh l. ugh !.
have to wait long, my son, for-ughl
ugh your money
The young man rose, and taking a
cracked glass from a small table, held
it to his fathers lips, saying, as ne
did so, "Oh you are worth good
many dead men, yet, father. | have
seen you as bad before now"
"No, no-not so bad l'-neyer SO
bad as this whispered the sufferer
I" But may lie I'll weather it. Yes,
| as you say, I'm worth a good many
ugh ugh!-dead men yet, John.
And then you'll have to wait little
longer, eh A-he he he ugh ugh !
ugh l-eh, John p n
Hang it, father don't aggravate
mel mean don't exhaust yourself
by talking. There-go to sleep! Ill
send Bridget up, and go out for
while. I'm choking for a breath OF
ali" And he seized his hat and
hastily left the chamber.
In a few moments, the woman
called Bridget entered, and, approach
ing the bed, asked the sufferer how
he did.
"Do! I'm done, Bridget--dons to
death. John says l shall get over it,
but know better. 1 am sinking
rapidly, and shall go down with the
sun. Has Lizzie been here to-day ?
Indeed she has, and begged me
with tears in her eyes, to let her up
to you. But says, says /, it's no
use, Miss Lizzie, he won't see you;
and if so let you up unbeknown,
he d drive me out o the house that
minnit, dear, so he would. And so
you have said you would-more
shame to you, Mr. Henshard
Hush, woman 1 am adying man,
I tell you, and I would see Lizzie
ere go. They say it is never too
late to repent. Will you go and
fetch my sons widow, Bridget"
"That I will. sir, and gladly.
Oh how happy the poor son will be
to think that you
"No words there is no time to
waste Go, quickly-quickly, say
tere John returns
The old woman was gone ere the
last sentence left her masters lips.
No sooner was the sick man again
alone, than he made desperate eff
fort to rise, and succeeded in sitting
up on hisrpallet After pausing to
recover the breath this effort had
cost him, he reached his uncertain
and feeble hand over the head of his
bed, and he telt along the back Of
the headbcard as if for some object
concealed there. In another instant
he had found and Withdrawn it. 1t
was a small, cnrionsly- wrought steel
KEY and he held it close to his eye,
as though to make sure Of It's iden-
tity, then once more endeayored TO
place his feet on the floor, trembling,
and with fearful rattle in his throat.
At the very moment he had nearly
succeeded in attaining his object, the
door opened, and John Henshard
made his appearance, with a flushed
and angry face and excited manner.
The young mans eyes were Instantly
{; caught by the glitter Of the steal key;
and his fathers unwonted position
confirming, no doubt, a previous sus-
picion, he exclaimed:
"Ha! I knew it, and sprang
towards the bed.
The old man instinctiyely uttered
a cry, and, hinging himself back on
Ills couch, by an impulsive action,
quick as thought, engulped the key
in his toothless jaws, and closed his
thin lips uponit.
The next instant his sons hand was
on his throat, and he saidhoarsely =
"open your mouth, father, or, by
Jove, l will force it open !"
The old man merely looked with a
glaring eye into the face of the
would-be-parricide, and shook his
head. Johns hand gripped closer
and closer the wrinkled neck of 'his
dying parent; but the jaws were as
firm clenched as with rivets of iron
: Fighter and more desperate grew the
). grip, black and hyid the sufferers
face, but t.still the jaws moved not
It was a hideous scene, but the end
drew nigh. John released the throat
Of his victim, and seizing the. Jaws
with savage force, wrenched then
partly .asunder and thrust his hanc
: between tkem. A horrible convul
{ sion racked the old mans form. ant
!, he writhed himself about his sor
like wounded serpent. But it wa
only for moment. His last vita
strength was expended; his limb!
,.|.relaxed; he uttered long, feebl'
. wall, and sank on the bed, as ths
] parricide drew his hand from tn
gaping jaws, with the fatal key j,
bis. fingers AS he did SO, small
stream lof blood flowed out upon tn,
= grizzledbeard of the murdered father
III