The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-04-06

your places, you FOOLS cried the
stranger; if she goes ashore it will be
many miles from here, with the wind in
this quarter. I've heard the guns some
time, but she has good offing yet, and she
may manage to keep off. I'd lay my
life she is foreign craft they are al
ways in such hurry to sing out"
The company had now seated them
selves and resumed their pipes. They
likewise took the liberty of scanning the
new arrival. There was nothing i'll his
appearance very remarkable beyond the
tact of his being tall muscular man,
having short, black hair, and immense
bushy whiskers, meeting under his chin,
together with large, black eyes. Alto
gether, his countenance was not an un-
| pleasant one. He did not apologize for
mis- intrusion, but called at once for his
pipe and his glass.
ibid you come from the Portreath
sideY Z" asked Knox. The stranger took
Whit and nodded assent. Who
brought you across the moors Z" "Do
you think no one can tread the moors
| but yourself and the louts of the place I"
answered the stranger.
| "None that l ever heard of except
the devil" said Knox, peering suspici-
ously at the stranger.
The latter laughed. "The path is
dangerous by night" said Thomas, -" few
strangers find the way alone" Then
I am one of the few, for here l am," said
the stranger. i've lived here, man and
boy, these forty years" said Knox, "and
| never knew u stranger to do that be-
fore. And you must be a stranger, for
I've never seen you before" care you
sure of thatI" Knox scanned him at
tentively. 81 never saw you before" :"
"You see, then, a stranger GIN find his
way in these parts. came by the
Gauger's Shaft. Thou knowest the
Gauger's Shaft" said he, significantly.
do you come here to mock me-" said
the other, with furious imprecation /;
eff you do, you had better return afore
harm comes to you" "You are strong
man." said his opponent, I" but am so
much stronger that could hold you
with one arm on yonder fire until you
were as black as your own black heart.
Come, if you have spark of courage,
I'll put it now to the test" Courage
[ fear neither you nor the devil" II
will wager you this heavy purse OF
French louis d'ors against that watch
and ring that BELTS tiny finger so oddly,
that you dare not go into yonder room
alone and look on the face you shall meet
there" "You are juggler and a
cheat" cried Knox, "Tll have nothing
further to say to thee" "There's my
gold" said he, throwing q heavy purse
on the table; "look at it, count it; a
hundred as bright louis as ever was
coined in France against your watch
and ring not worth the half" The eyes
of the wrecker glistened at the bright
heap. "What is the wager!" he de-
manded. "If you will dare go into
yonder room that l will raise the form
of one whom thou would'st most dread
to see."
Il fear nothing and believe you to be
cheat"
"There's my gold"
"Take the wager" cried several of
Knox's friends, "we'll see you have the
gold"
| "Done" cried Knox, with a sort of
desperate resolve, and he placed the ring
and watch on the heap of louis. 81
must have arms and lights"
"Take them," said the stranger, 4" but
| X u
of your property you have never dis
covered" He took the ring, and touch
ing the inside with the point of pin,
it flew open and discovered small space
tiled with hair. 1t was not till that
moment that it was discovered that the
stranger had lost the little finger of his
left hand. For moment all was still
as the grave, frightful suspicion SEEM
ed to have taken possession of every one
around that the murdered stood before
them to claim his own. The stranger
broke into loud laugh. What ails you
all, are you afraid of man without a
finger, and his laughter was louder than
| before.
"I'll not go into the room," said Knox
in low broken voice.
"Then the watch and ring are mine" "
said the stranger; "you have to forfeit
the wager" and he began to fill the bag
with coin.
"It's base juggle to rob me of my
own," cried Knox, whose courage re-
turned as he witnessed the business-like
manner in which the stranger fingered
the money.
keep to your wager, man." cried
| InOmdSi we IL see you riSntly uedlt
with. He can no more do what he says
than raise old old Beelzgbub hims elf"
"Will you stand to your bargain p
asked the stranger.
81 will, and defy you and all your
works." He took a candle and loaded
pistol and went toward the room. II
ever the agony of life was condensed in
to the short space of a few minutes it
must have been SO at that moment.
Rufhan as he was he was a pitiable OBJ
ject. Pale and trembling, without even
making an effort to conceal his distress,
he paused and turned irresolute even at
the threshold of the door,
Shame and avarice urged him on. He
entered the room and closed the door
If say that looked on as calm spec
tator Of these proceedings should say
falsely. I began to grow nervous, and
was infected with the superstitious feel
ing which had evidently taken possess
ion of my companions.
The only unconcerned person was the
stranger, or at least he was apparently
so. He tied up the money, watch and
ring in the bag and placed them ON the
table. He then took two pieces of pa.
per and wrote some characters on both
one he handed to Thomas-it was mark.
ed with the name of the gauger-the
other he kept himself. He advanced tc
the fire, and, muttering few words
threw into it small leaden packet, and
!