The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-07-05

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"l'd no idea that you thought so
much of Htwley." "observed the brother,
as he strove to calm his painful emo
| tions.
Miss Pedder moaned. Her eyes All
ed with tears
81 thought all the world of him." she
murmured.
"A long silence fell between the cou
Pile
"Well, we'll, they're husband and
wife," ut length muttered Pedder
hoarsely. And this, | suppose, is all
there Is to be said.'
| Miss Pedder compressed her lips until
| they bled, staring at her brother with
fXedness amounting to ferocity.
mo! noW she breathed fiercely.
Tine matter shall not end here. That
marriage -thatabominablem marriage"
She clutched at her heart again, as If
suffocating.
Pedder opened his eyes widely.
why. what can we do?" he que.
ried. "You wouldn't have me murder
Hawley, l suppose? That wouldn't
make him your husband. And, on the
other hand, it wouldn't do me any good
ifyou were to kill Clara Aymar."
"But there is way, Luke, of undo.
ing that marriage"
Pedder started toward his sister, as If
electrified.
"Do you mean t?r he demanded.
81 mean it, and swear it I'll never
consent to that girls having Hawley!
I'll dig gulf between them as broad as
the ocean! I'll undo that marriage, or
die ~
"Softly Where is Kate?"
He referred to their single servant.
"She's out for the day." answered
Miss Pedder, arising and planting her.
self in chair. "There was little to do,
you know, as | did not expect you home
until dinner.o
"Then no one will hear u.s."
He drew chair nearer to that of his
sister and sat down beside her.
"What's your ideaY' he asked, in
whisper.
"My idea is to separate them to turn
their love to hate; to dig pit beneath
their feet that will remain open for
ever ~
"But how?"
"Will. Hawley is poor, isn't he?"
"Certainly; there is no mistake about
that. His mother was helpless invalid
for the last ten years of her life, and
Will. insisted on her using for her COM
fort every penny he earned. 1t hasn't
been six months since he was relieved of
that burden. He's poor, therefore, as
you say-poor as Jobs turkeyW
"Then he'll have to leave his darling
| Clara" sneered Miss Pedder venomous-
ly. "He'll have to absent himself from
his deary in order to earn their mutual
bread and butter. In short, he'll have
| to 60 to sea again ?"
| "Well, yes; l suppose he WILL" as
sented Pedder. "He can get better
wages at sea than elsewhere. He'll sail
again soon, no doubt"
81 thought as much. And the sea is
full of terrible dangers When do you
sail again for Australia ?'
"In about two weeks-possibly in ten
days, as the ships filling up rapidly"
to be your first mate?"
Pedder looked wonderingly at his
sister moment, and then answered:
| "Of course. / know of no better man
! for the post"
"He must be your first mate, then. |
You have influence enough with your
owners, 1 hope, to turn out thepresent in
incumbent?'
"Why, the post is already vacant. Mr.. |
| Jarding-you have seen him--Mr. Jar. |
ding has just been called home sudden.
ly to Ohio, on account of his fathers ILL |
| ness"
"Good That's fortunate. You must |
recommend Hawley for the vacant |
place to your owners, and get them to
engage him. The thing can be done 2"
! "Without the least dnnht, IT was nm
derstood, you know, as l just now re- |
marked, that was to help Hawley at |
the first opportunity. Well according
ly suppose that he sails with me as first |
mate the next voyage. What then?"
"You must leave him-not dead, but |
a prisoner-on some desert island be. |
tween here and Australia"
Pedder looked his astonishment.
"If it can be DONE" he said, after a |
pause, "what next?"
"You must come back and report that |
| he is dead, furnishing full details and
good proofs. Those details and proofs
will not be difficult to manufacture.
| Than you must be all kindness and
sympathy to the young widow, as she
will suppose herself to be, and in less
then year thereafter she will be your
| wife,"
sob, if this thing We're possible"
sighed Pedder, beginning to look reliev.
ed.
"POSSi6le ? It's as simple as kissing.
And the moment you are married to
Clara, | will take trip to Australia for
my health, and naturally enough, stum-
BILE upon the very island where you
| him his wife is dead cOndole and SYM
pathize with him like an angel; and
conclude the whole comedy by hecom-
ing his wife and settling in Australia.
You'll thus have your Clara, on this side
of the ocean, and L shall be happy with
Hawley on the other"
| She was smiling now, with every
| sign of anticipated triumph.
AS to Pedder, he twisted nervously
in his chair, scarcely venturing to
breathe.
"There's just one difficulty" he NUT.
tered-'that of getting HaWley ON the
desert island without his suspecting
anything.
''It can be done," and the lips of Miss
Pedder came together like the laws of a
vice. "There's no difficulty about find.
ing suitable island?',
mot the least. saw the island in
my minds eye the moment you uttered
the word, and glorious one it is for
our purpose"
sit will be easy for you to get IIaw-
ley upon it," suggested Miss Pedder
thoughtfully. "If it's near your route,
you can call there for water. If it's
out of your way, you can be blown
| there by adverse winds, or be drifted
there by unknown currents, or fetch up
there by mistake in your reckoning
or fault in your chronometer. And
once there you can have Hawley seized
by some trusty agent, while he is
ashore upon business, or you can send
him ashore under some pretence, such
as looking for deserter from the ship
or for shipwrecked sailor, and then
| sail away without bim-O
''Say no more" interrupted Pedder,
with wild exultation. II see how to
manage the affair from its beginning
| to its end"
"And you now see that we can undo
that hateful marrage?"
'Perfectly-perfectly. The affair
will require little time and patience,
of course, and little expenditure of
money, but we are sure to triumph.
Capital! glorious What a load you
have taken from my soul, Ruth What
genius you are.n
| Io IaanaI n hio Cont ,cl Ioo..,. 100