Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-07-11

and sat down beside her.
What's your idea ?" he asked, in a wbis-
"My idea is to separate them to turn their
love to hate to dig a pit beneath their feet
that will remain open forever!"
but how p"
Will. Hawley is poor. isn't he P"
Certainly there is no mistake about that.
His mother was a helpless invalid Tor the last
ten years of her life, and Will. insisted on her
using for her comfort every penny he earned.
1t hasn't been SIX months since he was relieved
say-poor as Jobs turkeyi"
"Then he'll have to leave his uarling
Clara" sneered Miss Pedder venomously.
"Hen have to absent himself from his deary
in order to earn their mutual broad and butter.
In short. he'll have to go to sea again"
well, yes I suppose he will" assented
Pedder. He can get better wages at sea
than elsewhere. He'll sail again soon, no
doubt"
az thought as mnch. And the sea is FULL of
terrible dangers! When do you sail again for
Australia ?'
as the ships filling up rapidly"
"Hawley is thoroughly competent to be
you1 first mate ?"
Pedder looked wonderingly at his sister a
moment, and then answered:
Of course. L know of no better man for
the post"
have influence enough with your owners, I
AOHOs OSO
"Why, the post is already vacant. Mr.. JAR
ding-you have seen him-Mr. Jarding has just
been called home suddenly to Ohio, on account
of his fathers illness"
GOOD ! That's fortunate; You must rec
ommend Hawley for the vacant place to your
owners, and get them to engage him. The
thing can be done?"
i" Without the least doubt. 1t was under
stood, you know, as I just now remarked.
that I was to help Hawley at the first oppor-
tunity, Well accordingly suppose that he
sails with me as first mate the next voyage.
What then ?"
"You must leave him-not dead, but a pris-
oner-on some desert island between here and
Australia"
Pedder looked his establishment.
"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 difficultt to
manufacture. Then you must be all kIndness
and sympathy to the young widow, as she Will
suppose herself to be, and in less than a year
thereafter she will be your wife"
sob, if this thing we're possible" sighed
Pedder, beginning to look relieved.
POSSIBLE? It's as simple as kissing. And
the moment you are married to Clara, l will
take q trip to Australia for my health, and
naturally enough, stumble upon the very isl
and where you have left Hawley; effect his
rescue ; tell him his wife is dead; condoIe and
sympathize with him like an angel; and con-
clude the whole comedy by becoming 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 an
ticipated triumph.
AS to Pedder, he twisted nervously in his
chair, scarcely venturing TO breathe.
There's just one difficulty" he muttered-
"that of getting Hawley on the desert island
without his suspecting ANYTHING"
SIT can be DONE" and the lips of Miss Ped
der came together like the jaws of a wise.
There's no difficulty about finding a suitable
island P"
"Not the least. Isaw the islandin my minds
eye the moment you uttered the word, and a
glorious one it is for our purpose"
sit will be easy for you to get Ha wiley upon
it," suggested Miss Fodder t~houghtfully. "If
it's near your route, you can call there for
water. If it's out of you way, you can be
blown there by adverse winds, or be drifted
there by unknown currents, or fetch up there
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 pretense, such
as looking for a deserter from the ship or for
a shipwrecked sailor, and then sail away with
out him"
'tSay no more, interrupted Pedder, with wild
exultation. 81 see how to manage the affair
from its beginning to it's end"
"And you now see that we can undo that
hateful marriage ?"
"Perfectly-perfectly. The affair will re-
quire a little time and patience, of course, and
a little expenditure of money, but we are sure
to triumph. Capital! glorious! What a load
you have taken from my soul, Ruth! What a
genius you are!"
He leaped to his feet and began pacing to and
fro rapidly, with the most extravaganza signs
and EXPLANATIONS of joy.
First to get Hawley on his island, resumed
Miss Pedder musingly. 'sNext for you to marry
the pretended widow. Then for me to rescue
you and me to be happy, you in your way and
I in mine-you with Clara in New York, and I
with Will. in Australia. You comprehend the
whole project clearly?"
"From the first step to the last. There's
only just one possibility of failure"
Sand that one ?"
"a refusal on Hawley's part to accept the
post offered him--a refusal based pom his
marriage"
Miss Pedder turned pale at the thought.
b he won't refnse," she soon declared,
recovering her equanimity. "He has long been
wanting just such a place. Married or single,
he can't neglect his bread and butter"
"Wel said, Ruth. 1 think we can count
upon him. The post he came here to ask me
for is now vacant, and I will accordingly have
it offered to him, just as if nothing had hap
EXACTLY. You needn't speak of his mar
or seem to know anything about it. You
can simply offer him the post in question, in
accordance with the old understanding. Aud
he will accept it. He can't possibly have any
suspicion of anything wrong. Outwardly and
apparently we are all on good terms with one
I MIN WI OL4oAh oOs Law VIZ "o0oo
offered him be liberal. Possibly he may object
to leaving his young bride so soon, but the
next voyage after this one"
Pedder Interrupted the remark by a gesture
of Impotence. He was all eagerness now-an
determination.
''That next voyage after this one will not
he declared. "Hawley shall accom-
pany me on my very next trip. To make all
sure on this point, I will have him engaged
this very day. In fact, l will see to this
He seized his hat and gloves, addressed a
few words to his sister, and quietly took his
Town town. The last chances the
couple exchanged at the door were full of jul
w~ickedness.
The next three or four hours passed slowly
Miss Pedder. She was beginning to fear
hat the whole project had miscarried at its
7ery commencement, and was fretting herself
INTO a fever, when Pedder suddenly made his
One glance at his vivid fushes.
It his dancing eyes, at his airy manner, was
We triumph then ?" she cried, throwing
herself into his arms for the first time in years.
Completely I saw my owners on the sub
iect, and they sent for Hawley. He at first
offered some objections, as was natural, but
he high wages, the great step upward, the
indy interest we all manifested, soon brought
him to a grateful acceptancel
'.SplendidI" murmured Miss Pedder, with a
ippling laugh. 81 knew he thing was fea-
sible. And SO in two weeks more our fond
bridegroom will be blowing the sea again
ain two weeks more. Ruth? We shall be