The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-07-12

"Then no one will hear u.s."
He drew a chair nearer to that OF ms siS'oi
and sat down beside her.
{. What's your idea ~ he asked, in a whls-
per. ,.n chair
I .My idea is to separate them to turn tnelf
love to hate to dig a pit beneath ther ieo'
that will remain open forever"
but how?"
"Will. Hawley is poor. isn't he p
"Certainly there is no mistake ABOUT t1a':
His mother was a helpless invalid for the iAs.
ten years of her life, and Will. insisted on her
using for her comfort every penny ne earned;
II hasn't been Six months since he was renewed
of that burden. He's poor, therefore as you
say-poo as Jobs turkey!"
"Then he'll have to leave his DARING
Clara" snecred Miss Pedder venomousiy.
"He1l have to absent himself from his deary
IN order to earn their mutual bread ana Dutter'
In short. he'll have to 90 to sea again.
well, yes l suppose ne Will, ass 70 sea
| 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 1or
| Australia? ?"
"In about two weeks-possibly in ten days,
as the ships filling up rapidly"
"Hawley is thoroughly competent to be
youl first mate ?"
Pedder looked wonderingly at his sister a
moment, and then answered:
"Of course. I know of no better man Tor
the post" w.
"He must be your first mate, then. You
have influence enough with your owners, l
| hope. to turn out the present incumbent!
"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 hin. The
thing can be done?"
Without the least doubt. 1t was under
stood, you know, as I just now remarked.
that / 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 4 pause,
I" what next?"
"You must com back and report that he is
dead. furnishing full details and good proofs.
Those details and proofs will not be difficult 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"
ooh, if this thing were 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 n 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 copdole 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 i
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 bis
chair, scarcely %venturing 10 breathe.
"There's Just one difficulty" he muttered-
"that of getting Hawley On the desert island
without his suspecting ANYTHING"
ut 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?"
mot the least. Isaw the island in my minds
eye the moment you uttered the word, and q
glorious one it is for our purpose"
at will be easy for you to get Hasley upon
it," suggested Miss Pedder ~thoughtfully. I'll
it's near your route, you can call there for
water. II 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 a mistake III your reckoning or a fault in
your chronometcr. And once there, you can
have Hawley seized by some trusty agent,
while he is ashore upon business, or you can
send hin ashorc under some pretense, such
rs looking for a deserter from the ship or for
a shipwrecked sailor, and then sail away with
out him"
.'Say no more, " interrupted Pedder, with wild
exultation. 81 zee how to manage the affair
from it's beginning to its end"
And you now see that we can undo that
hateful marriaSe?"
"Perfectly-perfcctly. The affair will re-
quire a little time and patience, of course, and
q 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 arc!"
He leaped to his feet and began pacing to and
fro rapidly, with the most Gxtravasant signs
and ordinations OF joy.
First to get Hawley ON his island" resumed
Miss Fodder musingiy. Next for you to marry
the pretended widow. Then for ne to rescue
the prisoner and marry him. And finally fol
you and me to be happy, you in your way and
/ in mine-you with Clara in New York, and
witt Will. in Australia. You comprehend the
whole project clearly"
From the first step to the last. There's
only Just one possibility of failure"
And that one?
"A refusal on Hawley's part to accept the
post offered him--a refusal based upon his
marriage"
Miss Pedder turned pale at the thought.
But he won't refuse" 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"
swell said, Ruth. 1 think We can count
upon him. The post he came here to ask me
for is now vacant, and 1 will accordingly have
it offered to him, just as if nothing had hap.
pened."
Exactly. You needn't speak of his mar.
rage, or seem to know anything about it. You
can simply offer him the post in question, in
accordance with the old understanding. And
he will accept it. He a possibly have any
suspicion of anything wrong. Outwardly and
apparently w are all on good terms with one
another, and will remain so. Let the wages
offered him be liberal. Possibly he may object
to leaving his young bride 80 soon, but the
next voyage after this one"
Of impotence. He WAS all eagerness now-all
determination.
THAT next voyage after this one will not
answer" he declared. "Hawley shall accom-
pany me on my very next trip. To make all
sure on this point, l will have him engaged
nOo."
He seized his hat and gloves, addressed a
few words to his sister, and quietly took his
departure down town. The last glances the
couple exchanged at the door were full of ju-
bilant wickedness.
The next three or four hours passed slowly
to Miss Pedder. She was beginning to fear
that the whole project had miscarried at its
very commencement, and was fretting herself
into a fever, when Pedder suddenly made his
appearance. One glance at his vivid flushes,
at his dancing eyes, at his airy manner, was
sufficient.
1--WE triumph then ~ she cried, throwing
herself into his arms for the first time in years.
"Completely /! / saw my owner on the sub.
iect. and they sent for Hawlev Ha nj frat