The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-06-28

not deny But | utterly refuse to ALLOW
you, who have your health and youth, t.
squander my fortune, 50 hard earned, 81
man, but honest dealing and straightfOr
ward. If you choose to accept such mea
gre fare as the house affords for brie
visit, you are welcome Do not infringe
however, upon the fancied prerogative o
relationship You have nothing further
to say to me-
Nothing, sir, except that / must hav,
money, and from you
Must ,'
Aye, must, Uncle Richard, replied
Vivian, firmly coming nearer to the table
and facing the old man Listen t. me
sir. If | had been a Wild, dissolute young
man, and had brought myself iuto dis
grace, there would be some reason in your
refusal As it IS, point with pride to the
rrcord Of my connection with the house q
Vincent & Co., IL India ] have been SC
unfortunate ~ to lose possession of the
money had accumulated in India Now,
sir, desire aid, ana you must grant me
the assistance crave
He spoke firmly, decidedly, but with 10
apparent effect upon the Old man, Mr.
Crumshaw who regarded hun with look
vi scornful coldness
'Iou have heard my reply to your APP
plication, he said calmly "Our bust
ness IS at an end
He arose as he spoke, but turned with
a cry Of amazement Sidney Vivian had
reached over, pulled out the drawer into
which, a few moments before, his uncle
had thrust the wallet. and money, and
had drawn the pocket book thence
" Restore my money cried the old
springing forward, and catching Vivian by
the arm.
But he, excited at the possession Of the
money, quickly placed the wallet III his
pocket and sprang to the window The
lower sash was up, and, in moment. he
was on the outside balcony But old Rich
ard Crumshaw loved his money too we'll
to allow it thus to slide from his grasp
His hands, strong and long, had clutched
the desPoilers arm, and, ere he knew it,
Sidney Vivian was lying on the floor, in
side the room, struggling in the powerful
grasp Of old Richard Crumshaw, who
gasped:
" You william, you to rob an old man
of-oh oh ~
His Grasp relaxed, as his opponent, das-
tard and william that he was. raised a knife
which he had drawn from the folds of his
cloak, and plunged it into his defenceless
victims bosom. The very demon Of reck
less murder seemed to possess the man.
He raised the knife once twice thrice.
and as many times was il sheathed in the
blood Of poor old Richard Crumshaw, who
fell forward to the floor with a single
groan, and expired ere the assassin had
quilted the room
Imbrued III blood before had those cruel,
wicked hands surely been. for Sidney Wv
ian evlnced no remorse, not even terror or
alarm. Coolly, he ransacked the drawers
of the old mans secretary, and, having
secured few COINS lying IN one Of the
drawers, turned down the lamp, cast one.
quick glance at the Vrostrate ola man, and
then opened the windows.
He stepped out on the rickety ,eraudah,
and looked hastily about him. The half
light from the stars enabled him To select
a point of safe descent Sliding down "A
slight trelhs, he reached the ground and
sped from the place quickly
Along the dark ana silent Rad. Ike
some spectre, he advanced, but, suddenly
he came to a dead stop, for, coming down
the road was a form and. with quick
movement, Sidney Vivian sprang aside,
and crouched down behind a tree.
1t was man, bearing il his hand a
satchel, and advancing leisurely-a man,
at the sight Of whose face, even in that
half-distmct starlight, Sidney Vivian ut
tered a cry If amaZpment ana alarm II
was a face So nearly Ike his own 50 per
fectly resembling his, that an observer
would, after one Glance, have been unable
to separate them, save by their respective
apparel.
The man walked On, swinging his satchel
and looking forward while his unnoticed
observer crouched stlll lower, as one III a
dream.
Surely, some strange influence must the
stranger exert over him, to thus affect a
man, callous, hardened, even ia the sight
of murder
Hark steps, steaIthlv, almost noiseless
a form, snake-!ikr, 1.-THE, quick as an
arrow, shot from ttut-stringcd bow. and
Sidney Vivian crouched still lower. until
his posture became one Of perfect conster-
nation and bewildernent. and his face
suggested horror and alarm He saw,
with doubling gaze a man, dark skinned,
and tawny as the lncas gold, of medium
size, who, with a half-stooping form, and a
long, thin coil of rope in. his hand, to
which was attached heavy, metallic sub
stance. following after the man who had
preceded him by but few moments s-S Sid
ney Nivlan's counterpart.
Like one in a dream Vivian looked
Nearer and nearer came the Indian foe,
such he was to the unsuspecting man whose
footsteps he was dogging, and then Sidney
Vivian saw a coil Of rope shoot forward,
and then
THUG
Was all this some fancy creative of his
disordered imagination, or vas it reality
Afterwards, coolly thinking over the
events of that night, he remembered how
the fatal thug brought the man to the
earth, he saw the Indian spring forward.
and then-away like the wind
He arose slowly, benumbed terrified.
He passed his hand over his forehead. and
clutched convulsively at his throat Then
he closed his eyes, and shudder ran
through his frame
He opened his eyes and staggered for
ward to confront a man who stood. like
some avenging angel, calmly looking upon
him
Conrad Markham - he gasped. "You
here -
And then, with scream Of horror, and
a sudden impetus of terror, he darted for
ward along the road, madly, recklessly on
ward, muttering
''Lazrio- Vivian Markham Haunted
and tracked tracked and haunted -
Morning found him miles away from
the scene of the murder, and, as the first
tinge of gray streaked the east, he crept
under a hay-mow by the roadside, ex-
hausted, wearied and incapable Of realiz-
ing whether he had dreamed or at last his
sins were to be met with Just, but much
dreaded retribution.
Then he sank into a deem sleen hut II