The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-05-10
Written t.r the wues.>ev,>'- Ap,ocAu
THE BASKET OF PEARLS.
N H I'll MEREDITH

Hr ~ a powerful man. this Hubert St
claire 4 man whom none haC loved and
a.i feared our whom fate had left nothing
tu I.,r hur his GOA and his only child,
Pauline Ana nuw he ; lying there IN
rlv home uf his ancestors. surrounded by
VOID thc Injuries wealth could produce,
unconscious that the sands Of life are al
most spent that the battle with death
y already begun.
CIur,illr vas 1agnihcen country
seat lu one If uur far southern States
,uJ hAd been in the 81 Claire family
fur more than Il century.
Hubert. with younger brother, George.
were left orphans while pursuing their
,rudtu, m Germany Returning home.
some tv1 years after the death Of their
parents. they became the life Of the neigh
hrrhuri Hubert, particularly. was the
.l,.~t II the gay. until suddenly he left
home without "a Word nf explanation and
returned to Europe
ti-ur-r married, soon after. beautiful
lr. lu An adjoining county. Three years
liter hp was thrown from his horse and
instantly killed His fair young wIte dId
u.t survive him many DAYS vas laId ny
h, 4ltp Iu thu uld family hurylng ground.
leaving t1 the care nt their aged mother
th.lr only chlid, Claude i bright. beau
utr boy of two years.
FIv- wears after. Hubert ~. Claire rr-
turned .p hI, home. bringing with hIm
LI. LITTLE -rl. Pauline. He had married
au Italian alv If rank and great
beauty. hut she never lived u see
h.r husbands native land. For those
Vbu expected 10 see the hospitable doors II
Barryit, once more thrown open and It's
splendid rooms filled with fair danes and
-ty cavaliers, az III the days ot yore, a
-ad disappointment was IN store for su
changed vas the owner Of the fine 'ld ~
tate. SD stern and forhldding his looks, nat
the dearest friends of his youth dared not
approach him Conhning himself within
tie limits pf his own domain, seeing no one
tut his danger he might well have let
the Atlantic remain between them for all
| his friends saw Of him.
/ At the time our story opens twelve years
| had elapsed years III which he lad grown
old. while vet young And now the last
rays If the setting sun are streaming
\ through the half open blinds, Lighting up
| the face 20 the dying man with an dnearth-
| ly light. causing the CHASTITY face 70 look
more CHASTITY still The dark eyes, beauti-
4 ful mouth and splendid figure are all thai
I remain uf the great personal beauty uf hls
1 carly manhood With closed eyes and
! casped hands he lies unconscious that other
! shadows than chose of twilight making
were filling the room He saw not the
! skeleton form of death at his bed side
who. with folded arms, forbearing to claim
| his prey for a while, that lac may gloat upon
\ IT. knowing that the battle is already
! fought ana the victory his. Stern Justice
With seals IN hand stands at his head, and
/ yhis side is tender, loving " Mercy, who
with fearful ewes and casped hands offers
A mute appeal for the dying soul. Death
waxing impatient. our skeleton $ hand is
LAID upon the damp brow The other closes
around the throbblng heart. The dying
man starts up and clutches wildly at his
throat
e What is this n he cries to the servant
attending him.
" You are very i'll, Master let me send
| for a Doctor" she replies.
" Doctor No ,' he Numbered. "Il
have none II the set about me. Am | dy
ing Speak, woman, and tell me is this
death But no, ! cannot, must not die
my revenge Is not completes but be
gun.
Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.
whispered Justice. but he heeds it not, foI
what knows he Of holy writ And now
the skeletons fingers upon heart and brow
are tightening He falls back upon his
pillow poweress to contend with his dread
foe His aImour Of self sutficlency avail,
him nothing now, and he begins to realize
! that to hiS foe he must succumb.
Pauline, he calls from a couch in al
adjoining room where she has been reclin-
ing, comes radlantly beautiful girl, heI
etty hair and eyes. dark, clear complexion
proclalming her southern birth Loving
and impulsive and having spent all of heI
life for the past ten years in convent with
no companion save the gentle nuns who
had loved and petted the beautiful child
she was hardly more than child now,
though seventeen years had passed oveI
her head.
A few months before our story opens hel
father had taken her home, lavishing al
the affection Of his passionate nature upor
her and denying heI nothing, save the one
desire-to go into society, to see more q
that beautiful world she'd read Of in book,
and dreamed of night and day. But
"No." he told her. "The world wa,
treacherous and unfeeling. 1t would Hat
ter and then desert her. Remain with HIN
in her beautiful home.
And after this she'd lived to be content
and having no one else, learned to love hel
father with an affection rarely seen She
had not heard the conversation between hel
father and his servant and knew not tha
his end was near. Crossing the room will
a grace peculiar to those Of her birth, sh'
stood by his bed.
Father, she asks, in a voice of hquic
music, "what is it r.
Pauline, do you know am dying, my
child :"
Dying, father Oh, no you woult
not die and leave your little Paula 7 Thinl
how lonely I'd be; no one to love saw