Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-10-02

now IoHS Can you give ne!"
We'll, you can stop at the Prince
Llewellyn tonight; you'd better go on
there now with the men, and I'll come up
and talk matters over by-and by"
Potts went out, attended by his keepers,
and he'd hardly left the office before | re-
ceived card-"Mr. Braham, Moses and
Mosheim." A sallow young man, much
bejeweled and with very dirty hands, was
shown in to me. He had come up by the
mail to Chester, and posted on. | fancy
erly executed. He ascertained that the
capture had been made, and lodged de-
tainers to the amount of e1 $50 1Ss 3D.
| sent the brute off, and had scarcely
got rid of him before Lady Laura Potts
announced. Poor little thing how love
ly she looked! But in such distress
Shed brought all her jewels, bracelets,
rings, gold watch, diamond necklace, lots
OF things-worth e200 or G300, | dare
say.
so Mr.. Roberts," she said, "can't you
take these things as security, and let my
dear husband go?"
Lady Laura" said, ''if it were only a
few hundred pounds, I'd take his under
taking for it in minute, and arrange for
his release, but Pm sorry to say here are
detainers of 81 200 or more"
Then, poor lady, she began to cry
Couldn't | enter into some compromise /?
she had $3.50 year of her own; wouldn't
| take the money in fifteen yearly Install
ments of e100?
| explained to her that | had no power
to make any arrangements, she must go
to the creditors; but | advised her not to
ALLEVIATE or dissipate her own property in
any way, but let her husband take the
benefit of the act.''
She was a sensible little woman, and
saw my advice vas good; she dried her
eyes, picked up her jewels, and l was
just opening the door for her, when | was
almost knocked down by John Jones,
who rushed into the office, looking like a
ghost.
He's gone!" he cried in Welch.
"We've lost him"
Leaving her ladyship to find her own
way out, [ ran bareheaded into the street
and on TO the Prince Llewellyn. The bird
had flown indeed Red-headed Williams
stood at the door gaping and staring at
the roof as ii he thought Potts was a
bird. The men had left him in his room
for minute, and when they entered it
again he was gone The window was
W
running down the wall close by. He
must have slid down this and got away.
No one had seen him; not trace of him,
not a vestlge, not a fragment of a clew
could we find. | set the. police to work.
Potts had lodged in cottage near the
river, half mile from the town; he might
have found his way there. | set man to
watch the house at a distance, sent off a
policeman on horseback to the station,
some six miles off, to watch every train.
But l had little hopes of finding him
again. He kncT The country we'll, had a
good start, and would strike across the
mountains to Wigwillem, in the adjoining
county, where he might laugh at my
boards.
No sooner did the thought strike me
than | determined to follow the track my
self, and | started at the rate of about six
miles an hour. 1t was a hot, breezeless
May day, the first day of summer; what
with the heat and the turbulence of mind
in which | was, | arrived at the top of the
pass, some l 800 feet above the sea level
quite exhausted. | flung myself down on
the top of rock, the highest point over
hanging a footpath below, and followed
with my eye the track, which l could
trace for miles, to where it crossed
the border of the country. There
wasn't a living soul upon it.
In the great hush and hum of that
sultry afternoon, as | lay among the heath
er, my soul cried out with the bitterness
of death upon it. | was ruined, root and
branch. For every penny of those 81, 900
odd, l was personally liable. My poor
old father would probably end his days in
a workhouse. My friend, who had lent
me his name, would have to take the road
again for bare subsistence. | might be-
come bankrupt, ard get clerkship after
ward; but had the heart to begin life
again with such a load upon me :?
Wouldn't it be better for me to end nv
misery and perplexity by rolling off this
sloping bank into the great chasm below?
Then | thought of Mary Jane, and how
she would wait, and wait, and gradually
from impatience she would come to un-
easiness, and from uneasiness to terror :;
and how she would spend the night in
sorrow and the morning would bring no
Joy, and how the whisper would go round
the town, They've found the body! and
oh how hard on the poor creature, only
six months a wifen
No. | could never be such a coward !
God knows | couldn't have done it. but
in great trouble, strange thoughts surge in
your brain.
At all events. | hadn't to pay the 81 200
that night; | would crawl home and per
haps l could think Of some plan of stav-
ing off ruin tomorrow.
Well l got home, and / remember that
Mary Jane pitched into me awfully be-
cause | was an hour late for dinner, and
everything was spoiled, she said.
| took a couple Of glasses of brandy
after dinner, and that steadied my nerves,
and | could think.
would go up to London tomorrow
and try to compromise with my creditors.
| could, perhaps, by sale Of all had,
and by borrowing on my life policy,
make up $500.
| could offer this, and as it was five hun
dred times as much as they would have got
out of Potts, surely they would take It and
cry quits!
OF course, Mary Jane had heard of
Potts escape, and she made me very saw
age By expressing her delight at the event.
She didn't know how nearly it concerned
her. And | didn't tell her. | only said
had business in London next day, and
asked her to pack my traveling-bag. |
went up by the night train, ana a wretched
journey | had. Next morning 1 went 10
find Moses and Mosheim, who had cham
bers somewhere up in little court or
square, out Of Bishopgate street.
Mr. Moses wasn't ill., the clerk said
didn't know if Mr.. Mosheim were
would take my card and see. Yes, he
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