Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-01-05


bid for some houses he wanted to pur-
chase at sale.
To this hour do not know why he
did not bid for them himself. He gave
me five pound note for 10y services,
and that was the beginning of our con-
nection. Off and on, I did many things
for him of one sort or another, and
made q rather nice addition TO my sal
ary out of doing them, till the devil, or
he, or both, put it into my head to start
rs builder and speculator on my own
account.
did not answer, I only moistened
his parched lips, and bathed his burn
ing forehead as tenderly as my unac-
customed hands understood how to per-
fern such cifces.
Lift me up little, please, he said;
and put the pillows in position as
deity as could.
You are not bad fellow" he re-
marked, ''5ut am not going to leave
you anything"
Good forbid |" exclaimed, invol-
unfairly.
81 had two hundred pounds and my
furni lure: that was the whole of my
capital; but Mr.. Elmsdale found me
money. thought my fortune was made
the day he advanced me my fret five
hundred pounds. If I had known-if
I had known"
Don't talk any more" entreated.
'sWhat can it avail to speak of such
matters now 2"
he turned towards me impatiently.
"Not talk T. he repeated, sswhen for
years I have been as one dumb, and at
length the string of my tongue is loos-
ened! Not talk, when, if keep silence
now, he will haunt me in eternity, as he
has haunted me i'll time!"
care not you IN want of money!" he
asked.
Not of yours" I answered.
" Mine," he said;" it is not mine, it
is his. He thought a great deal of
money, and he has come back for it.
he can't rest, and he won't let me rest
till I have paid him principal and in
eIest-compound interest. Yes-well,
am able to do even that"
| We sat silent for few minutes, then
he spoke again.
When I first went into business
with my borrowed capital, nothing I
touched really succeeded. I found my
self going Blackjack. Far better was
my position as clerk; then at least
slept sound at nights, and reished my
meals. But / had tasted Of so-called
independence, and could not go back to
be al the beck and call of an employer.
All ! no employer ever made me work
so hard as Mr.. Elmsdale; no beck and
call were ever so imperative as his.
pass over long time of anxiety,
struggle and hardship. The world
thought me prosperous man; proba-
bly, no human being, save MIR. Elms
dale, understood my real position, and
he made my position almost unendu-
rable.
How 1 came first to bet on races would
be long story, longer than have time
to tell; but my betting began upon a
very small scale, and I always won
always in the beginning. [ won so
certainly and so continuously that I
finally began to hope for deliverance
from MIR. Elmsdale's clutches,
1 don't know how-the narrative was
not recited straight on as am writing
! it, but by starts, as strength served him
MIR. Elmsdale ascer.ained I was de-
voting myself to the turf; all can say
is, he did ascertain the fact, and follow
ed me down to Ascot to make ure there
was no mistake in his information.
At the previous Derby lay luck had
had begun to turn. I had lost then
lost heavily for me, and he taxed me
with having done SO.
In equity, and at law, he had then
the power of foreclosing on every house
and rood of ground I owned. Twas in
his power-in the power of Robert
Elmsdale. Think of it-But you
never knew him. Young man you
ought to kneel down and thank God
you were never SO placed as to be in
the power of such devil
If ever you should get into the
power of a man like Robert Elmsdale,
don't offend him. It is bad enough to
owe him money; but it is worse for him
to owe you .grudge. I had offended
him. He was always worrying me
about his matchmaking her ILL
health, extolling her beauty, clarifying
himself on having married woman Of
birth and breeding; just as if his were
the only wife in the world, as if other
men had not at home women twice as
good, if not as handsome as Miss
Blake's sister.
Under Miss Blake's insolence I had
writhed; and once, when my usual
prudence deserted me, told Mr.. Elms-
dale had been in Ireland and seen the
paternal Blake's ancestral cabin and
ascertained none of the family had ever
mixed amongst the upper thousand, or
whatever the number may be that goes
to make up society in the Isle of Saints.
It was foolish and wrong; but could
not help saying what I did, and from
that hour he was my enemy. Hitherto
he had merely been my creditor. My
own imprudent speech transformed him
into man lying in wait to ruin me.
He bided his time. He was man
who could wait for years before he
struck, but who would never strike un-
til he could make sure of infiicting q
mortal wound. He drew me into his
power more and more, and then he told
me he did not intend to continue trust
ing any one who betted-but he rlust
have his money. IF he had not it by a
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