The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-02-10
81 beg your pardon, Doctor. Didn't

II beE your pardon, Doctor. Didn't
know yoa were en9agsd. bat befeee I
could close the box Or reply. his eye had
caught the shimner 81 the brilliants.
...Halloo! what's herel'' ztss ,S'3z{>S J =
With = arm hand he closed the lid and
read the name upon the plate; Innocent
as was, involuntary stung BY the. re-.
membrance Of what my, thoughts had
been but ! moment before, ! >quailed 30:
fore his eye. - '''S.s>' - T.'Sas <st
= '.I know Ill now-that mar, WAS poison.
ed: consider Yourself my prisoner :: i,
endeavored to expla'n..s1 I told every.
thing Is it had occurred. and / appealed
TO the .captdn to believe the story, or at
least to await its reasonable confirmation,
before acting on his rush conclusion. he
was incrcdalous: One concession = oh.
tanned, and! that was that oil should be
kept secret till our: arrival in, port, and
that l should not be publicly branded IS
: suspected murderer before the crew. =.
A fortnight passed away, : weary fort
night, during which Repeatedly endeav-
ored to shake the conclusion at which
Captain McFarlane had 10 hastily arriv ed.
Suddenly, without q, moments warning,
the captain fell sick. i begged him to
accept my services. ,,.,'.<....,
"Ncver; you shall NOT poison me, too. I"
Days passed, and the captain got worse
and worse; he ba6bled in. his delirium Of
poison, and stolen jewels; and night and
day / watched It his, bedside, jealously
excluding everybody who might per.
chance oyerhear his rawlings and rise up
in judgement against me. " -, -
One day the crisis came. A few hours
would determine al. II he died: Was
once more free man, free from the i'm.
putation Of foul crime, free to carry out
my honest intention Of fulfilling the dead
mans wishes, but also FREQ from the
dread Of exposure which to me would be
worse as = bare suspicion than death
itself. 49,, ..," X d. 49,. .3:....;:.
If the captain could but sleep his life
would he saved. How easy to make that
sleep his last-the devil was at my elbow,
the laudanuin in my hand. But at my
sorcst need the strength to resist Was
given me. Ipoured out the proper dose,
and advanced toward the cot in which
the captain lay. A strange light was in
his eyes. Rising suddenly, and throwing
the bed.clothes off his tall, lean, sincwy
form, he half leaped from the bed and
Selling the box Of diamonds, which Re
had throughout his illness never allowed
from beneath his pillow, in one hand, he
shriekcd-..,
''Never, never! Will you allow me to
be poisoned like = dog +! Help some
Of you.'' The effort Was too much:
clasplng the box to his bosom he fell
back ON his pillow-a convulsive shudder
passed over: his lrame-he was dead.
[ don't pretend TO analyze my feelings
at that moment. Ny reason well-nie III
deserted me. I did not stop to think of
the possible consequences. Snatching
the box from the relaxing grasp of The
corpse rushed from the cabin and fell
over Pete, the negro, who was just out.
side.
''See to the captain he is dead" and I
sped onward; but the powerful negro had
his hand upon my arm.
"Massa Doctor not 60 so quick assa
Grierson dead, ,Cap'n die, too--Doctor
got his bog Of jewels. Give up dat boz"
and the negro seized me in his grasp and
struggled with me for the possession Of
the box. ~: ."i
At that moment the strength of q lion
was in me; wrestled with my assailant,
and, freeing sayself from his grasp, made
for the companion stairs. I had reached
the deck, with what intention I knew not,
but Pete was again with me, wrestling
with the strength of demon for the pos
session Of the prise.
The ship was rolling heavily in . dead
calm,' and: As we foil together, We slid
across the deck towards the ice scuppers.
With superhuman effort / freed my
right arm, and, with all my force, threw
the box over the quarterback railing. It
flew open as it fell into the sea, and in
the moonlight the diamonds fell like \
shower Of falling stars into the black
water.
The negro, seeing my movement, left
his hold Of me, and sprang forward to
catch the box as it fell. A heavy lurch,
and was alone on the deck.
The rapidity with which everything
had taken place seemed to have stunned
me, and deprived me of the power to ut.
ter even one cry for help-Petc and the
diamonds were gone forever. ia. =: -.
e l look round-the deck was deserted,
save the man At the wheel, who half hid.
den by the wheel-hoase, had not seen the
struggle. 49, &c." "a. .
Can be blamed! 1 held my tongue.
The captain was buried at dawn. and
the chief officer took command Of the ship.
1t was clear that Pete, had fallen over.
board, and no one suspected the share
had had in the catastrophe. In due time
We arrived at Bristol, and, for my own
satisfaction, I instituted the;nccessary in.
quiries Is to the individuals named by the
man Grierson. The bank had long ceased
to exist. I traced some vague rumor Of
a man having died suddenly in : stage.
coach while passing through: an obscure
village in Somersetshire, but could never
obtain any clue to his representatives. 1t
was, perhaps, as we'll that I failed. I am
still poor man, but would rather die
SO than accept tho possibility of becoming
rich at the terrible risk which attended
the unlucky bequest If the Box. Of Dia.
mocdse / :: -. -: y ! ....' ,..4 /;
"ANUDDER MESfBAH Oh DE LEoLS.
, ":s' =. LATURE."
+ ~ from the Atlanta Constitution J. $,
A lean, hungry.looking darby debark-
ey from the Macon train yesterday after.
noon, and, with : slab-sided carpet.sac
dangling in his grasp approached one Of
the negro hackmen ct the entrance Of the
depot: u: {: ii;3 e5:'...5i A.' 5j,.it A.,
"Pardner, kin yer tell me whar. I kin
find cheap boardin' house e.
Chow cheapP. asked the hackman. =.
'De cheapes' ID de town; I isn't, par
tixler Whar It am !" said the sfrantRer. =.
:. The hackm.n eyed the slim negro !: