The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-10-19

LHcoC iHttHu ~ eit1uSt W your cuit
Take this box al once to your own cabin
and return to me for your instructions as
to the disposal OF the contents
hesitatetl, but he was Imperative
Not a word i am dying fast, and
implore you to aeceed to my last request
| took the box, locked it, and left the
cabin AS | opened the door ran against
Pete.
''What the devil are you doing here n"
Nothing massa'
passed on along the main deck toward
my own cabin forward. and on my way
met Captain Mctarlanc.
''llow is your patient, doctor n
"Dying. | fear He cannot last long 7
! passed on, aud deposting the box in a
place Of safety, returned. lirierson WAS
rapidly sinking and in few broken SEN
tences he Instructed me rs to the disposal
of his property Ten thousand pounds was
to 20 to the bankers, Messrs Holt Il
WardIel, OF Lambert street, and the bal
ance to the family of the murdered man,
whose name was given me, and whose
representative pledged my word to dis
cover
Finally binding me over not to disclose
what | h i Just been told, except 10 the
parties named by him in his dying request.
Grierson relapsed into q state Of partial
insensibility, from which in vain attempt
ed to arouse him, and before half an hour
had elapsed the unhappy man Was no
more.
Going on deck ! communicated the news
to the captain, who gave the nccessty di-
rections as to the funeral, which took
place next day; and once more we were
ploughing our way through the blue wa
ters AS if nothing had happened,
was an altered man The strange com
mission with which | had been entrusted
weighed on my mind Over and over
again in the stiffness Of the night | opened
the box OF diamonds. and gazcd on the
briliancy of the gems What proof was
there that they were not mine; the box
with lis brass plate bearing the owners
name could be destroyed in Il moment
and thcll--
Over and over again the devil whispered
to me. but thank God, | resisted the temp.
tation would fulfill the trust conllded
to me. and prayed tervcnlly for strength
to resist the evil promptings of my baser
self.
One day | was alone, the box unlocked
on my table, gazing with an irrcpressibe
curiosity, which was unable to control
on the Jewels, which scintilated with Il
devlish lustre before my dazed vision
The door suddenly opened and Capt Nc
Farlane entered.
"I BEG your pardon, doctor, didn't know
you were engaged" but before | could
close the box or reply, his eye had caught
the simmer Of the brillants
"liallo What's here p
With n firm hand he closed the lid and
read the name on the plate Innocent us
| was. invountarily stung by the remem-
brance of what my thoughts had been but
n moment before, quailed before his eye
Il know ali-that man was poisoned
consider Yourself my prisoner
endeavored to explain. | told every
thing rs it had occurred, and appealed TO
the captain to believe the story, or at least
to wait its reasonable confirmation, before
acting on his rash co3clusi0n lie was liz
credulous. One concession | obtained, and
| that was, that all should be kept secret
till our arrival in port, and that ! should
not he publicly branded, as a murderer be-
| fore the crew
A fortnight passed. a weary fortnight,
during which repeatedly endeavoicd to
shake the conclusion at which Captain Me-
| Farlanc had 50 hastily arrived Suddenly,
without Il moments warning, the captain
fell sick. begged him to accept my ser
| wees.
Never; you shall not poison me- too ="
Days passed, and the captain got worse
and worse; he babbled in his delirium of
poison, Of stolen Jewels; and night and
day | watched at his bedside, jealously
excluding everybody who might per-
chance overhear his rawlings ANA rise up
in Judgment against me
One day the crisis came. 4 few hours
would determine ALL If he died | was
once more 4 free man, free from the iin-
putation OF 4 foul crime. free to carry out
my honest intention OF fulfilling the dead
mans wishes but also free from the dread
OF exposure, which to me would be worse,
as u bare suspicion, than death itself
Ii the captain could but sleep his life
would be saved. How easy to make that
sleep his last-the devil was at my elbow.
the laudanuln bottle in my hand. But at
my s0rest need The strength to resist was
given to me, | poured cut the proper
dose, and advanced toward the cot where
the captain lay.
A strange light WIS in his eyes. Rising
suddenly and throwing the bed clothes off
his tall. lean, slneWy form, he half leaped
from the bed, and SEEING the box of dia.
monds, which he had throughout his i'll
ness never allowed from beneath his pill
low, in one hand. he shrieked--
"Never, never. will you allow me to be
poisoned like II dog? Help, some Of you"
The effort was too much. and clasping the
box to his bosom; he fell back on his pill
| chttJlnr ,,o-rnI
his frame-he was dead.
don't pretend to analyze my feelings
at that moment My reason well nigh de-
serted me. did not stop to think Of the
possible consequences. Suatching the box
from the relaxing grasp OF the corpse, |
rushed from the cabin and fell over Pete,
the negro, who was just outside.
See to the captain. He is dead, and
sped onward; but the powerful negro
had his hand upon my arm.
"Massa doctor lot 60 so quick = Massa
Grierson dead, cap'n dead too Doctor
got his box of Jewels. Give that box up y
and the negro seized me in his grasp and
struggled with me for the possession of the
box
At this moment the strength OF Il lion
was in me- | wrestled with my assalant
ana freelng myself maze lor me compan-
ion stairs | had reached the deck with
what intention knew not; but Pete was
again with me, wrestling with the stren9 tn
of Il demon for the possession of the prize.
The ship was rolling heavily in Il dead
calm, and as We fell together we slid
across the deck toward the lee scuppers.
With superhuman effort | freed my
right arm, and with all my force threw
the box over the quarter deck ratings 1t
flew open as it fell into the sea, and in the
moonlight the diamonds fell like a shower
of fallen stars Into black water.
The negro seeing my movement. LETT
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 utter
even one cry for help. When recovered
!, | r,vcolf If was l.te-ppte and the din.