The Grange advance., 1876-02-09

| Dylug lear. ne cannot last long.
passed OH, and, dcpositing the box in
a place ofsafety, returned. Grierson was
rapidly sinking, and in few broken sen
tences he instructed me as to the dispos.
al Of his property. Ten thousand
pounds was to 60 the bankers, Messrs.
Holt 4 Wardley. Of Lombard street, and
the balance to the family of the murder.
ed man, whose name was given me. and
whose representative pledged my word
to do nv best to discover.
Finally, binding me over not to dis.
close what had just been told, except
to the parties named by him in his dying
request, Grierson relapsed into partial
insensibility, from which l in vain at.
tempted to ronse 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 nec-
essary directions as to the funeral, which
took place the next day; and once more
we were plowing our way through the
blue waters as if nothing had happened.
I was an altered man. The strange
commission with which had been intrust-
ed weighed on my mind. Over and over
again in the Stiffness of the night, I OPEN
ed the box Of diamonds, and gazed on the
brllliancy of the gems. What proof was
there that they were not mine! the box,
with its brass plate bearing the owners
name. could be destroyed in a moment,
and then. Over and over again the devil
whispered to me, but, thank God, re-.
sisted the temptation. l would fulfill the
trust confided to me, and prayed fer
vcntly for strength to resist the evil
promptings Of my baser self.
One day sat alone, the box unlocked
on my table, gazing with an irreppressi.
BILE curiosity, which was unable to con-
troll, on the jewels, which scintillated
with dcvilish luster before my dazed
vision. The door suddenly opened, and
Captain McFarlane entered.
IL beg your pardon, Doctor. Didn't
know you were engaged" But before I
could close the box or reply his eye had
caught the simmer Of the brilliants.
.'Halloo! what's here!''
Wi:h firm 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 a moment before. quailed be j.,
fore his eye.
81 know all now-that man was poison
ed consider yourself my prisoner.
l endeavorcd to explain. told every.
thing as it had occurred, and I appealed
to the captain to believe the story, or at
least to await its reasonable confirmation,
before acting on his rash conclusion. lie
was incrcdulous. One concession I OBJ
tanned, and that was that all should be
kept secret till our arrival in port, and
that should not be publicly branded as
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 so hastily arrived.
Suddenly, without moments warning,
the captain fell sick. I begged him to
accept my services.
"Never; you shall not poison me, too"
Days passed, and the captain got worse
and worse; he babbled in his delirium of
poison, and stolen jewels; and night and
day watched at his bedside, iealously
excluding everybody who mi ght per.
chance overhear his rawlings and rise up
in judgement against me.
One day the crisis came. A few hours
would determine all. If he died l was
once more free man, free from tie i'm.
putation of 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 bare suspicion than death
itself.
If the captain could but sleep his life
would he saved. How easy to make that
sleep his laEt-the devil was at my elbow,
the laudanum 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, sinewy
form, he half leaped from the bed and
seizing the box of diamonds, which he
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 dogs Help some
of you." The effort was too much:
clasplng the box to his bosom he fell
back on his pillow-a convuls;ve shudder
passed over his frame-he was dead.
l don't pretend to analyze my feelings
at that moment. My reason well-nigh
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 1
sped onward; but the powerful negro had
his hand upon my arm.