The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-06-07

directions as to the funeral which took place
next day and once more we were plowing our
way through the blue water as if nothing had
happened.
was ali altered man. The strange commits
sion with which had been intrusted weighed
on my mind. Over and over again in the still
ness of the night l opened the box and gazed
ON the gems. What proof was there that they
were not mine (: the box with its brass plate
bearing the owners name could he destroyed in
a moment, and then =! Over and over again
the evil one whispered to me, but thank God,
l resisted the temptation. l would fulfill the
trust confded to me. and prayed fervently
for strength to resist the evil promptings of my
baser self.
One day l sat alone, the lox unlocked on my
table, gazing with an irrepressibe curiosity,
which | was unable to control, on the jewels
which scntillated before my dazed vision. The
door suddenly opened and Captain McFarlane
entered.
az beg yonr pardon. doctor, didn't know you
were engaged = but, before / could close the
box or reply, his eye had caught the simmer
of the brilliants.
"Hollo what's here?"
With firm hand he closed the lid and read
the name upon the plate. Innocent as | was,
involuntarily stung by the remembrance Of
what my thoughts had been but moment be-
FORE l quailed before his eye.
81 know all now-that man was poisoned
consider yourself my prisoner"
/ endeavored to explain. l told everything
as it had occurred and / appealed to the cap
tain to believe the story, at least to await its
reasonable confirmation, before acting on his
rash conclusion. He was incredulous One
concession 1 obtained and that was, that all
should be kept secret till our arrival in port,
and that should not be publicly branded as a
suspected murderer before the crew.
fortnight passed, weary fortnight dur
ing which l repeatedly endeavored to shake the
conclusion at which Captain McFarlane had
so hastily arrived. Suddenly, without mo-
ments warning, the captain fell sick. He was
suffering from low fever. | begged him to
accept my services
"Never, You shall not poison me, too"
Days passed, and the captain grew worse ;
he babbled in his delirium of poison, of stolen
jewels and night and day l watched at his
bedside, jealousy excluding everybody who
might perchance overhear his rawlings and raise
up in judgment against me.
One day the crisis came. A few hours would
determine all. If he died I was once more
free man. free from the imputation 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
be saved. How easy to make that sleep his
last-the. evil one was at my elbow, the lau-
danum bottle in my hand. But my sorest
need the strength to resist was given to me. l
poured out the proper dose, and advanced to-
ward the cot in which the captain lay. A
strange light was in his eyes. Rising suddenly,
and throwing the bedclothes off his tall lean.
sinewy form, he half leaped from the bed, and
seizng the box of diamonds, which he had
throughout his illness kept beneath his pillow,
he shreked
"Never, never Will you allow me to be
poisoned like dog? Help. some of you"
The effort was too much clasping the box
to his bosom he fell back on his pillCw-a con-
vulsiyc shudder passed over his frame-he was
dead
Snatching the box from the relaxing grasp
of the corpse, rushed from the cabin and fell
over Pete the negro, who was just outside.
''sSee to the captain. lIeis dead and sped
onward but the powerful negro had his hand
upon my arm.
"Ma>sa doctor not go so quick-Massa Grer-
son dead-cap'n die. too doctor got his box of
jeweiS-give mp dat box and the negro seized
me i'll his grasp and struggled with me for the
possession of the treasure.
At that moment tie strength of lion was
in me. / wrestled with my assailant and free
ing myself from his 81 ,sp, rushed to the COM
paniOn stairs. | had reached the deck, with
what intention | knew not, Iut Pete was again
with me. wrestling with the strength OF o
demon for the possession of the prize.
The ship was rolling heavily, and, as We fell
together, we slid across the deck toward the lee
scuppers. With q superhuman effort [ freed
IISll dlu Will All my lOlCc luIeW tit
box over the quarter deck ratings. 1t flew
open, and in the moonlight the diamonds fell
like Il shower of stars into the black water. The
negro, seeing my movement, left his hold
of me- and sprang forward to catch the box.
heavy lurch, and l was alone on the deck
Can l be blamed? | held my tongue. The
captain was buried at dawn, and the chief Off
Ger took command of the ship. 1t was clear
that Pete must have fallen overheard, and no
one suspected the share l had in the catastro-
phe. In due time we arrived at Bristol, and
for my own satisfaction instituted the neces-
sary inquiries as to the individuals named by
the man Grerson. The bank had long since
ceased to exist. l traced some vague rumor of
i a man having died suddenly in a stage coach
while passing through an obscure village i'll
Somersetshire but could never obtain any clew
to his representatives. 1t was perhaps as well
that | failed. l am still poor man, but
would rather die so than accept the possibility
| of becoming rich at the terrible risk which at
tended the unucky bequest Of the box OF
| diamonds.