The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-02-15


out l shall look for you. If you are in
China, I'll go to China. will find you.",
His voice sank to low tone Of profanity,
but with a reverence for his oath, he
sOlemnly swore he would pay me for
this.
Mario Crept went his way, and went
mipe. Some one told my wife that the
prisoner had called me to him after the
trial, and that he had spoken TO me in
very solemn and strange manner, and
she asked me what he said to me. Her
question confused me, and ! was not
prepared with an answer, and told her
that l could hardly remember what he
did say.
"Thomas," said she, "you are afrisd
to tell me-"
And then she questioned, until / was
forced to admit that Cropt had threatened
me, and then told her the rest of the
story-how he had sought to buy me
over before the trial. And, to close the
s9auce, laughed as though the whole
thing were rich farce.
One evening, about two weeks after
the trial, my wife came in, quite fatigued,
having been absent all day.
Bertha, where have you been ?''
To the state prison" was her an
swer.
The state prison P' 1 reiterated.
"What have you been doing there %
Looking at a certain prisoner they
have there" she replied. One whom
might wish to recognize should 1 ever
meet him outside those walls"
" You allude to Mario Cropt?" said.
She nodded assent.
( And then / told her she was foolish,
and begged of her 10 forget the man en-
tirely.
4" Thomas" she said, with a degree of
/ feeling that startled me, d" 1 have seen
that man, and tell you we both have
occasion to dread and fear him. shall
not forget him, though l will try hence
forth not to worry myself as have dur
ing the two weeks that have passed since
he was tried and condemned"
The attractions of my New Hampshire
home were not strong enough to hold me
after l had found an opening in the west,
where the promise of succeCs was equal
to bond Issued by good fortune. 1t
was about two years after the trial Of
Mario Cropt that | packed up my books
and family treasures, and took up my
march for a new and thriving town in
Minnesota and within year after my
settlement in the new home l was richer
by hundreds of dollars than bad ever
been before. In fact, literally tumbled
into nest OF good luck.
Three years passed away, and, in the
midst of my comforts, a troublesome
thought of the castles oath came once in
a while to chill me for the term of the
mans imprisonment had expired. And
l knew that my wife had thought Of it,
too; but she said nothing to me, and
said nothing to her Another year
passed-and another-and Mario Cropt
was well-nigh forgotten. Time passed
on, each returning season bringing new
gains and new honors, until there were
touches of silver in my hair, ard a
grandchild crawled upon my knee when
I went home from my Office.
II was dull, dismal, drizzly afternoon
in October when the door of my office
was opened, and in walked a stranger-a
short, thick-set, gray-haired man, with n
muller round his chin, and a soft felt
hat pulled down to his eyes. l could
only see that his face looked swarthy,
and his features were those OF a half
caste
1t was Mario Cropt--come now after a
lapse Of almost twenty years, for-what B.?
I Was it to fulfill his oath If so, what
should / do2 The idea of crying for
help had been dismissed the moment he
entered, and laid aside az only a last re-
sort because to your thoroughly des-
perate villain an cutlery is the signal for
the death stroke. The man looked at
me, then stared carefully around the
Office, and next sat down and threw off
the muller, winding it carefully around
the left forearm. Then he raised his hat
without entirely removing it, looking
straight at me, and said Mr. Thomas
Jefferson Leverett. do you know me ?"
"Of course 1 do" replied.
"Speak my name, then"
When knew you, years ago, you
were called Mario Cropt."
Well, if your memory's as good as
that" pursued my visitor, in a quiet,
whispering way, without betraying emo
ton of any kind, "p'r'aps. there's some
thing else YOU can remember"
As he spoke the last word his whole
manner changed as though he had been a
piece of pyrotechnic continuance touched
by the match of the exhibitor He leaped
to his feet, his whole face ablaze with
fierce vengeance, and, while with his
right hand he drew an enormous bowie
knife, with his lett he grasped me by the
throat, kissing between his teeth, " You
don't forget my oath have never for
gotten it-never! Pye hunted for you,
ana I've found you You put me on
What did you gain by doing 60? Take
thatl''
He thought to strike me but with the
quickness of thought, and the strength
of desperation, caught his right wrist
with both my hands and held him at pay.
held that awful knife suspended, but
the grip of that on my throat was chok-
ing me. 1 could not cry out, and, as his
grip frightened, ] found it difficult to
breathe. Several times he sought to
free his right hand, but, finding my two
hands more than he could overcome, he
turned his attention to my throat. Thus
far his grasp had been below the larnyx;
but now he raised his great broad thumb
above the strong bony cartilage and
pressed it upon the soft part, pretty soon
changing the position of the fingers, 90
that it seemed as though he were litter
ally tearing both gullet and windpipe
from my neck. A moment so, and then
my breath was stopped entirely. /
thought of using my right hand to re-
move the grin from NV throat. b,,+ ;F 7