The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-02-02

1t was Mario Cropt-come now, afte
a lapse OF almost twenty years, for
what? Was it to fulfill his oath? |
so, what should | do? The idea of cry
ing for hel p had been dismissed the mo
ment he entered, and laid aside as only
a last resort; because to your thorough
~ desperate villain an cutlery is the sig
nal for the death-stroke. The mar
looked at me, then stared carefully
around the office, and next sat down
and threw off the muller, winding il
carefully around the left forearm.
Then he raised his hat without entirely
removing it, looking straight at me,
and said: ''Mr Thomas Jefferson Lev
erett, do you know me?'
"Of course | do l 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 quiet,
whispering way, without betraying
emotion of any kind, "p'r'apS some
thing else you can remember"
As he spoke the last word his whole
manner changed as though he had been
piece of pyrotechnic contrivance
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 enor-
nous bowie-knife, with his left h9
grasped me by the throat kissing be-
tween his teeth: "You don't forget
my oath! | have never forgotten it
never! I've hunted for you, and I've
found you! You put me on! What did
you gain by doing so? Take thatr'
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
bay. | held that awful knife sus-
pended; but the grip of that hand on my
throat was choking me. | 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 atten-
ton to my throat. Thus far his grasp
had been below the larnyX; but now he
raised his great broad thumb above that
bony cartilage and pressed it upon the
soft part, pretty soon changing the
position of the fingers, 50 that it seemed
as though he was literally tearing both
outlet and windpipe from MY neck. A
moment so, and then my breath was
stopped entirely. | thought of using
my right hand to remove the grip from
my throat; but, if did that, the knife
would find my bosom. | was child in
the hands of master; for that man |
was perfect Hercules literal Sam
Son-while was a slim-framed man.
With one last effort of strength |
reeled backward, and we both went to
The floor, Overturning the table and
TWO chairs as we went down.
My hold had relaxed, and in the fall
MS right hand had been freed, and left
still gripping my throat. | saw the
lnlfe cleaning in the dim, uncertain
light. thought of that scene in the
COURTROOM twenty years before-the
ury's verdict-the sentence-and the
lalf-caste's oath; | thought, too. Qf the
wreck of worlds-a falling of the weight
rom my bosom and from my throat
md all was darkness and chaos!
When | came to myself my office was
ull of people. Two physicians were
me, while my wife was tell
NO a story to the crowd; and pretty
soon the last part of the story was told
10 me:
She had been to the school-house with
an umbrella to escort home the children.
On the way home she met a man whose
peculiar appearance attracted her
She at first took him |
for one of the old forest rangers and
trappers who come to the settlements |
to obtain jobs as guides to emigrants
over the prairies; but as he passed her
she detected something familiar in the |
small portion of the face she saw. All
the way home she tried to think where
she had seen those features before; and
Just as she reached the sitting-room and
saw the pistol upon the mantel the
truth flashed upon her. The moment
her mind was turned into that channel
she had no doubt-not particle. She
felt sure the victim had gone to fulfill
his old oath; and with only one idea in
her mind she caught up the pistol, made
sure it was loaded, and started upon the
run. She reached the Office just as we
went over; the crash of the table and
chairs prevented us hearing her. She
saw the knife raised for the fatal blow;
and Heaven itself must have lent nerve
to her hand, for when she had fired and
had seen the half-breed roll over she
sank down fainting and powerless; but
she soon revived, her anxiety for me
giving her strength, and was able to
help the neighbors when they came in.
As for Mario Cropt, he probably
never knew what hurt him. The bullet
had entered the left temple, coming out
just over the right ear
When l had fully recovered my
senses, and would have expressed my
fears for my wife, she smilingly said to
me, as though to turn my thoughts
from the subject: Thomas, you never
but once accused ME of doing down.
right foolish thing, and that was when
| went to the State Prison to look at
Mario Cropt. What do you say now?
For my part" she added solemnly, 81
think it was the most sensible thing
ever did, for even then | had a strong
presentiment that it was my duty tC
know that man."
l. L al..... Ion