Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-12-11

after me-, Then he shuddered. 81 an
mad-crazed-have lost my head. You
here? Do not betray mep'
"To Dickerson'sp' cried the driver
and off went the coach. From Dicker
sons | knew that small fishing boats
ran to Marthas Vineyard and the Mas
sachusetts coast. [ stood appalled,
dazed and speechless.
Mrs. Bland met me on the piazza with
some flowers in her hand which eXhaled
a deep, luscious perfume. The odol
quite sickened me. ....
Ladies and gents" cried the good.
natured landlord, in his shirt sleeves
g it is not down on the bill of fare, but
we have been quite short of fruit fol
the last three days, and nary a boarder
has grumbled. [ came across a fine lot
of fruit this afternoon, and they is sot
IN the dining-rOom, and do you all 90
in and jess help yourself"
Mrs. Bland clapped her hand in child
ish glee, Notwithstanding her cut finger.
will you take me imp" she asked
quite naturally.
! / had no heart for peaches, still Of
fered the woman my arm. There was
a group Of noisy boarders at the long
table, but, through Davids care, Mrs.
Bland secured small kitchen table, on
which was placed a dish of peaches,
thanked with huge halfmoons of water
melon.
You saw him ?" asked Mrs. Agnes
Bland, pairing a peach with q silver
| pocket fruit-knife, which she drew from
her pocket. Dear me! the juice of
the peach gets into my cut finger and
really stings"
"Saw him, Mrs. Bland. For Gods
sake, what does this all mean ?"
Il like clingstones better. than free
stones. [ should be so much obliged to
you if you would pare peach for me-
My finger makes me SO awkward"
Are you a Nemesis, Mrs. Bland?"
"a what? | don't know what that
means"
Explain p
ooh the man in the coach Now,
sir, listen. The $2S.67. Korrect,' you
wrote on that bill ofmine gave me clue
to your handwriting. Mr.. Bland-there
Is MIR. Bland sent me down here after
you. Those figures and k-o-r-r-e-c-t
cleared you. There were no figures
like yours in the altered accounts.
George Harland was the thief. | was
glad when | could congratulate you on
your luck"
"Luck, madam what do you
meanw
"You were the only gentleman here
all the rest Of them were cads and
mut1s. Your society was not unpleas-
ant to me, and should have so disliked
to have been the means of bringing q
| theft to your door, Mr.. Bland was on
that coach with the driver. You may
have noticed first red splitter and
then blue splitter from his match.
That meant, All right, Mrs. Bland.
George Harland has misappropriated
$4,000 from your stupid old bank, and
done it, clever as you are in figures:
right under your nose, sir. The papers
| for the last week have had an linking
of it-not where you would look for the
news, but in the personals and adver-
tlsements. That is why | read the pa
pers. Any sympathy [ might have
had-and [ have not much to spare
was really that of thanKfullness that
quite a decent young man like yourself
was safe. Mind, Inever suspected you,
though Mr.. Bland might have done so.
George Harland ought to have $50, 900
in notes with him about his person this
very moment" There was base look
Of greed in the woman's face.
"You are, then, madam"
''The wife of Mr.. Bland, am afraid, u
and here Mrs. Bland smiled, showing a
set of white teeth, single black melon
seed increasing their pearly lustre by
contrast, "that you do not like me as
well-at least my society-as you did
an hour ago."
There was little bit of killing dis
dam about the woman. Isuppose the
scorn Of my face was manifest, for |
made no effort to conceal it.
''Great Lord save us !' said David
coming in and addressing us, something
drefful happen-dat man in stage
coach"
"NOt run aWay-escaped !" said Mrs.
Bland, springing to her feet with the la
tent energy of Jonathan Wild. Her eyes
had lost their pale blue simmer, and
glinted like cold steel: the burrows be-
tween her eyes took strange, arabesque,
sinister traceries. It was a dreadful
face to see.
"No, ma'am; woss nor that. He blow
his brains out, right in de coach"
'David," said Mrs. Bland, now as
quiet and unrippled as dish of milk in
the dairy. David, bring me napkin,
and will take another piece of melon,
if you will help me, sir
But did not help Mrs. Bland.