Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-08-21

disguise. But stay; even if you trample
on me cannot revile Or curse you. God
help me; I love you too madly for that. I
forgot myself; am mad" sg7E5
She had raised herself with froxn dur
ing the words, and now interrupted HIM
haughtily: ~. - ....-...
II should think so, Mr.. Gordon
"And /, too,' put in another voice, and
I saw Temple appear at the door with
lcok Of triumph in his evil eyes. ~ss=s@=
! Charley turned and saw that look.
With hoarse cry of "Devil" he sprang
at HIM, and in second had him BY the
throat and .--
Again the clammy hand touched me
and again the scene changed.
An East India steamer had just landed
at Southampton. AS the passengers left
it-some to be greeted by halt laughing,
half fearful friends, some to staff forth in
quest of the places and people that knew
them of yore-I noticed two come down
the gangway together-a lady and gen
tleman.
They were Temple and the woman
WIZ AdO UCIAoJSO OAO1ACA.
1t was no surprise to me to see them,
nor shortly after to notice stealthy muf-
fled. form emerge from the Storage Of the
ship and follow them. knew it was
Charley before I got glimpse of his face.
The lady and gentleman entered a first
class carriage for London, and my broth
er standing in the shadow close by, saw,
us did, that Temple tipped the guard
halt sovereign to insure that no one
else should come into their compartment
Then, just as the last bell rang he took
his seat in the next empty carriage and
the train started.
Time passed on and I saw nothing
more until they came within about forty
miles Of London. Then I saw Charley
issue from the door of the carriage and
crawl along the ledge till he reached
theirs. He raised himself and peered in.
Both were sound asleep at the far end of
the compartment, the woman's blonde
head resting on Temples shoulder.
Charley took railway key from his pock-
ct and softly tried the door,,
It opened and he entered with a mad
glare and a hoarse chuckle. From his
pocket he drew forth two pistols and
with the greatest deliberation cooked
them, pointed one at each of the sleepers
and fired.
The cold clammy hand touched me,
but shook it off with cry and In
moment found myself struggling on the
floor with sensation as though were
being strangled with one hand while
| another grasped at my heart. 90,
Charley!o, l managed to gasp, and by
violent effort opened my eyes.
What! There was woman bending
over me, golden-haired, but oh, how IN
| utterably tender and womanly was her
face, not hard and cruel like the other
And beside her stood man, brown and
bearded, looking down on me out of ewes
that were surely my brother Charleys.
"What's wrong, Alan, dear boy?"
some one said, and as one half in
dream yet, I knew that I had been in
dream before, and l sobbed in my weak
ness, hardly knowing what 1 said,
"Charley, save me-
I felt his strong arms around me. /
heard his voice and another voice, very
sweet and gentle, mingle in an indistin-
guishable murmur; but above that sound
| heard the chimes pealing across the
dark city. and felt in my heart that it
was already the day on which Christ
was born.
Then for a time l heard or felt no
more. When recovered consciousness
it was Christmas morning, and bright,
| cheerful, sunlit morning at that; but
how much I enjoyed that day despite
my weakness and prostration can never
| fell
soon learned Charley's story. He
had, shortly after his arrival in India,
met and fallen in love with Helen Ash
ley, who returned his love much to the
chagrin OF Captain Temple Dacre, who
desired to win her himself, and who was
favored by her uncle and guardian, Mr..
Gayworthy.
Charley was suddenly sent off by his firm
on business journey to China and Japan,
and as he knew Captain Dacre was com
ing to England and had no time to write
them himself, he asked him to take some
money and message to me. He was un-
awares at the time that the gallant Cap
tain was being forced to sell out of his
regiment to escape courtrmartial on &C
count Of some gambling dishonesty in
which he had been detected.
The soi-disant Temple had striven in
his impotent chagrin and jealousy to in
jure Charley through me, to do something
malevolent, however grutuitous. Of
course he retained the E1OO Charley had
entrusted to his care, and probably made
congenial use of it, as he afterwards died
from injuries received in gambling hell
| brawl at Baden.
Charley was SO successful in his bust
| ness expedition that he was appointed to
represent the firm in London, and old
Gayworthy finding his ward recalcitrant,
was forced, n0Eens o0leas, to- play the
heavy father in the most approved style.
My brother and his wife had landed in
London and straightway fastened to sur
prise me. At my lodgings they were in
formed Of the ghost-like manner in which
haunted the dissecting rooms, and as
Helen had insisted on accompanying
Charley in his quest of me, the vision l
had, on waking from my awful dream,
of that veritable angel Of grace, is easily
accounted for.