The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-07-14
THE CLOCK-CASE.
A CONCESSION FOUND IN \ PRISON IN
THE TINE OF CHARLES II.


in His Majesty's army, and served
abroad in the campaigns of 1917
and 1913. The treaty OF Nimeguen
being concluded, | returned home,
and retiring from the service with
drew to small estate lying a few
miles east of London, which | had
recently acquired in right of my
wife.
This is the last might | have to
live, and ] will set down the naked
truth without disguise. was never
a brave man, and had always been
from my childhood of secret, sui
len, distrustful nature. l speak of
myself as if | had passed from the
world, for while | write this my
grave is digging and my name is
written in the black book of death.
Soon after my return to England,
my only brother was seized with
mortal illness. This circumstance
gave me slight or no pain, for since
we had been men we had associated
but very little together He was
open-hearted and generous, hand
somer than |, more accomplished,
and generally beloved. Those who
sought my acquaintance abroad or
at home, because they were friends
of his, seldom attached themselves
to me long, and would usually say
in our first conversation that they
were surprised to find two brothers
so unlike in their manners and APP
pearance. 1t was my habit to lead
them on to this avowal, for | knew
what comparisons they must draw
between us, and having a ranking
envy in my heart, | sought to JUS
tify it to myself.
We had married two sisters. This
additional tie between us, as it may
appear to some, only estranged us
the more. His wife knew me well.
| never struggled with any secret
jealousy or gall when she was pres
ent but that woman knew it as well
as | did | never raised my eyes at
such times but | found hers fixed
upon me; | never bent them ON the
ground or looked another way, but
| felt that she overlooked me always.
1t was an inexpressible relief when
we quarrelled, and a greater relief
still when / heard abroad that she
was dead. 1t seems to me now rs
if some strange and terrible fore
shadowing of what has happened
since, must have hung over us then.
| was afraid of her; she haunted
me; her fixed and steady look
comes back upon me, like the mem
orv of a dark dream, and makes my
blood run cold.
She died shortly after giving birth
to a child-a boy When my broth
er knew that all hope of his own
recovery was passed, he called my
wife to his bedside and confided
this orphan, a boy four years old, to
her protection. He bequeathed to
him all the property he had, and
willed that in case of his child's
death it should pass to my wife, as
the only acknowledgment he could
make her for her care and love. He
exchanged a few brotherly words
with me, deploring our long separa-
ton, and being exhausted fell into
slumber from which he never awoke.
We had no children, and as there
had been strong affection between
the sisters, and my wife had almost
supplied the place of a mother to
this boy, she loved him as if he had
been her own. The child was ar
IDENTIFY attached to her; but he was
his mothers image in face and spirit,
and always mistrusted me,
can scarcely fix the date when
the feeling first came upon me, but
/ soon began to be uneasy when
this child was by. never reused
myself from some moody train of
thought but marked him looking
ut me: not with mere childish Won
der, but with something of the pur-
pose and meaning that | had so
often noted in his mother. 1t was
no effort of my fancy, founded on
close resemblance of feature and ex-
preston. ] never could look the
boy down. He feared me, but
seemed by some instinct TO despise
me while he did so; and even when
he drew back beneath my gaze-as
he would when we were alone, to
get nearer to the door-he would
keep his bright eyes upon me still:
Perhaps / hide the truth from my
self, but / do not think that when
this began, l meditated to do him
any wrong / may have thought
how serviceable his inheritance
would be to US, and may have wish
ed him dead, but / believe | had no
thought of comprising his death.
Neither did the idea come upon me
at once, but by very slow degrees,
presenting itself at first in dim shapes