Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-07-22

II was aghast. perplexed beyond mea
sure; and was about to speak when an
other fierce look checked me.
"When the doctor had moistened tn,
patients lips once more with brandy, h,
said with professional gravity:
"' It is my painful duty to tell 20,
that you must prepare for the worst
"'Ah, feared so = said my husband
My poor brother was supposed to hav
disease of the heart; it was the Opinion
expressed by physician two years ago.
This is not the heart, said the doc
tor, feeling the pulse again. This i
cerebral ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, in fact
He is all but gone, nothing can be done.
"Then there was slight CONFUSION
and the doctor continued:
"' fear can be of no further use pro
fessionally; but can I help you to Ill
what is necessary now, Or do you know
"'No, we know no one in the neigh
borhood; we are strangers here inter
rupted my husband. I'VE are from
Cornwall, and have come to live in Lon
don; and have only been in the hous
three days. My dear brother came tt
stay with us yesterday. He has beer
out all day. The moment he came in h,
tainted, and then-and then I ran TO
you. Will there be any need for an in
quest?'
"' Indeed, said the doctor, I'm afraii
there will.
"Oh, how very distressing = went OF
my husband. Can we not be spared
this pain?'
"The other paused, and then sale
slowly, with peculiar expression OF
his face:
""Wel, surely, surely with what yor
tell me, and with what 1 have seen OF
the case, I mig hit perhaps certify, and sc
spare you the distress Of an inquiry
"'Thank you, thank you Thousand
times, said my husband earnestly, as ]
saw him press couple Of the sovereignt
he had lately taken from the dead mans
pocket into the doctors hand
Very well, then,' answered that
functionary; I will manage it, and dc
all that is necessary. I will send some
one Immediately. Good night
'When he was gone I summoned up
courage to ask the meaning of what j
had heard.
s''What are your intentions? Pray
tell me, said.
"'You always were an idot,' he an
swered, "but will try and make you
understand for once in way. Any
woman who was not fool, and had been
loving wife and alive to her husbands
welfare, could have seen with half an
eye what my game is. It's very sim
pie one, and mind you do not spoil it, or
1t will be worse for you; and that you
may have no excuse for doing so I'll tell
you plainly what it is. There was some
thing like 5000 in notes and gold in that
poor devils pocketbook. There is moth
ing show who he was to anybody but
me, who luckily can keep secret, so I
shall not tell you his name; besides it
does not signify. Not soul but our two
selves knows how he came on to nv
premises; he can never be traced there.
| pass him off as my brother, and bury
him accordingly. No one hereabouts
knows who we are, so who is to say he is
not my brother? Had not good luck
brought him up to our hospitable gate
at the critical moment, had you been the
Tar seeing clever woman you are, and not
let him in, why he would have fallen
down dead in the public highway and
his property have been at the mercy OF
OF the first person who found him. They
might have been honest or not. he
would have been taken to the hospital,
and, OF course, his friends would have
been duly informed Of the sad loss they
had sustained. Now, as it is, they will
be spared this sorrow, because they will
never know what has become of him. He
will be only one more victim added to
the list of mysterious disappearance,
Well, but I broke In, his friends
will make inquiries after him. He may
be traced to our gate, and we will be
called upon to explain
"'We may be- continued my hus-
band, but it's sufficiently unlikely. It
will be cursed piece of ill-luck if he is.
Who is to trace him into this Cod
abandoned region? Under all the cir-
cumstances and by your own showing it
is most improbable-nay, it is impossi-
ble.'
"'Y Yes I again interposed; but he
will be advertised for and described
every likely he went on, but the
doctor and the undertaken are the only
people besides ourselves who will have
seen him, and they will have nothing to
identify him by even if they ever know
or hear anything about the disappear
ance. They will never recognize in nv
dear brother, poor John Smith, who
died OF apoplexy here in my house,
under the very eye of the doctor, the
forlo man by the name of - (but I
will keep that to myself, who was last
seen,' etc., etc., as the advertisement
will run. No; they will not know the
name. It will convey nothing to their
minds; how should it? For remember
the moment you so judiciously let him
in and closed our garden door upon him.
the lost man had ceased to be. From
that moment he became my brother
John; the real man was gone as clean
out OF existence, had as clean parted
with his identity, as if he had never
been! By heavens! it's stroke of
genius on my part. I never guessed 7
was half SO clever fellow added nv
husband triumphantly.
But, cried I once more, this is q
very dreadful, very dangerous game.
as you call it, to play. It is absolutely
theft, and worse
IF you cannot use better language,
ne said, "hold your tongue; don't in
suit me. I tell you the money might as
well have fallen into my hands as into
those of the first policeman or post-boy
who might have found him. I want It
badly enough, and if you don't betray
our secret there is very little risk of nv
right to it being disputed"
"But, l said, "the watch, the rings,
as well as the money-they may lead to
your discovery?'' 80
"Not at al, he answered, elf they
are carefully converted, and I viii
manage that. The notes are the only
dif6cultY: but I can oct over that 4oo