New-York tribune., 1882-12-31
CAPTAIN WRENCH'S ILLUSION

n,etrv and unfriendS described hlm as IlleI-ln
snnrt n man very unlikely to experience tricRs OF
,magination lie had returned from India on two
wears leave for urgent private AFFAIRS. me Pled
Was no fiction. Although the season hau lIut !.
passed business was so pressing that ne louhu IL
nneedfnl In have "A pied-d-ttrTe i'll London. Alter
irving score of hotels each less coniortaoe lnaI
another he accepted an old sch0olielIows oneF ol
his rooms in ths Temple. something OF camp me
as il we're pleasing possibility OF the unexpecteG,
cling around those chambers man VINO dWelt
therein was encompasscd by enemies unseen "hCse
strategic movements around the door must I've net
Lv ceaseless vigilance. Wrenchs schOoIellow,
tHe hest and almost the biggest of men, was more
hiphly esteemed at the cOverslde on the cricket
Ge7d 9cd the river than at the Temple Treasury
more warmly welcomed IN DoudolrS anu CiuoS ln1I Va
at his bank. Before Inducing wrench ne lranHy
stated that some unreas0nable pToceeuinssoi VI
tvrannnus gas company forbade him 10 IcIude the
use of their overIatvd monopoly ln the auNahlhe.S
offered AS a general rule ne auVlseu w netVn E ~
dstrust all raps at the oak ana 10 GeIea! Suoh
freacberous ambuscades by mastery lnactlVl'y :
md then the good fellOww ent his way; ..;..
The rooms were fine example OF dnat ~ III,
tionsness which distinguished our toreiathers III an
thev did When mast MS of that period received
commjssion to build they raised structure agdhSt
which hurricanes and hOods wOuiu h"' llo' t a. a.
Contemrorary carpenters had like honeNtl'
Their beams and panels matched the sohu VIII
n ot ioint had started III two hundred yedIs Hn. %
more II was quito relief FOL the frivolous h"'Sln
Dunn 10 moi ,ce amid tins display OF NI'uc' V""'
every room of the three lnc0Scd hehlnu TWO "os ln",s
sive oaks led into another nS l"o "J uUuiS, thot
which If not secret was at least 80 cohIrNen M
sven a susp,iOus woman might easily overlook ~
and as they all gave upon the little nan, clI'ht
lei II. say a clicnt-cOuld choose Time TO CsChlc'
tbon;,h any fwo rooms of the three were occupied
The lite Wrench had led Tubs the IesnneSS ii",li i
all novelty strange place was as lhlhI'I ~ 'ti,'
mud he slept in a bed he never saw before as com
IN, tably as in his own. lie used these chalh!trs
once or twice week for two montns' Mi'n'ut ,uI
n or thought regarding them. llS ha"it WIS 10
dress tnefe after business, ana 10 return u he
stayeJ i'm town, long after midnight. 30 the sum
mrT passed and autumn DAYS shortened. one
~ q nome
Not n soul did he meet in those lonely courts.
The wet pavement gllstenrd III reuectoh oi tno
gas Int There was no light IN any WlnNoW.
Wrench felt il dul very. and wonieiei WHY on
earth he had left the club, where men Sm rked ana
chatted in glow of cheerful hrehth', nc u u
fion recuTrcd with greater strength whue' HlteI
Hniockino the heavy door, he :. arched for a candle
in darkness that might he felt. when 'uhd rIS
feeble spark vany coutended win the nd' X
sGadors p.srusted 18th himself Wrench entered
Ihe slttingroom. where no fire WAS lhld cA3Se hI9
book from a dusty pile upon ne moor ana sn' 7"
read awhile ihe Iemplo clock BEGAN To Gloan ~
usual lament before striking another h"uI from
eternity.
some instants afterward Wrench looked M,
thrilling awiully to summons Sc he sw The
faint blue ghmmer of the window IN the Htte nan
On either side that pale reflection Buhg 2idch
Dotbiuruess The candle-llCht Tell dead lhtIe
~, aIInwed M though il touched the plctule~ anC
furniture on each hand lower down IL was nor
cloud nor mist that dropped 1ronud tlc dVoT, nut
a sable blank. Not for a moment qiu qiu ,MiencH
think thi, an illusion of the eve HIS ioTeheaI
Wrnkled and wet with fear his eyebrows raised.
Inc sat in speechlesS trance, waiting What Shou"
amerSo from that unearthly void. 1t dld not rest,
lint closed and gathered in, shutting out ihe SilIl
tran.narruce of the easement. and opened again,
like wings Two sparks keen and nailgnaht'
Nosbe1 and vanished above the blank. Ihen,
s,hrre the doorway shoud have been, cmld Iace
shone pallidly luminous. Though twenty-five
nas had ua,sed since he had seen those dead leat-
T,rrs Wrench could have gwen them name
Others followed, hicnds OF youth ana laior ye"rs'
ali dead Memory recognized eacn 1orgot'el suos!'
some were there whose fate he had not learned:
These visions did not seek his eye, bHt burned
Whitley for one puS"-beat anu went ou'' "9 d" '40'9
glows and disappears
Tho oroc,s,;on ceased and all was dark again
the wings closed-the halcful CLEANS returned.
Theu two faces showed. those OF an cId man ana
pirl Wrench uttered an exclamation OF ulS,lSi
and the black void contracted. took shape, closed
swiftly round. crushed down on Inn. Inc TWO
sparks Intensified. burned INTO ms very SOU. AIu
9bsn ali was finished Only the aching OF the
,,,,sr.e in his face told Wrench what agony ne ad
gone through His mind was cear-he rose haStIy
and went out. The porter stared as ne passtu ~,
6atles, in evening dress, without an oVeIcoal. ne
drove TO TIE club When the last member ma,
gone the steward lent him "a cap. ana lie wa yea
sceI less for daylight sitting IN one ol lhe Ets 'Se'
Lotrls At earliest morning he sent telegram
Enpeue Wrench to Colonel Inncs, Bucharest: arc
YOU both well l have had bad dream ABOUT
yOu.
When the LIGHT was strong enough to search
every corner OF the haunted CHAMBERS be entered,
and brought away his clothes, GreaniuR 10 Iooh
around the while AT evening arrived the answer
: sjIa0ar lnues 70 Eugene Wrench; Quite well
Papa SAYS come here and Ue Will nurse you II
was unite impossible TO follow II Is auNcc-alu Sei
and vet the impulse grew stronger the con-
victlon that in hi, full he had hehe tins in
cXplicahle warning become more tlamOlous aS the
h)urs went by. In short, " rench started ny tne
tidal train next evening, Ihiee dals continuous
travel brought him TO Bucharest, wheIo Colonel
innes was waiting at the Targoviste Station.
This ola soldier belonged to the very small ana
oi,,Jed class of aristocratiC Europeans His gTaId
father had commanded the armies Ol the MAN
had proies>ed FL Islam. aud married an Arab
yr,ncesS The eldest son Of tins adVe ltuIer was
tIalned in a military school at home, whore he @s-
tinguished himself alike IN the Nudy and the paN-
ground. lie entered the ConpahYs service. ana
won no incOnsidrrable hOnors before MS parent 10
called him to Ilyderahad. AT the MAN Court
also he made his way, though he would never Join
thr ceremonies of the creed TO which he was born
CvposiiiOn did not go beyond tins, however, lie
married an Armenian girl also an helrtsS w neh
fhe father died Innes Sahib wasnot nominated TO
succeed him, bnt he mantalneda position OF great
in uiuence az Court. Then came the mutny' ana th's
old soldier of the Company Bahauur became very
active and useful Besides aiding strenuOusy to
keen the NiZam quiet, lie raised superb regiment
nf Nurse M Lis own expense and gave the com
Inand 10 his only son. This youth possessed an tEe
Qualities " bch had made the fortune O TIE unilY,
SAVING that easy indifference about religion. Edn-
Gated i'm England for military life, though ne had
not ioined the army, he showed himself n brililaht
officer while his knowledge ana skul NIth 'Ie na'Ne
chiefs did the English generals nuch s'IVIce; a
yonnr lady whom he rescued Hom peru Iel III
ioy. with him. swarthy though he was; me Gpv-
ernment recognized his services Dy giantIhg @ nllh
an honorary cOlOnelcy when peace returned, ana
Embodied his regiment. With sll h;s Ionsin2 10
r'rsne n corerr 30 well begun. Colonel Iunes knew
bimsrIf un1itted for regular employment lie mar
ried and withdrew TO llydea6ad' whert ms ia,haf
died within the year Aud before ne cOulu aIIduEc
a. r,igbtv and complicated matters of his heritage
his young wife also died giving birth TO a daughter.
IN, circumstances attending her decease lHaue tlis
calamity yet more dreadful. -, u,o .hild
In her lasl moments his wife had nEmed the chll1
Uacar. and SO she was baptized Colonel lnnes was
not man to sacrifice his rights for the sake OF huIS
ing baby The widow of a comrade took charge
OF the lufaut and settled with II at Slmla on an eA
trayacant allowance. The Colonel ran W. TO see
them constantly. 1t was durlng thls tne "nen % ids
oar was about five years old. that he made the ac-
Iuaintance of Wrench, then young subaltern,
The liking ON both sides grew warm. rive years