The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-04-06

that the police were on my track, and
that some fine day | must walk into
| prison.
A week passed, and had become a
mere shadow Of the strong, healthy man
] had previously been. | could reproach
myself only with not having returned
| the bag to its proper owner. | had not
taken penny of its contents, but [ al
ways carried the bag with me, and with
| feverish anxiety and trembling hand l
felt in my pocket from time to time to
see that it was still there.
Strangely enough, / had during this
time unusual good luck. My carriage
was almost always occupied, and learn
ed a good deal of money. When | re-
llected on this fact, | believed that Prov
| idencc thereby gave me a plain hint. l
had always been little religious, and
not free from superstition, and this idea
came to me. The result was that on
the tenth day came to the resolution to
return the lost property. The money
had become curse TO he ever since
stretched my hand out toward it. l had
no rest by night or day; l felt weak and
wrctched, and visibly pined away.
l had noted the address given in the
advertisement, and SO drove at noon
on the tenth day to No. Is Grattan Str
1t was the place where had driven the
young lady. The door stood wide open.
1 called a boy to hold my horse, and
went up the stairs. | asked girl met
for Miss Berkeley, and she thought that
such a person lived on the attic floor. l
went up higher, and knocked at the
door presumed to be the right one. l
1NfI InI,> Co. H. I I,I
rascal, and only the consciousness that
| was at last going to do right gave any
ease to my conscience.
At my knock weak voice called
"Come inr' l opened the door and en-
tered.
For moment the darkness prevented
my seeing the interior. The windows
were dim with dust, smoke and dirt, and
some broken panes were pasted over
with paper. A table and two chairs
with a miserable bed made the whole
furniture.
''Step softly, Death is here," said a
trembling voice, in which only too well
recognized the young lady whom / had
brought there ten days before. But how
she had changed in this short time! Her
checks were hollow, her face was pale
as death and her eyes had an unnatural
brightness.
When l had gained the necessary self
command, l said, with my face turned
away-for it was impossible for me to
look on myself as other than a cowardly
villain:
81 bring the bag of gold which," and
then l muttered something about having
only just seen the notice.
''It is too late" she whispered, sadly
''He for whom that money was destined
is no longer living. Here he lies. He
died some hours ago. Yesterday you
could have saved him-saved us both
but now ie'is too late, too laten'
And she went on murmuring to her.
self, Too late" as if she had fallen in
to heart-rending stupor,
Suddenly the poor woman rose slow
ly from the chair where she sat by the
death-bed, and, after walking up and
staring at me, gave hollow cry which
thrilled me to the marrow of my bones.
at is only right that you should know
what you have to answer for she said.
THAT is your work You can be proud
of it; it has been complete success
She laughed wildly-it was more a
mingling of laughing and crying-and
looked at me.
:'He was my husband" she went on,
after a while. 1--WE lived apart; why
and wherefore is nothing to YOU For
three years heard nothing OF him. Dur
ing this time l lived out as governess,
and earned that money which you hold
in your hand. May God forgive you for
what you have done!''
Here she had a severe fit of coughing,
and when she took the handkerchief
from her mouth it was wet with fresh
blood. The hectic flush on her cheeks
burned deeper than before, and could
plainly see that she had not much long
er to live in this world
cat last he found me-" she continued,
weakly, "and wrote, begging me to come
to him. ! came. He lived in this hole in
sickness and poverty. Had not lost my
gold then, would have taken him away,
and cared well for him. He died of
hunger. We have had no food for the
last three days, and there is no other
fate for me but to follow him. O, you
hGve done manly deed! Look there
your workn'
She drew cloth from the face of
the corpse; it looked almost a skeleton,
and the sorrow of the sight overpOwered
her. She threw herself over it, and
sobbed violently. This emotion brought
on another fit of coughing, with fright
full torrent of blood, during which she
expired. Her disease had gone too far
for her to survive the shock of her hus-
bands death, and if she could not die in
his arms, she died by his side.
Terrified, spread the sheet over the
two dead forms, and hurried to call the
landlady. l still held the gold in my
hand. 1t seemed to burn like fire, and
| would have hurled it from me if | had
not had a duty to fulfill. The landlady
was very Indifferent about the fate of
the unfortunate pair. She merely said
that nothing different had been expect
ed, but she was much pleased when
asked what they owed, and proceeded
to pay her
l went to an undertaken, and arrane-
ed with him for a fitting funeral for the
couple united i'll death. | could not and
would not seek for their friends and rela-
| tives to draw suspicion upon myself. 1t
was now clear to me why the ADVERTISE
ment for the loss of the money appeared
but once. The poor souls had not the
means to pay for a repetition.
l followed the collins to the grave.
No stone marks it, but know it well,
and it often follows me i'll my dreams.
/ The very same day | drove to the hos
pital for consumpGves, and put the rest
of the bag of gold in the collection-box,
for would rather have died of hunger
than have kept penny.-San Francis
co A7gCRdut.
A Cure for Dyspepsia.
! We have never experienced the mis-