The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-02-29

H1UtIhOOii COuNinCtu tuO thaO viz thau
is there, beyond human hearing, and
will be starved to death by my barbar-
Gus husband, unless Immediately res
cued For three days he has not left
the house. l drugged him less than an
hour ago, and now he is so completely
stupefied that the lock may be picked
without his interference. have
searched his pockets, but could not
find the key hence my application to
you. Now you know all {; will you &C.
company me =
"To the end of the world, madam,
on such an crrand."
"Then prepare yourself; there is
cab at the door"
Honrandez was little surprised, for
he had not heard the sound of wheels
Hastily drawing on coat and provid-
ing himself with the required imple.
ments, he was soon at the door. There,
sure enough, was the carriage, with the
driver in the seat ready for the mys-
terious journey. Honrandez entered
the vehicle, followed by the lady. As
soon as she was seated, she produced a
heavy handkerchief, which, by the
faint light of an adjacent street lamp,
she carefully bound round her com:
panion's eyes. She then seated herself
beside him, and the cab started. In
half an hour the vehicle stopped-in
what part of the city Honrandez was
entirely ignorant, as it was evidently
driven in anything but direct course
from the point of starting.
Examining the bandage to see that
his vision was completely obscured,
the lady handed Honrandez the bundle
of tools with which he was provided |;
then taking him by the arm led him
through gate into house, and, after
taking him along passageway which
was about fifty feet in length, aud
down fight of stairs into what was
evidently an underground basement,
stopped beside vault, and removed
the handkerchief from his eyes.
"Here is the vault--open it," said
she, springing the door of a dark Ian
tern and throwing beam of light
upon the lock.
Honrandez seized the bunch of skel-
eton keys, and, after few trials,
which the lady seemed to watch with
the most painful anxiety, sprang the
bolt The door swung upon its hinges
and the lady telling Honrandez not to
close it, as it was self-locking, sprang
into the vault. Honrandez did not
follow. He heard the murmur of low
voices within, and the next moment
the lady reappeared, and leaning upon
her arm a man, with face so pale and
haggard that Honrandez started at the
ssight. What intense suffering the un-
fortunate man must have endured du-
ring the three long days of his con-
finement
"Remain here,' she said, 81 will be
back in moment"
| The two slowly ascended the stairs
and entered a room Immediately over
where Honrandez was standing. In
less than minute the lady returned.
"Shall close it, madam" said
Honrandez, placing his hand upon the
door of the vault.
"No! mol" she exclaimed, hastily
seizing his arms; cit awaits another
occupant! !"
"Madam, you certainly do not in
tend to-"
"Are you ready?' she interrupted,
impatiently, holding the handkerchief
to Honrandez's eyes. The thought
flashed across his mind that she intend
ed to push him into the vault and bury
him and his secret together. She
seemed to read his suspicion, and con-
tinued "Do not be alarmed, you are
not the man."
| Honrandez could not mistake the
truth or the fearful meaning of the re-
mark, and he shuddered as he bent his
head to the handkerchief.
| His eyes were carefully bandaged,
and he was led to the carriage, and
thence home by more circuitous
route, if possible, than the one by
which he came. Arriving in front Of
the house. the handkerchief was re.
moved and Honrandez stepped from
the vehicle. A purse of $500 was
placed in his hands, and in q moment
| the cab and its mysterious occupant
had turned the corner, and was out OF
sight.
| Honrandez entered his shop. and the
purse of gold was the only evidence hi
could summon in his bewilderment
that all he had just done and witness
ed was not dream.
| The money seemed to be cursed
From that night Honrandez neglected
his tlourishing business, and with th'
$500 and that which he had managed
to save, he plunged headlong into {
life of dissipation which, in shor
time, ended fatally.
In the meanwhile the sudden disap
pear ance of Senor Cavasso, the wealthy
banker, became the universal topic o
conversation, and though his wife gave
every sign of poignant grief over th'
absence of senor, the knowing one
winked significantly at each other, 'an(
whispered that Senior Cavasso's where
abouts was clouded in the deepes
mystery. The police could obtain NJ
clue, and sonora pretended the utmos
sorrow for her lost husband. 1t wa
known that the two did not live hap
PLY together, but nothing furthe
could be elected whereby tangible
clue could be obtained.
Honrandez had drifted from bad t,
worse, until, thrown upon bed of de
lrium he was given up by physicians
as hopeless case. While tossing il
his delirium he graphically described
the incidents on the night of his open
ing the vault, which facts coming t.
the ears of the police, an investigation
was made, and when the vault wa
opened Senor Cavasso's remains wer
found. While sleeping under tn
drug administered by his wife, he wa
carried to the vault and awoke to fin,
himself entombed alive.
Before the officers succeeded in tax
: ing Sonora to Jail she had cut an al
terry in her arm, and bled to death
l Honrandez died in all the agones 0
{ delirium tremens, and the Senora's pal
|