Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-12-18

ofdef7d supper Ior u alL5r -ns op9ra, 10,
he says, as it's the fust treat as he's givel
US, he'd like it to be special you sac and
he's asked me as favor to take charge of
it; and cook IS not to go to the opera, but
She's to go to thu Crown whore he'5 ordered
the supper at ten o'clock. anu help the
Crown to do the thing proper, and he pre-
fers it to having it h,re, AMI thinks it will
be more jolly like; AMI he won't want no.
body at home, as am All Lawyer Nolan is
aGolng to do som, work together, because
masters going to leighton Buzzard on
Monday and then to ireland for week"
Mary, nevertheless contended that the
master was mad AMI looked it" and she
was dead sure CT it" when the butler be.
ing recalled by Mr. Neelham returned to
say they could each invite friend to thu
supper at the Crown. On the other hand.
the cook contended that he was getting to
be a lonely man, and consequently begin-
ming to think OF others little" and for
her part she always felt he was "a good
sort" and now he was "a beginning to show
it,
In the meantime, Mr. Needham called
at the Opera booking Office, and paid visit
to the Crown tavern Ia coacnman's resort
near Brunswick place, at which latter
place he arran red for the supper, and was
voted regular brick" by the landlord
AMI his wife. Then he stroled into Oxford
street and pur chased strong narcotic He
walked and felt land he thought so. COM
muning with himself in his strange wayj
as if he vera IN adceam, but knew he
was awake-as if he was led on-as if he
was destined to do a cruel thing, and could
not resist it. Some of his forgeries, his
desperate attempts to keep his head above
the ed lies of financial trouble, had been
done under the influence OF similar in
stinct-a kind of impulss-as if his evil
nature was altogether beyond the control
Of his moral faculties
is man responsible for what hs does
when he is fighting for life in whirlpool
Neeiham was muttering to himself as he
walked back to Portland plaza. ''Adrown-
ing man snatcaes at straws; and if another
man comes along he clutches at him, eve1
though they both sink together In his
blind despair he will clutch at the WINNER
who comes to his rescue and cling to him
madly without reasoning until the rescuer
is smothered, and per haps the drowning
man floats safely to the shore clinginy to
the dead. 1t must be that 1T is intended I
should live; but London asks a sacrifice
the banks ask sacrifice; financial honor
calls for victim; the widows and The
orphans cry aloud for vengeance; and 10
and behold! Fate sends the sacrifice in lieu
of the one that was prepared Who knows
that may not be destined to atone to all
these poop e. to repay them, to re-endow
their in stlGutions and their honest
1t was a CHASTITY smile that fickered on
his lips at this latter thought, as If the fend
within him re joiced at bis hypocrisy.
As the solemn clock on his library mantel-
piece pointed to a quarter to eight he stood
within The shadow of tae silk curtains and
saw the last of his little crowd of attendants
trooping out into Portland place towards
Oxford Circus on their way to the opera
The sun had set in lowering Clouds and
there was promise in the changing wind OF
wet dark night. He noted these signs,
AMI said to himself:
Everything in earth and heaven, if
may use that word, favors my escape, and
points the road to freedom"