Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1885-06-27
ablaze, and he was assured that moth

ablaze, and he was assured that moth
ing could be done until morning.
Had anything been heard or seen of
his boy? No, nothing. Had anything
| been seen of Martha? Yes; she had
come back, and her story was strange
one. 1t ran as follows:
| Very shortly after her master had
left the house, and just as she had put
the boy to bed, a knock came the side
door. She went down, leaving the
paratfin oil lamp burning on the table
close to the bed. She found at the door
ragged little boy who handed her a
note.
It was to the effect that if she came
to certain public-house the writer
would tell her something which would
be greatly to her advantage and the
advantage of her master.
| For a long time the woman hesitatdC
Then, thinking there might really be
some advantage to herself and her
master behind this note, she resolved
to risk going.
At the public-house indicated, she
found stout, slatternly woman, who
appeared to be the worse for drink.
This woman said that her design was
that Martha, being in a position of con-
tidence, as she was informed. should
gradually pillage the house; that she the
strange woman, would dispose of the
goods, and that they two should divide
the money between them.
Martha broke away from this wretch
Indignantly, and hurried back with all
speed to the house. She had not been
more than half an hour absent, but
when she got back, the place was in
flames, and all possibility of getting at
the room where she had left the boy
was over. No doubt the child had got
out OF bed, and while playing with the
lamp, it fell and fired the house.
There was nothing for the disconso-
late father to do but to wait there
through the dreary watches of that
desolate, sad night, looking at the un-
certain flicker Of the gradually dying
fire.
With morning came the possibility
of search. Then the remains of the
lamp were found, but no trace what
ever of the boy, except, strangely
enough, some buttons which were
known to belong to his clothes. and a
shilling. Both the father and the
nurse agreed that there could not
possibly have been any other
silver coin in that room than
the one given by the father to his son
the evening before. This coin, too,
was found in a place close beside the
iron bedstead, which would roughly
/ correspond with where the nurse had
/ put his clothes. Although it was nine
o'clock in the morning, Walford re-
fused to leave the ruins, and friend,
who had stayed with him Loyalty all the
time, set off in search of some refresh
ment. He came back very shortly,
and, preoccupied as Walford was, he
could not but see that some new and
startling surprise had overtaken his
friend. He asked hastily what it was.
II don't think ought to tell you,
Walford, but if don't, some one else
will in a few minutes. There was a
bad break down at the Cremona~ last
night
81 know there was, and [ was the
cause of it, said Walford, sadly.
"But who can blame me? Look at
this. Where is my boy?'' a.. H..
I Il don't mean you, Walford, but
Grattin. He fell on the stage in a
fainting fit, and the opera had to be
stopped. They say he's seriously i'll.
In fact, the doctors think he can't
recover ..
4 While the two men were speaking, a
third man came up and said: Il have q
note for Mr. Walford -
When the owner of the burned house
had read it, he turned to his companion
and said: 'It is from poor Grattin. He
asks me to come to him at once for
Gods sake, or he may never see me
again. He lives quite close. I will
not be long. Wait for me-
Walford found Grattin exhausted.
but able to speak fluently. .-
''The doctors tell me may 90 at any
moment. will not waste a word. [
have been unconscious until Just now.
[ want you to forgive me if you can;
if you will. was jealous of you. I
made my up mind to destroy you if I
could. The whole plot was mine.
p got a woman to decoy your servant
away, and l set fire to your house."
"And the boy-the boy?' whispered
the father pale as death
els sleeping there He pointed to
:. a door leading off the room in which
l he lay. I used chloroform on q
handkerchief with him, and then
brought him here. He is safe. Open
the door and look. Mercy! mercy,
James Walford! Hark! There's your
boys voice. Is it not sweet enough to
your ears this morning to take away
your anger? Hark! That is the call
boy! Monsieur Grattin,, the stage
waits, Ready
And with this word Monsieur Grattin
answered his Last Call
Southern Chain Gangs.
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