The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-02

see you have been giving him brandy" he
added, pointing to an empty bottle and glass
on a chair beside the pallet
He begged so hard for it that was obliged
to get some for him." answered the woman ap-
pologetcally.
How many bottles has he drunk since he has
been herea You had better tell the truth. "
'Three-no-I believe it is four" Mrs. Jaker
replied meeky
She was quite overcome by that air of COM
mand which was an old habit of the ColoneIs
That means bottle day. suppose you
know that brandy is deadly poison for man in
his state2'
mo, indeed sir. 1t was the only thing that
kept him up.r
Don't you think that doctor would have
known better what was good for him? But you
dared not send for DOCTOR"
They had descended the stairs by this time
and the Colonel and Mrs. Jaker were standing
face to face in the lower room The children,
not seeing any prospect of formal breakfast,
had possessed themselves of sundry odd crusts
and stale slices from a chaotic cupboard, and
had gone out into the windy garden to gnaw
them, in the company of two or three nomad
pigs.
Now, Mrs. Jaker, let there be no nonsense
between you and me-" said the Colonel, sternly
1 want to save that young man If can-and in
saving him may be able to save your husband,
as, IN that young mans absence there will be no
here with his search warrant before that young
man has been got out of the way. the whole story
OF how he came here and how Jaker took that
money from him, will come out. and both Jaker
and he will be transported for life. A packet of
banknotes stolen from the person is more
serious matter than a shared rabbit you know.
Mrs. Jaker"
Mrs. Jaker did know it, She was trembling
in every limb. All that deep dyed hypocrisy
and artfulness by which she had hitherto con-
fO inly Spca tod hans of lie
crisis of her fate. The Colonel, with his six feet
two, broad shoulders and soldierly chest,
bronzed countenance and fercely curving gray
mustache. was the most terrible being she had
ever looked upon. She stood before him in her
fear and trembling, and in her agony she told
him the actual truth.
"Jaker had been out very late that night-it
was the night after the races. He had won a
few shilllngs True Blue not ten pounds. sir,
no. that was falsehood-and he stopped drink
ing at the Coach and Horses till after II o'clock
the landlord had to turn em out him and
some others. The other men lived in the village.
SO Jaker had to come home alone. It's a good
two mile from the village, and he'd have to pass
the park, as you know, sir There's a right of
way IN the daytime, but not after the gates are
shut"
Eyes, yes I know"
But Jaker was never one to stop for gates, so
he got over the fence and crossed the park. 1t
would save him good half mile. He had got
nearly over to the other sde--where there's a
gate into narrow lane that leads right on to the
Marlborough road, close against our own lane
when he heard some one grooming. 1t was SO dark
that he couldn't tell at first where the groans
came from, but when he had CROPPED about bit
he found a man lying under a tree, dying, as he
thought. He had little bottle Of spirits in his
pocket, that he was bringing home for my rheu-
matte shoulder, and he forced some of that down
the mans throat. 1t brought him to, like. and
he asked Jaker if he could find him shelter for
the night, anywhere-he didn't mind how hum
ble-and he could afford to pay for it, as he'd
got some money about him, poor as he looked.
He had wild sort Of way of talking, Jaker
said, and was all of tremble. Jaker
offered to take him to the Coach and
Horses, and to knock the landlord up,
and get him bed; but the man would not have
know anything about him. Oh says my hus-
band, understand. You're in hiding He
didn't say yes, nor he didn't say no. So then
Jaker offers to take him to our own cottage, and
he says, Yes that would do very well, and l
can get Oft by the early rail tomorrow So
Jaker he'll ps him over the gate, and brings him
homeland we makes him up bed in the room
upstairs. But when the bed was made it was
hard work to get him to go to it. He sat over
the fire and talked talked talked so fast and so
wild like. And he offered my husband a SOW
ereign to go and get him bottle of brandy-and
could hardly make him understand that it
was the middle of the night and that the public
houses shut He was dreadfully wild; but
him, as if had been child"
And when did Jaker find out about the
moneys" asked the Colonel
'It was the next day. The young man was
in a very low way till he got the brandy: He
cried, and said he wished he was dead, and took
On dreadfully But when my husband had
fetched bottle of brandy from the village, and
he had drunk the best part of it, he cheered up a
little. l made some broth for him in the after
noon, but he would hardly touch it, and he
wouldn't I
except brandy. He finished the bottle before
night, and he was very abusive when my husband
refused to get him another. In the evening he
went off into wild state, and raved about some
thing he had under his piliOw-a treasure he
called it-and he laughed and said his mother
had been very mean to him, but that he had got
the best of the bargain"
His mother" repeated the Colonel wonder
ingy "What could he mean by that9"
And then he reflected that in a paroxysm of
delirinm tremens all mans words are alike
meaningless, and unworthy of consideration.
while my husband was sitting smoking his
pipe beside the bed, the young man took the
packet out from under his pillow and Jaker saw
that it was a roll of bank notes. The young man
counted them over, and talked about the money,
and what he Was going to do with it, as wild as
any mailman, and it seemed as if for half
farthing he'd have put the notes in the candle,
and burnt them all. Do you think / care for
money for it's own sakeF says he. Not bit
shall drink and game it all away, dare say be-
fore I'm three months older, and then Jaker
thought what shame it was that this mailman
should have all that money to spend in drink and
cards. perhaps to set light to it when the
wild fit was On him-money enough to take us
all to Canada, where we'd been pining to go for
the last ten years, and to buy us a bit of land
and start US in an honest life and so, late that
night, when the young man had gone off into
restless sleep-he never sleeps above quarter of
an hour at time-Jaker put his hand softly
under the pillow"
And stole the notes"
'No sir. He took out the packet and looked
through the notes, and took half of them leav-
ing most of the small ones He took two tifties
and five twenties-just enough for our passage
money, and to buy little bit of land over there
and he went off early next morning"
did he know of any ship sailing for Canada?7
asked the Colonel.
Yes, there was one that was to sail from Ply
mouth yesterday and he was in fever to start
by it,"