Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-09-18

A storm at sea is an awful thing to the
landsman at the best of times. Let my
reader try if he can conceive what this
storm was to me-held like a rat in a trap In
the middle Of the laboring vessel
Yet despite my fears and the tumult all
around: me, I slept, and my sleep was
strangely free from those hideous dreams Of
which 1 had been a~pprehensive. When I
awoke at last the bright light of the electric
lamp had disappeared, and some faint rays
from the outer sky were entering my cabin
through the funnel which served the pur-
pose of a window. I looked at my watch
and discovered that it was nine o'clock. To
my great joy, too, I found that the sea had
fallen, and that the yacht was making COM
paratively steady progress through the
waters.
1t is no part of my purpose to infiict the
whole story of my imprisonment upon the
reader. Nothing, indeed, could be more
monotonous-or more terrible In Its monot-
ony-than the manner in which my days
were passed. Thrice during this second day
l was visited by Flinter, bringing food I
hardly spoke to him, and he made no at
tempt to open a conversation with me. !
was still absorbed in an attempt to put to-
gether the various pieces of that strange
puzzle, the first bit of which that had been
put into my hands was my meeting with
Daisy and Gregson at the York railway sta
ton. and the last the discovery of the pas.
sage on strychnia in the work on forensic
medicine. That there was some strange
unity of significance in all that had hap
pened to me since I first saw my darling was
a conviction that was slowly forcing itself
upon my mind. Never before in my peaceful
life had I been even remotely associated with
anything in the nature OF a mystery, but now
for some weeks I had been literally dwelling
in the midst of mysteries. Hour after hour
passed while I tried to hit upon some key
which should make the whole strange and
There was only one point of which in nv
heart of hearts I was as certain as of nv
own existence. That was that, come what
might, nothing could ever be revealed which
would cast a shadow of shame upon the
am of the girl whom Iloved.
Day after day went by in the same pain-
full and hopeless round, and I began to
despair of ever again being released from
my hateful prison house. It was more than
a week since we had left SCARBOROUGH.
Where we now were I could not form the
faintest conception. I knew that we had
once stopped for an hour or more. and I
guessed from the perfect stiffness of the yes-
sci that we had entered some harbor. 1 was
conscious, too, Of the fact that it wal now
much colder than it had been when we left
England. and I had been thankful for the
additional rugs with which my jailer had
supplied me. But Flinter evaded all nv at
tempts to elicit from him any information
as to our whereabouts Nor would he give
me the faintest hint Of when I might hope to
be released from my captivity.
Ten days of an imprisonment. so close AZ
mine was, began to tell not merely upon INV
spirits but upon my physical health. Nv
appetite failed utterly, and I hardly touched
the delicacies with which Flinter, to do him
justice, kept my table abundantly supplied.
l found myself daily growing weaker. and
the victim of an apathy which was alto
gether alien to my nature. In plain Eng.
lish, I was cowed and broken by the treat
ment to which l had been subjected. Ino
longer even spoke to Flinter on his periodical
visits to my cell.
1t was when was in the midst of one of
my worst fits of detection that the event
which I had so ardently longed for took
place. was aroused one morning. shortly
before noon, by the noisy opening of the
great iron door which barred the entrance
to the passage leading to my place of con-
finement, and for the first time since l had
entered the accursed hole I heard the sound
of voices outside. They were speaking in
quick, excited and even angry tones.
Before l had time to realize what was
coming, the door of my room was thrown
open, and, to my intense amazement, 1 saw
DR.. Branksome standing before me,
"My God!" he cried, in an agitated voice.
while he advanced and took my hand, "he
has not been lying, US I hoped might be the
case! And you have been here-,a prisoner
ever since we sailedl This is monstrousl Oh.
if l had only known! But come-come at
once, my poor fellow, and let me give Won
back your liberty"
"Ah, DOCTOR" 1 cried, in a tone the feeble.
ness of which startled even myself, show I
have longed for you'll l knew that YOU
would I'VE me If you could"
"My dear fellow, don'texhaust yourself. " he
said, still visibly agitated. He placed his arm
round my waist, and drawing me gently out
of that black prison in which l had endured
20 much, led me into the main saloon of tho
yacht. The flood of light da1zled my eyes:
the sound Of human voices after that long
spell of silence made all my nerves culver:
There was a mist before my sight, a buzzing
In my ears, and a sensation of choking in my
throat.
But Branksome was as skillful as he was
gentle and sympathetic.
"I1ie down here;;" and as he spoke he laid
me on one Of the soft couches Of the saloon.
"Good God! how you have suffered! Here,
take this" and he almost forced a 1estora-
tive of some sort down my throat There
was some one standing beside him whom I
now recognized as Fosdyke. He had a look
of deep pity on his face-nay. it way almost
ore of horror and incredulity. ] saw the
n expression on the face of the captain of
the yacht, and of a steward, who were also
in the saloon. They seemed quite overcome
at the contemplation Of the crime of which I
had been the victim. l cast my eyes round
the beautiful apartment, and to my relief
saw that the hateful Flinter wa not among
those present.
Very quickly 1 recovered my strength and
composure so far as to be able to give Drank
some and the solicitor an account of all that
had happened to me since I received the note
inviting ME to go on board the yacht.
THAT note-have you got it," said Drank
some. eagerly. He was manifestly resolved
to know the whole truth regarding my alb
duction. l handed it to him.
"Ah, it is Flinter's handwriting. But,
caDtnin- how oon,o r. fbok ,o, ro,ou ,,on