Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-08-22

had fallen, and that the yacht was making
comparatively steady progress through the
waters
1t IS no part Of my purpose TO inflict 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 was visited by Flinter, bringing food
| 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 had been put
into my hands was my meeting with Daisy
and GregsOn at the York railway station,
and the last the discovery of the passage on
strychnia in the work on forsenic medicine.
That there was some strange unity of sig.
niticance in all that had happened to Inc
since first saw my darling was a eonvic,
ton that was slowly forcing itself upon my
mind. Never before in my peaceful life
had / been even remotely associated with
anything in the nature of mystery, but
now for some weeks had literally dwell
ing in the midst of mysteries. Hour after
hour passed while tried to hit upon some
key which should make the whole strange
and jumbled story plain. But labOred in
vain. There was only one point in which
in my heart of hearts / was certain rs OF
my own existence. That was that, come
what might, nothing could ever be reveal
ed which would cast shadow of shame
upon the name of the girl whom l loved.
Day after day went by in the same pain
full and hopeless round, and began to de-
spair of ever again being released from my
hateful prison house. 1t was more than q
week since we had left Scarborough.
Where we were now / could not form the
faintest conception. knew that we had
once stopped for an hour or more, and
guessed from the perfect stiffness OF the
vessel that we had entered some harbOr.
was conscious, too, of the fact that it was
now much colder than it had been when
we left England, and | had been thankful
for the additional rugs with which my jail
er had supplied me. But Flinter evaded
all my attempts to elicit from him any in
formation as to our whereabouts. NOI
would he give me the faintest hint of when
| might hope to be released FROM my captl-
witty.
Ten days of an Imprisonment, so close
rs mine was, began to tell not merely upon
my spirits but upon my physical health.
My appetite failed utterly, and | hardly
touched the delicacies with which Flinter,
to do him Justice, kept my table abundantly
supplied. i found myself daily growing
weaker, and the victim of an apathy which
was altogether alien to my nature. In plain
English, was cowed and broken by the
treatment to which had been subjected.
no longer spoke to Flinter on his periodi-
cal visits to my cell.
1t was when | was in the midst of one OF
my worst fits of detection that the event
which | had so ardently lOnged for took
place. was aroused one morning, short
IL before noon, by the noisy opening OF the
great iron door which barred the entrance
to the passage leading to my place Of con-
fnement, and for the first time since had
entered the accursed hole heard theSOund
of voices outside. They were speaking in
quick, excited and even angry tones.
Before had time to realize what was
coming the door of my room was thrown
open, and, to my intense amazement, | saw
DIR. BranksOne standing before me.
MY GOdr he cried, in IN agitated
voice, while he advanced and took my
hand, 'he has not been lying, as hoped
might be the case! And yOu have been
here-a prisOner-eyer since we sailed!
This is monStrOusl Oh, if | had only
known! But come-cOme at once, my poor
fellow, and let me give YOU back your
libertyn
"Ah, DOCTOR" | cried, in tone the fee
blcneSs of which startled even myself,
"how / have l0nged for you! l knew that
You would save me if you could
MY dear fellow, don't exhaust yourself, y
he said, still visibly agitatcd. lie placed
his arm round my waist, and drawing me
gently out of that black prison in which
had endured so much, into the main saloon
of the yacht. The flood Of light dazzlcd
my eyes; the sound of human voices after
that long spell OF silence made all my
nerves culver. There was mist before my
sight, a buzzing i'll my ears, and sensation
of choking in my throat.
But BranksOme was rs Skillful rs he was
gentle and sympathetic.
Lie down here" and rs he spoke he
laid me on one Of the soft cOuches Of the
saloon. Good God! how you have suffer
ed! Here, take this, " and he almost forced
q restorative of some sort down my throat.
There was some one standing beside him
whom l recognized rs FOSdyke. He had Il
look of deep pity on his tace-nay, 1t was
almost one of horror and ineredulity.
saw the same expression on the face OF the
captain of the yacht, and OF steward,
who were also in the saloon. They seemed
quite overcome ut the contemplation OF the
crime of which had been the victim. |
east nv ewes round the beautiful apart
ment, and to my relief saw that the hate
ful Flinter was not among those present.
Very quickly | recovered my strength
and compOsure 80 Tar rs 10 he able to give
BranksOme and the solicitor an account OF
all that had happened 10 me since re-
ceiyed the note inviting me aboard the
yacht.
That note-have You got it?' said
Branksome, eagerly He was manitestly
resolved to know the whole truth regard
ing NV abduction. handed it to him.
"Ah, it Is Finter's handwriting. But,
captain, how came il that You never men
toned until this morning that Mr.. Fenton
had been on board the yacht on the morn
inc that we sailed?" He turned with 4
naughty look upon the captain, plain,
matter-of-fact seaman with u somewhat
bloated face. More than ever was i'm
pressed by the sense of power which seemed
to distinguish, BranksOme in all THAT h"
said and did.
why. SIR" returned the seamen i'll
manifest embarrassment. Il was told that
the gentleman had left the ship in one OF
the Shore boats, besideS-well; to tell the
whole truth upon my honor, sir, Mr.. Film
ter said was not to mention anything
about it to you. He said rs how thus gen
tleman was no longer friends with the mas
ter and that you would he displeaSed If
YOU knew he had been aboard.
= "Pshaww cried BranksOme, impatientiy,
~ could almost believe that the whole OF
Won were in conspiracy against Mr.. Fen
ton, and against me also. The chief stew
ard knew that Flinter was supplying food
10 Mr.. FentOn, and never said word to
me. simply because he had allowed himself