The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1886-07-17

s1ble to get rid of YOU. If / shall be be-
lleved, | hardly felt angry at his words o.
looks. All that had passed between hin
and his visitor had convinced me that thi,
man was thorough villain; and consider.
ing what his real character was, it seemed
puerile for me to indulge in an exhibition
of wrath at my reception. And was there
also-l have since asked myself-a pre-
monltion of danger vet to come to me from
this man. which led me to leave his pres
ence abruptly-to shun him, as We shun the
deadly rattlesnake that coils kissing in oul
path? Whatever the reason, my only
thought was to end the interview at once.
Doctor Beaumont, | said, Il have de-
livered to you the Professors letter. for his
sake; not to ask favor for myself. What
the letter contains, only know by YOU
statement; l have not read it Your opin-
ions as to the needs and wishes of the peo-
pie of this village III a medical way are OF
no importance to me, and as it will be
agreeable to both of us to put an end tc
this interview, l wish you goodmorn-
ing.
He seemed puzzled at first that he had
not succeeded in angering me; then with
something between a scowl and sneer, be
distantly returned my bow, and | left him
CHAPTER VII
1t was not yet eleven o'clock of bright
May morning. The strange experience that
had come to me in Or. Beaumont's house
had for the time banished from my thoughts
the desire of forwarding my settlement in
Berkeley. l wished to think over what
had heard. Why should l think it over?
The main business with me, just then, was
to get myself established in Berkeley; of
what consequence to me was the episode
that accident had just revealed to me? Per-
haps | may account for my mental condi-
ton at this time, by saying that the words
of Albert Winfield upon our parting had
deeply impressed me, and that other pre-
monitions seemed gathering about me.
But yesterday, this DR.. Beaumont was
naught to me but an unknown physician to
whom | was to present letter; in single
hour of this day he had been obtruded
upon me in so strange a way, that as /
a.ked on it was difficult for me to regard
the whole scene in his house as real. Were
our paths to cross again?-and how-and
where? And his dark visitor-should l
meet him again?
As If to answer this last mental query, a
horse came up the street, passing me at an
easy canter, ridden by the man who was
Just then the subject of my thoughts. He
cast toward me the same careless, indiffer-
ent glance as before. and | watched him as
he sat on his horse with easy grace and
disappeared in the distance. An old woman
was passing near by, to whom | gave a
small coin, requesting some information as
to the horseman who had just ridden up the
street. Her tongue started off at once with
remarkable garrulity.
why, Lord bless you, sir, you must be
q, l..
you be, not to know Mr. Clayton Ferrers !
sion, which is by all odds the finest house
in or around Berkeley, and his mother, the
widow Ferrers, lives with him; and there
too, his uncle, who owns the place and ever
so much more property of all kinds, old
MIR. Edison Nhalley, is lying bedrid, and
they say he Will die before long, and the
Ferrers be his only heirs, and"
| listened for while longer, but this
was the substance of what / wished to
know, and l presently walked on, and re-
turned to the hotel.
Right here the question vii. be asked of
me, as it has been asked before why did
you not proceed, Immediately upon the in
formation you had obtained, TO denounce
these two men for a conspiracy against the
life of Edison Whalley? Why did you not
go at once to magistrate, lodge a COM
plant, and have warrant issued for their
arrest? Had you pursued this course, would
not much of the villainy of the ensuing
weeks have been prevented? Would not
you, yourself, have been saved untold mis-
cry and suffering?
And my answer is, that in the quiet of
my chamber at the hotel 1 thought of all
this, and that upon deliberation my judg-
fold +hat no ot,n
BILE. True, l had overheard conversation
which l firmly believed referred to plot
to assassinate a helpless old man for his
money; but let the reader go back and refer
to the exact language of these men, as
have set it down, and he viii see that it is
ambiguous, not plainly proposing murder
IN so many words, but like the talk of as
sassins usually, dealing in words and
phrases to which more than one meaning
might be attached. And then the absurditv
of the charge The well-known and highly
respected Mr.. Ferrers, and the popular and
aristocratic DR.. Beaumont accused of a
conspiracy to murder-by whom? An I'M
known stranger, Just arrived in town.
man claiming to be physician himself,
and telling a cOck-and-bull story about
hearing this conversation while calling at
the house of DIR. Beaumont to obtain his
ala ana encouragement IN establishing
practice in Berkeley-which aid and en-
cOuragement the Doctor refused. A pretty
story forsooth! Professional anger and
disappointment run mad, to expect that
such tale would be credited, and against
such estimable citizens as these
At least this was the aspect that the
strange affair took on when | carefully re-
viewed it IN my own mind. and | could
come to no other decision than that moth
ing could be done for the present; nothing,
but to wait and watch. | believe decided
rightly. | could not anticipate the future;
| could not know the terrible influence that
was TO be exerted upon my own life and
fortunes by what | had that morning seen
and heard. Nor, had | known, would it
have been possible for me to avert those
consequences. There's a divinity that
shapes our ends. When Iplaced my foot
upon the step of the railway train that bore
me to Berkeley, was, unconsciously, en-
tering upon blind and clouded path which
was to lead, through trials dangers, and
suffering, to peace and rest beyond: and |
think that nothing that | could have done
could swerye me from the way. So LET nv
narrative press forward, as the wav grows
dark and gloomy.