The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-09-08


In his hands.
Al last Heath said: "Aro you quite GER
tain Of thisi"
"Cnhte certain, SIR" was the answer. "
have IL from the servant in tho house. l
had been expecting the news all day, and
| directly MS. Wilmot told me thought I'd
make assurance doubly sure by seeing the
servant myself. As I told you, knew her
before she went to live In st. lauPs road. l
told you how heard from Mrs. Wilmot
every thing that went on in the house."
swell, well, that will do. Here is a SOW
ereign for your trouble in coming here.
Look into my office next week, and shall
pay you what we have arranged, when l
have the formal proofs Of his death. Good.
| night"
"Good-night, sir, thank you," said Bailey,
as he left the room.
| Bailey was nondescript character who
| was occasionally employed by Heath, some
times as broker, sometimes as private
detective In tke present instance, by vir-
tue of his having some relatives living in
StPaul's road, he had been engaged to bring
Mr.. Heath the earliest intelligence Of Rob
ert Oswald's death. When he had gone
| Heath walked up and down the room for
some minutes in silence At length he NUT
| tered to himself:
zone hundred and two thousand pounds
In hard cash made at last l shall sell
every thing 1 own within fortnight's time
furniture, bills, pictures, all. They will
fetch another six thousand; but, whatever
they bring, they shall be sold at once. lam
determined to enjoy my wealth while 1
have time, and to do that I must cut the
life have been leading at once. Yes, my
pile Is made. have at last what, years
ago, I said would make, and shall be out
Of England this day fortnight. What may
I not do yet with over hundred thousand
pounds and the brains and knowledge which
l possess Good heavens, how suddenly
the last ten thousand has come! What q
lucky chance it was that threw the young
fool into my clutches! managed him prop
erly, there's no doubt. But yet it was a
lucky chance that brought him to me. Still
it's strange the presentiment have always
had about him. o, bother such nonsense !!
| What have I to do with presentimentsl
shall be believing in ghosts and hobgoblins
next! Yet seem to be sorry instead Of
glad, and there is that fear of some impend-
ing evil which seemed to have every time
I saw him. What on earth can this be?"
The last question was caused by sharp
knock and ring at the hall door. In a few
seconds the servant came in with a tele-
gram Mr.. Heath looked at the envelope
| nervously before he opened it. At last he
| took out the telegram, which he read two
| or three times over as if he doubted the
evidence Of his eyesight. Then he put the
telegram in his pocket, whispering to him
self in trembling voice as he did SO:
"What can it BET What can it bes"
The telegram which evidently caused him
! so much uncasiness was as follows:
| Mrs. Oswald, To James Heath, Esq,
st. Pauls Road, Stanhope Terrace,
Camden Town. Noting Hill.
TIT is of great Importance that should see YOU
| tonight. Robert Oswald died at five o'clock
this evening. Please come here at once on re.
ceiving this telegram"
"Could it be some conspiracy to get me
into the house and murder mes" thought
Mr.. Heath, as he walked about the room
with the telegram in his pocket. so, nom
sense! need not be afraid of that. They
are very respectable people in the house.
No, depend upon it, it is either that the
mother wants to beg or borrow from me, or
that there is some screw loose about the
policy of assurance. Curse it Like my
usual luck. But had better be off there at
once. What curious authoritative way
she telegraphs in, though"
He left the house, and, hailing the first
hanson he met, was driven radidly to ST.
Paul's road. A servant opened the hall
door before he could knock and, having
asked if he was Mr.. Heath, conducted him
up stairs to the drawing room. Though It
was just 80 o'clock, and getting rather
dark, no lamp or candle was lighted in the
room, and as Mr.. Heath entered he could
just discern through the deep twilight the
figure of tall woman who was sitting by
one of the windows, dressed in black. She
rose as he entered and asked him to take a
chair which was few yards from where
she was sitting From the position in which
she sat, and the darkness of the room, Mr..
Heath could not discern her features very
clearly, and to tell the truth he felt exceed
ingly uncomfortable. He was pretty well
case-hardened of course; few men had had
more curious experiences and some of the
scenes he had witnessed in the pursuit Of
his vocation were not a little appalling. But
just as one of the first things that is taught
to every medical student is that he must
disregard the pain which he has to intiict
on his patients, SO, from the very outset of
his career, Mr.. Heath had trained himself
to be perfectly callous about the feelings
and interests of the people with whom he
was brought in contact Still, all the teach
ing in the world can not make surgeon in
sensible to pain which is inflicted on himself,
and it was just because he was apprehensive
that some calamity was about to fall upon
him that Mr.. Heath felt on the present oc-
casion q sense Of fear which almost
amounted to terror.
"You have been prompt in responding to
my telegram" said the lady in hard, de-
| fiant voice. "My son, as told you, is dead.
You have stripped him of his little prop
erty. He died u pauper. You make 10000
by his death. l have lately lost nearly all
that was worth. havespe pretty nearly
the rest in nursing him through his last ILL.,
ness. want twenty pounds In ready money
to pay his funeral expenses. You are the
proper person to give it to me. Do you re-
fVe'"
| / dare say that Mr.. Heath would gladly
have paid twenty pounds, or moro, for the
relief he experienced when he heard this
speech. So it was only begging appeal
after all. "Thank heavens |" he muttered
to himself, and for the first time since he
heard of Robert Oswald's death he felt
really easy in his mind.
| "My good madam" he said, in his usual
tone of gruff determination, "your son
sought me voluntarily. He had ample value
for what he sold me. have nothing more
to say on the matter, and must wish you
goodnight"
"But have something more to say to
you," said the lady, who rose from her
chair at the same time that he did. Had
you given mo the twenty pounds l would
have been content to let you go in peace.
AS 1t Is you must hear why you are the
proper person to pay for the funeral Of my
son. Come here. have somethinpi Tn tell