The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-09-30

deed. His face was sunKcn anu hectic
with fever. his teeth were chattering. and
his talk. though he was now awake, was
onto incoberent. She tried to get him TO
fake some food. but he would swallow
nothing but water Having done all that
sho could for him. she went out TO see the
sailors. and 'met them coming down from
tho fiag staff They had evidently been
al the rum cask again. though not to any
great extent. for B,ll looked sheepish and
shal,y. while the i'll favored Johnnie was
more sulky thaneyer She gazed at them
reproachfully, and then asked them to
collect some more penguin's eggs. which
Johnnie refused pdnt blank to do, saying
that he wasn't going TO collect eggs for
land lubbers 10 cat; she might collect
ercs for herself Bill, however. started
on the GRAND, AMI in about an hours
timo returned. just as the rain set in in
good earnest, bearing six or seven dozen
fresh eggs tied up in his coat
Augusta. with tho child by her, sat in
tho miserable hut attending to Mr.. Nee
son; whilc outside the piiiless rain poured
down in steady, unceasing sheet Of
water that came through the wrctched
roof in streams. She did her best to keep
the dying man dry, but it proved to be al
most an impossibility; for even when she
succeeded in preventing the wet from
falling on him from above, it got under
meath him from the rocking f9or, while
the heavy damp Of tho air gathered on his
garments till they were quite soddcn.
A3 The hours welt on his consciousness
came back to him, and with it bis terror
fce the end and Lis rom0rse for bis past
lie. fox elias the millions he had amassed
could not avail hin now.
Il am going to Gle" he groaned. Il an
going TO die, and I've been bad man;
I've been tho head Of a publishing com.
pany all ny life.
Augusta gently pointed out TO him that
Publishing was very respectable bust
ness when fairly end properly carried on,
and not orc that ought to weigh heavy
upon man at the last like the record of
q career Of successful usury or burgling.
Meeson shook his heavy head. Yes,
yes, he groaned; but you arc talking of
private firms. They are straight, most Of
them; far too straight, used always to
say But you don't know Mceson's-you
don't know the customs Of the trade at
Nelson's
Augusta reflected that she knew good
deal more about Nelson's than she liked.
Listen, he said, with desperate en-.
ergy sitting up upon the sail, and will
tell you'll must tell you"
Astcrisks, so dear to the heart of the
lady novelist, will best represent the con-
fession that followed-words are not
equal to tho task.
Augusta listened with rising hair. and
realized how very trying must be the life
OF private confessor.
Oh. please stop she said family, at
last. Il can't bear i'll can't indeed
All" he said as he sunk back ex-
hausted, II thought that when you under
stood the customs a. Nelson's you would
feel for me in my pr, sent position Think,
girl, think what must suffer, with such a
past, standing face to face with an IN.
known future"
Then came n silence.
Take him away Take him away"
suddenly shouted ont Mr. Mecson. staring
around him with frightened eyes
Who" asked Augusta; who
"Him-the tall thin man with the big
book know him; he used to be No %
he died years ago He was a very
clever doctor. but one Of his patients
brought n false charge against him and
ruined him, so he had to take 10 writing
poor devil We made him edit a medical
encycopRdia-twely volumes for $500,
TO be paid on completion; and he went
mad and died 81 the eleventh volume. So,
Of course, we did no. pay his widow any
thing And now hes como for me-
know he has Listen he's talking Don't
YOU hear him. Oh. heavcnsl tie says
that am going 10 DO an author, and he is
going to publish for me a thousand years
going 20 publish on the quarter profit
system, with an annual account, the usual
trade deductions. and no vouchers. On
oh' L0okl-they are all c0ming,-thcy
are pouring ont of the Hutches. they are
going TO murder me--keep them Of keep
them off, and he howled and beat the air
with his hands
Augusta. utterly overcome by this
awful sight, knelt down 10y his side and
tried 10 quiet him. but in vain. lie con
timed beating his hands in the air, trying
10 keep off the gh0st.y train, till at last,
with one awful howl, he fell back dead.
And that was the end of Meeson And
the works that he published and the
money that he made, and the house that
he built. and the ciil that he did-arc
they not written in the Book Of the Com
mcrcial Kings
We'll said Augusta family TO herself,
when she had got hcg breath back little,
II am glad that it is over; any way, do
hope that ! may never boz called on TO
nurse another publisher.
"Auntie auntie" gasped Dick, why
DO the gentleman shout soE
Then. taking the frightened child by the
hand. Augusta made her way through the
rain 20 the other hu- in order to tell the
two sailors what had come 10 pass. II
had no door. and she paused Oh the
threshold to prospect The faint foggy
light was so dim that at first she could
see nothing Presently, however, her
eyes got accustomed 10 it, and she made
out Bill and Johnnie sitting opposite to
each other on the ground Between them
was the breaker Of rum. Bill had large
shell in his hand. which he had just filled
from the cask. for Augusta saw him in
the act of replacing the spigot.
My go--curse You, my 60" said John
ME, as Bill lifted the shell Of spirits to his
lips. "You had seven goes and I've only
had SKI