Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-12-13

VIC Au'~H ItSN " ~ ~
and bent scro.s it.
'You won't tell n soul ? be whis-
psrea.
We shall sse.'
The informer stepped back pace,
hesitated, came forward again, ald
whispered in tones like the grating Of
a saw,
4 waits to make a Hand Of Glory
a Hand of Glory.
Mr.. Higgs nodded darby.
That's SO: the murderer's hand ::
and twas Renatus as did for the
guard. / saw 'un with these blessed
eyes, same as | said 10 his Lordship
at the trial. And | wants to make a
Hand Of Glory, and make it fetch and
carry, aud fad out where the mon
ey's hid to. Rsnatus was a saving
uAn-
The speakers Jaw dropped sudden
~, and he broke off as one who I'D
said too much already.
Go OF, said the Doctor p!acidly.
Ronatus was a saving man, and hi
his gains
That's what they used to say; but
more than likely twas all lies
4 see. And that is just what you
wish to find out by the help Of the
Hand of Glory. If it's not rude
question. how do you propose to pre-
pare it ?
You'll give up the hand if l tell
you?'
i think it likely.
Say, Strike me blind and dumb
i shall say nothing half 80 foolish.
As l see by the twitching of your fin
gers that you have the secret hidden
in the left hand pocket of your waist
coat, you may as well produce it at
once
Damn you! you know everything,
muttsred Mr.. Calvin Higgs with sud-
den fierceness. But be fumbled in
bis pocket, nevertheless, and after
some search produced a scrap Of pa
per. Still keeping his right hand on
the pistol, the Doctor reached across
for it with his left.
You shall have it back, / promise
you, he said.
The paper was folded email, and
greasy at the edges with wear. Across
the inside ran some lines in faded yell
low ink. With difficulty DR.. Unon-
ius spelt them out. They ran:
FOR HAND OF GLORY.
Take ys rgt hand (or if the dead
man be lift handed, the lft), cut off at
ys wrist. 1t 10 better that it be well
rubbed in mould from ye graves of
them vt he killed.
Item: ] qrt of running water.
Item: ! pint of rum.
Item: l pint milk from a COW three
days calved.
Mix; and set on ash fire till it sim
mer. Add:
Hnd-fuil Of vetches.
Item: Juice of toad.
| l. Item; SPr:g of savin gathere / at
new moon from We grave of womn.
Soak for XII. hrs; cleass and dry
in smoke of wd FIRE.
Note: Let We hand be whole. II
manned. let rue wreck wood from We
sea be added.
Say thrice over it, 1 command, at
midngt, when it will be ready.
Or. Unonius read this twice through
aud looked up. Across the table the
the informer was regarding him, with
= certain wistfulness in his small and
evil eyes There Was a pause as the
Doctor folded up the paper and re-
turned it.
He placed the pistol on his knee
and leaned back, with his elbows
rssting on the chair arms, and his fin.
ger tips together.
50 you think that is going to make
the dead hand run errands for you p
His visitor smiled uneasily.
Certain sure. Aunt Tuckey gave
it to me years back; and | reckon she
knew, ii any body
1 think, replied the Doctor, with
faint smile, # you do not mind, l
can show you better way, one that
| will make these fingers move if they
ere ever to move again in this world
You will?
In minute CT so, continued the
Doctor, slipping the pistol into his
coat pocket and rising. Mind, you
are not to touch the hand until l give
/ you leave.
May l be
Stop. The wish you were going to
utter is both cratuitous and unrecss-