The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-04-07
WESTMINSTER, MD, SATURDAY, APRIL Z 1888.

all, in fact, or should hardly have taken
the high road upon which the jeweller had
been stopped and murdered
There was shrewd wind blowing. and
| shlvered all over; but the cold at my
heart was worse, and my hate of the man
who had set it there grew with every step.
| thought of the four mouths and more
which parted the two lives of Gabriel Foot,
and what should make of the new one.
| had my chance again-a chance gained
for me beyond hope by that counsel but
for :hom [ should be sleeping tonight in
the condemed cell; chance and a good
chance, but for that same cursed lawyer.
Ugh how cold it was, and how l hated
him for it
There was a little whitewashed cottage
on the edge of the moorland just after the
hedge-rows ceased-the last house before
the barren heath began, standing a full
300 yards from any other dwelling. Its
front faced the road and at the back an
clubhouse and wretched garden jutted
out on the waste land. There was light
in each Of its windows tonight, and as |
passed down the road | heard the dismal
music of a flute
Perhaps it was this that logged my
thoughts and woke them up to my present
pass. At any rate | had not gone more
than twenty yards before l turned and
made for the door, The people might
give me nights lodging in the clubhouse;
at any rate they would not refuse a crust
to stay the fast which | had not broken
since the morning. l tapped gently with
my knuckles on the door and listened.
| waited FIVE minutes, and no one
answered. The flute still continued its
melancholy tune; it was evidently in the
hands of learner, for the air "a dispiriting
one enough at the best) kept breaking off
suddenly and repeating itself But the
performer had patience, and the sound
never ceased for more than two seconds at
a time Besides this nothing was to be
heard. The blinds were drawn in all the
windows, The glow of the candles
through them was cheerful enough, but
nothing was to be seen of the house inside.
| knocked second time, and third, with
the same result. Finally, tired of this,
pushed open the low gate which led into
the garden behind, and stole around to the
back of the cottage.
Here, too, the window on the ground
floor was lit up behind its blinds, but that of
the room above was shattered There was
a hole in the shutter, however, where knot
of the wood had fallen out, and IL thin
aI,f &c l,..bt ,t,ot,.h II. q,
and buried itself in ragged yew tree at
the end of the garden. From the loud
ness of the sounds | judged this to be the
room where the fute-playing was going on.
The sound of my footsteps on the thin soil
did not disturb the performer, so l gather
ed handful of earth and pitched it up
against the pane. The flute stopped for
minute or so; but just as | was expecting
to see the shutter open went on again: this
time the air was "Pretty Polly Oliver"
crept back again and began to hammer
more loudly at the door. Come said /,
"whoover this may be inside. I'll see for
myself at any rate" and with that lifted
the latch and gave the door heavy kick.
1t flew open quite easily lit had not even
been locked), and found myself in u low
kitchen. The room was empty, but the
relics Of supper lay on the deal table, and
the remains of what must have been a
noble fire were still smouldering ON the
hearth-stone A crazy. rusty blunderbuss
hung over the fireplace, This, with a
couple of rough chairs, a broken bacon-rack,
and small side table, completed the furni
ture of the place. No; for as l sat down
to make meal off the remnants Of supper
something lying on the lime-ash floor be-
meath this side table, caught my eye. I
stepped forward and picked it up.
1t was a barristers wig.
''This is queer business" thought l,
and laid it on the table opposite me as |
went on with my supper. It was 'gos-
san" wig, as we call it in our parts; wig
grown yellow and rusty with age and wear.
1t looked so sly and wicked as it lay there,
and brought back the events Of the day so
sharply that queer dread took me Of be-
ing discovered with it. pulled out my
pistol, loaded it fthey had given me back
both the powder and pistol found on me
when l was taken), and laid it beside my
plate. This done, went on with my sup
per-it was an excellent cold capon-and
all the time the flute up stairs kept toot-toot-
ling without stopping, except to change the
tune. 1t gave me Hearts of Oak, ""Why,
Soldiers, Why?" "Like Hermit Poor, and
"Come Lasses and Lads, before had
fairly cleared the dish.
''And now,' thought I, II have had
good supper; but there are still three things
to be done In the first place l want
drink, in he second l want bed, and in
the third 1 want to thank this kind person,
whoever he is, for lis hospitality. l am
not going to begin life No. , with house
breaking.
I rose, slipped the pistol into my tail
pocket, and followed the sound up the
ram-shackle stairs. My footsteps made
such racket on those old timbers as fairly
to frighten me, but they never disturbed
the flute player He had harked back
again to Like Hermit Poor" by this time,
and the dolefulness of it was fit to make
the dead cry out, but he went whining on
until I reached the head of the stairs and
struck rousing knock on the door.
The playing stopped. sCome in, said a
CHEEKY voice; but it gave me no cheerful
ness. Instead of that it sent all the COM
fort of my supper clean out of me, as |
opened the door and saw him sitting there.
There he was, the man who had saved
my neck that day, and whom most hated
in the world, sitting before snug fire with
his flute on his knee, glass of port wine
at his elbow, and looking so comfortable
with that knowing light in his gray eye
that could have killed him where he sat.
aOh, it's you, is it?" he said, just the
very least bit surprised and no more.
"Come in. y
/ stood in the doorway hesitating.
"Don't stay letting in that monstrous
draught, man; but sit down. You'll find
the bottle on the table and glass on the
shelf"
1 poured out glassfull and drank it off.
The stuff was rre q can remember its
trick on my tongue to this day., but some
bo,r Il did nof drive the cold out of INV