Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-10-11

| flashed across me in an instant ! might
have made dive for the door, have given
some signal that would have called in the
! detective, aud thus escaped, but one Of
| those impulses that come 10 us at times and
| bid us do the most foolish things took pos
session Of me, and with the eiirontery Of n
mailman remarked "Nou said the name
Of the bark was the Acasta, ! believe. my
| friend Perhaps, then, you knew Robert
| Harley and Charles Bennett and Miss Gard
| ner ~
| | remember hearing one Of the men say,
as all three rose by God | thought 50.
He's on to us. knowed it would come -
and then everything swain before me, and
| only awoke when in my room at the Occi
| dental Anxious friends were standing
about. They told me Of the events that
transpired after my iniudicious remark
that | had been knocked senseless with a
blow from the fist Of one of the ruilians,
and would undoubtedly have been murdered
had the detective not entered at the noise
| Of the scuflle Indeed, the man with whom
! had talked about the figure head seemed
determined 10 kill me, and the detective had
TO put a ball into him before he would give
over his murderous design. All three were
now in custody, and the police were de
lighted, for they had long been the terror
Of Chinatown ! recovered quickly, and
that night was about TO Join theatre party,
when hurried card from my friend the
detective called me to the office.
That fellow that | shot this afternoon is
dying he said, "and he wants to see YOU
before he goes off. Can you come with me
to see him little while =
Certainly" | replied "I'll 20 at once
l excused myself from the party, and re
paired with the detective to the city hospi-
~ IL L..
The pallor of death had spread over his
face.
He is strong now and can talk we'll
enough the surgeon said but he is
bleeding internally and nothing can save
him. We have told him that he had better
make his peace with God before he dies.
He says that he has something to confess to
you, so we sent for you. Here's the gentle
man you wished to see, he said, turning to
the dying man. ''Do you want any one
present p
Eyes, he replied 81 want the sky pilot,
and no one else So the Rev Mr.-and
were the hearers of the following remark
able story.
Young Teller, he said in voice that
trembled with fear aud excitement. how
you come to know anything about the bark
Acasta don't know, but argues that you
does cause YOU spoke Of Robert Harley,
Charles Bennett, and Hadassah Gardner.
Robert Harley war the master of the Acas-
Ia and Charles Bennett war one of the
crew That's me. My names Charles
Bennett, and | killed Robert Harley. He
loved Hadassah Gardner, and she loved
| him | loved her too. Them war days
when was better than | am now though
not much, cause | killed Robert Harley. 1t
come about in this way: 1t war in 1910
that the Acasta left Sag Harbor for whaling
in the Pacific. knowed that Haddic and
Robert war to be married when he got back,
and made up NV mind that he never would
come back So | shipped as carpenter ON
his bark | made myself solid with the
crew. They all swore by me- but they had
nothin' agin the old man, and couldn't get
no cause to pick a row with him We
catched a few whales in the Atlantic, got
around the Horn. and stood up for the islands
with the southeast trades 1t war some
where about twenty-five degrees south lati-
tude that we spoke big American ship
bound for Frisco We boarded her, and
learned of the diggin's in Califormy, and
how every one was bound for that country.
| When we got back to our ship said to the
bows. Il cts ask the old man to go to Cali
fornv.' So we come aft in body and asks
him to let the whales 20, and to stand up
for the land of fortune. He refused to do
go and ordered us forward That night |
worked up the crew to take the ship away
from the old man. and offered to lead them.
Enough agreed TO do the work, so the next
day we took the ship killed the old man
with a windlass bra e and we dropped him
out of the cabin window. Nobody saw me,
and nobody asked no questions The mates
guy in. and all hands was glad that we was
goin' to the land of gold. We ran across an
island. and got up a plan to fool anybody
what happened to land there | got the
mate to write letter savin' as how he war
Robert Harley, sole survivor of the bark
Acasta what was knocked down hy suuall
and all hands lost. and as how he loved Miss
Gardner. and lot of other stuff and then
| cuts a notice on a capstan to look under
a stone. and put the paper in tobacco
box under it. Then my mate steered us for
Frisco We got there all safe, and the first
night in the bay everybody but me and my
two chums-the same what YOU seed this
afternoon-iumped the ship and put for the
digpin's a strong nor easter come up and
the cable parted. and we went ashore The
old Acasta piled up high and dry, and |
made a hotel outen her, and made heap of
money. but somehow couldn't keep it.
was allus a-hearin' poor Haddie calling for
Robert. and went and got drunk to keep
from a-hearin' of her, and now that | am a
dyin' man | swear that my life has been one
etarnal punishment, and thinks ought to
be let up ON when | dies didn't do no
more than what any man would ha done
when he war kept from his rights Colds
better nor whales any dav, and" \ sud
den pang brought him to a stop His face
grew CHASTITY white. Some sudden rupture
had FASTENED the fatal tide, and life was
fast ebbing away.
'Have YOU any letters or papers of Rob
ert Harley 2" asked.
''Yes one letter for Haddie. God'll for
give me my sins if do her right at last ;
won't he parson Z" It's in my chest at the
! tavern. Take it to her, and say that
that He hesitated to express his mind
; then began with an earnestness that be
smoke his last efforts: 'Mv chums didn't
have nothing to do with the killing of Rob
ert Harley. Let ND ON them" The words
, came in faint whispers. His face settled
"eT" iOy q. " 10 . .:.l a., ,,,.,,,,,,, ~,
leo oficars On overhaulinp his chest we