The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-12-05

I was sitting ont on the balloon,
smoking cigar, listening TO the SOP
slopo the Pacific on the sands and watch,
ing the fog-bank slowly settling dow1
over Point Iona, when he raped 8
my door. He had exchanged his Waiteri
toys for loose suit Of tweed, and tn,
change Of attire was much to the I'd
vantage Of his appearances, though moth
ing could soften the shocking characte,
Of his face. He asked permission t,
bring another chair outside my window
and then, having lit cigar, he spoke a
follows:
II need not 60 over the story Of who
am, or tell you what my real name is
sir. You know all that Is necessary OF
those points, and all that you would car,
to know. It will be enough for me to as
sure you that I am an English gentle
man, born and bred, and to repeat tha
owe my present debased condition K
drink. Yet am not a drunkard b,
choice, or by vicious inclinations, bu1
one made SO by hideous fate. Dom
smile, sir, for It's the Gods truth In
telling you.
81 was not always the abominable
looking creature L am now, although
was never more than passably good lock
ing Up to my twentieth year I hat
never tasted spirits, although our famil,
table had always been provided witt
wine, and my dear father invar;ab,,
drank toddy before going to bed. ON
night, 1t was In tho long vacation, wa
sitting with him in the library whe,
the servant brought in the decanter ant
hot water. As she set them down O,
tho table, an agonizing sense of fea,
came over me, then a numbness ani
the feeling that I was turned to ice
The GOODNESS seemed to come from with
out rather than from within me, an6
glancing shiveringly around to see if the
window was open, saw behind my
chair the figure of one draped in flow
Ing white garments, and having q face
of such unutterable stoniness that my
heart stood still at the very sight
knew this to be the Angel of Death
and felt that l was summoned. Blu,
there was worse fate for me, sir. Seiz
ing my shaking hand in his, the ange,
thrust it forward until it lay upon my
fathers heart, and then there came the
tumultuous sound Of many voices within
me, and one came rushing up and cried
You die where you sit. And as cried
my fathers eyes seemed to start from
their sockets, he gave groan, stiffened
and was dead AS he died, the numb
ness left me, but not the fear, and
reaching out, I seized the decanter
drained it and tumbled forward in fit
''From that time on felt myself &C
cursed, and passed the next few months
in series of drunken excuses. Then
there came great longing to tell some
one the story of what had gone through.
This lasted for weeks, and at last gave
my sister my fatal confidence. We were
walking in the garden, and after much
nervous hesitation, began my dreadful
story. had but commenced when the
warm sun seemed to have suddenly dis
appeared. and an icy wind swept across
the tulip bed and blasted the flowers as
though they had been struck by frost.
My sister shivercd and cried as though
in pain, upon which l put my arms about
her and asked in Gods name what was
the matter? On the instant of my doing
50, felt two icy arms enfold me, and
over my shoulder was thrust the stony
face of the Angel of Death. The mortal
numbness once more seized mo and wa
again transmitted to another, for az
held my sister she sighed but once and
died"
He was silent for a moment, and glanc,
ing at him with not the most comforta.
bic feelings in the world, could see b.
the light which camo through the open
window that he had covered his ewes
with his hand.
I did not know what to say; indeed,
tho whole story seemed so outrageous,
yet SO full Of circumstances, that hes.
itated showing that either rejected OF
accepted it. As the best thing unde,
the circumstances, therefore, l said moth
ing.
He went on without taking down hie
hand. ''It was beart-disease in both
cases, they said,'' he continued, land it
was proved to every ones satisfaction,
except mine, that the malady was in the
family. OF course, knew better, and
in the horror that this. new tragedy
brought upon me, few to drink. The
dobauch lasted olong, and was attended
by such distressing circumstances, that
my friends concluded the best thing
they could do was to ship me to this
country. ! thought tia good thing, too,
for when I had come to my senses
reasoned that tho further I was re-
moved from the dear ones that were
left the less chance there would be OF
i'll happening to them through my ma.
lign influence. I arrived at New York
about three years ago, and came on al
once as far West as could get, to San
Francisco. had been in this latter
city but few months, when, one day,
while walking along Kearny street,
was seized once more with that deadly
chill and horror. As though running
from an enemy, dashed into saloon
and drank until the bar-keeper re.
fused to let me have any more liquor.
There were other places, though, where
the condition of the customers was
not so tenderly considered, and ]
had no difficulty in finding them and
getting all the vile poison asked for.
I remember staggering down to the
water front, and then all was a blank
until I opened my eyes and found myself
with bandaged head and slashed
shoulder in the surgical ward of the city
and county hospital. I had to lie on my
left side because of the cut, and, Sc
lying, could see that in the bed next
to mine there was propped up boy with
the bed-clothes raised over frame
work about his legs. I learned after
ward that the framework covered where
his legs should have been, for the little
chap had had them both cut off, He
was news-boy, he told me, and had