Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-02-14
DARK DEEDS.
CHAPTER VII.
BY HENRY ". NESFIELD.

In wrechel attic in q back slum of
New DIRK sat young man shiyering over
small fire. The weather was bitterly
cold, and the wind whistled through a
broken pane, causing the candle tos utter
and are and the occupant of the cham
Der to Gro oh more closely than ever over
the little CRATE.
1t was John Delaney, or, rs he now
ch~se to call him elf, James Martin,
Twelve months had pa ;sed since he had
wished Mrs. Atwood goodbye in the
kitchen of the little house in IT. Johns
Wood-twelye weary months to him aud
lie had had hard struggle for existence.
The interior of the room in which he
sat and the shabby, almost threadbare
garments which he wore bespoke actual
want. A hacking cough, his thin white
hands and sunSen features. the hectic
flush and feverish look upon his face, and
the unnatural bri htness in his eye PRO-
claimed him TO be suffering from con
sumption.
Upon arriving I'm America, Telaney had
made his way to one of the inland states,
hoping TO lind some employment. 1t was
a harder matter than he had anticipated,
and the worry OF mind and PHI steal weak
ness from which he suffered prevented
him from from keeping even such work
as he occasionally obtained.
Gradually he made his way back TO
New lO'k, hoping to get work on some
newspaper there. He had been unsuc-
cesfui. however; and. as he Iecame daily
more shabby In his appearance and grew
weaker he began TO lose heart altogether.
One thing he had never yet brought him
self to do-and that was to touch the tif
teen pounds which Mrs. Atwood had Civ
eli him.
THAT shall be nest-egg, Feaven bless
her" he said TO himself as he sat in his
lonely garnet. 81 will keep that for the
very last chance-the forlOrn hope. 1t
will take mo back to England again, at
any rate; and, ii | am to die, I would like
10 see he old mother and Mary and her
once again. ! wOuier how they are all
getting on whether Atwood is the same
thriftless fellow as ever and If their mon-
etary troubles haveincre ct? DOR Mrs.
Atwood Ali, well, it is OF no use think
ing! have not dared to look at an Eng
lish raper for ages.
The candle had nearly burned down.
and Delaney sought refuge beneath the
one solitary blanket he possessed. The
hours of the night passed slowly, and the
.embers expired in the CRATE. Still he lay
and tossed upon mis- rough couch, his body
,racke with that terrible cough, and won
dering how it would all end. Could he
wonder with regard to himself how it
would end? Alas, no lie knew too we'll
that his end was not far oil.
Then he blamed himself for a fool, as
he felt how different it all might have been.
Now he saw clearly how wrong he had
been 10 be led away by his Utopian ideas.
What had men like him to do with poll
tics and reforms! II he had only been
contented to walk along the paths which
seemed so plain and easy for him; to 60
ABOUT his daily business and enjoy the
quiet pleasures Of his home. he light have
yet All. II. But he had not been thus con
tent, and the self-conceit ~ ich had given
birth g. his wrong opinions and drawn
him into actual crime had landed him
where he now lay.
Morning came and again be set forth to
tramp the streets and see tie work which
ne was so willing 10 do. but now so unable
to perform standing near one OF the
wEarves where the great ocean steamers
lay he noticed one OF them Just getting
up her steam as announced 60 sail TO
. Liverpool VA lew hours. Why not go
back and die at home he thought lie
felt death hand so strong up N him that
he knew II could be only a matter of q
few weeks or months.
The idea had no sooner entered his
mind than he proceeded to put II
into execution. Hastily returning to his
lodgings. he made up a bundle OF few
things he owned. and. having taken a
steerape passage at the Office In few
hours he was steaming rapidly away to-
wards England.
Great Cumberland Place is in close prox-
unity 20 the dgware Road, and 1t was in
this busy tboroughfare that Elizabeth
Hawkins loved TO pick up bargains, the
time she preferred for this diversion being
Saturday night.
Elizabeth was by no means so contented
IN her grand new quarters as she had
been In the old impecunious days in ST.
Johns Wood. There, at any rate, she