St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-04
A STRANGE COMPACT.
Chambers Journal,

OILS ana the lungs and eyes of such un-
fOrtunateS as CHANGED to be abroad. 1t
even invaded the small wooden sane
tumS of the night watchmen, interfering
with SlumberS TO which the inmates
were both by age and office entitled.
Across the river, in the dingy, ill-paved
lanes of the borough, the fog seemed at
its worst, light, warmish haze being
the only indication of the presence of
those shops which yet remained open,
and around which small, ill-clad urchins
with the most unmiStakable intentions
perSiStently lowered.
"a sweet night for footpads," NUT
tered young Dr.. Mostyn, as he olsen
gagged himself from a chance rencOntre
with a post, and felt his way along by
tapping with his stout stick at the house
walls, proceeding by which he had
already damaged the legs of
three Of his suffering fellow-creatures,
and pOked large hole in the kitchen
window of fourth. "And nOw," he
continued, talking to himself for the
sake of company, "for home and supper
and fire. All, and patient or two, per-
haps. Who knows?"
AT this cheering prospect his spirits
rose. and he banged nightly at the
wall with his stick in consequence, until
at length. coming to a small street on
his right, he turned smartly down, and
having made sure of his own door,
knocked briskly at 1t.
"Who's there?" cried a shrill female
voice in response.
"It's L, Bet" said her master. "Open
the door, my good girl"
MOT If | knows it, was the cheering
reply. "YOu take yourself off, young
bulldogs and three men with loaded
guns standing by me, to say nothing"
"Open the door, Bet!" roared her
master through the keyhole. Don't
you know me?"
''Is it 9 o'clock. or is it lip" pro-
pounded the damSel; because if it's Ii
O'Clock. my eyes deceive me; and if it's
8 O'Clock. your voice deceives me, for
the doctor said he'd be home at IL and
not before. and, considering the fog,
should say good deal arter''
open the door!'' said the surgeon
sharply. I'm back already because
once!"
There was a creaking and shooting of
bolts as he finished speaking. and the
door being cautiously opened discovered
an angular woman of some tive-and-
thirty years, whose nervous face cleared
directly she saw her master.
Pm asking your pardon for keeping
you so long, Sir" said she; "but one
never knows who's who, and, Judging by
the noises and trimmings, there's been
rare doings round the corner tonight"
~ ISn+O.7
geon, as ten minutes later, he sat down
to a carefully-grilled chop.
Not a soul" replied his handmaiden.
And nice person you would be to
open the doorif an accident had arrived"
"Oh, | should have opened it at once"
said Bet, with decision. directly they
used the word accident / should have
opened II and CHANGED it."
Her master, smiling at her devotion,
drew his chair to the fire, and having
filled long clay pipe. fell to smoking
with an air of great enjoyment and con-
tent. Then, thinking it extremely I'M
late hour, he dismissed his retainer to
her quarters i'll a neighboring house,
and being left TO himself lapsed into
brown study.
1t might have been the fog, or it
might have been the unexpected
death of his patient; whatever the
cause, his thoughts took very gloomy
direction indeed, and he shook his head
despondingly as he thought of his fut-
ure prospects. His mood was not made
more cheerful by the room, which was
large and dark. and panelled with oak,
and orDamented with battered oil por-
traits of dead and gone worthless with
whom he claimed some kinship more or
less remote, who seemed to stare at him
tonight in particularly ghOStly, not to
say wooden manner. Beside at this, he
was in IoYe; and he had no sooner built
a magnificent castle-in the air-and
placed her in it, than an anything but
airy landlord called for the rent, and the
dream was spoiled.
He had been sitting thus for some
time nursing his woes and slipping a
glass of not cognac which he had pre-
pared, when he was disturbed by loud,
| imperative knocking at the front door.
Whereat he snatched up one of the gut
| tering candles and marched down the
| narrow stairs to open it. The feeble
| light of the candle, when he had done
| SO, showed him q tall, strongly-built
man of middle age, whose naturally fine
proportions were increased by the fog,
which chung to them and exaggerated
! them. The surgeon noted that he was
richly clad, and also that the embossed
! hilt of sword protruded from the skirts
of his coat, while his face, from some
powerful emotion, was pale and drawn.
"Are you the surgeon?" asked the
newcomer, abruptly.
cat your SERVICE" was the reply.
| "Come in.''
The stranger obeyed, and waiting
| until the surgeon had secured the door.
followed him up stairs.
Examine me!' said he, taking off
his laced coat and standing pale and
upright before HIM.
"Unfasten your shirt" said the other,
falling i'll with his strange humor and
! commencing careful examination.
"Wcll?' inquired The stranger when
he had finished.
Sound as bell and is hard as oak?"
mot likely to die suddenly%' sug-
gested his visitor.
mo. should think that that would
| be the last thing to happen to you," re-
piled the puzzled surgeon. "Why, what
is the matter with you? DO you feel
ill?"
mo; ] feel hale and strong, capable
of enjoying life with the best. Eve
| never had an illness in my life. But for
| all that, shall die at midnight
"Of course" said the surgeon, some
what provoked at all this mystery, ''if
you are going to kill yourself. you can
speak with more authority lis to the
time than anybody else."
al have no intention of committing
suicide" was the stern rejoinder.
Nevertheless. at midnight my time ex-
| pires. The manner of my death is UNI
known to me; but shall never see the
! lifting of this dreadful blackness. which
| on my last night upon earth has fifty in
| terpoSed itself between me and the
| heaven have renounced."
The surgeon. listening to this strange
| outburSt, turned to the table, and filling
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