The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1890-05-16

ing in pain,
With a sickening fOreboding of
what it might be, 1 hurriedly as
sisted my poor friend in the re-
moval of the garment, and, as l re-
leased his arm from its temporary |
confinement, a tGrGRtatG, OF the
largest size, dropped to the earth. !
1t showed fight in an instant, but
| succeeded in killing it after
little, and turned TO the doomed
man, saw him sitting down white
and faint, still holding to the
wounded part.
Hastily tearing the shirt from
the shoulder down, the action re-
vealed a deep puncture some two
| inches below the shoulder Joint,
with a purpllsh ring two inches IN
diameter, already surrounding 1t,
and mnmentarily enlarging.
Marlin looked up with a haggard
smile.
"You see, | was not far out Of the
way" he said, "aiter all 4; for the
dream has at length come true"
| tried to stop the circulation
with one of my suspenders, but
the poison had already reached
the shoulder, and was spreading
rapidly.
There is no use," he said, sadly,
but quite composedly. MY doom
is sealed, but The reality, after all,
is not half as torturing as the
dream. have got TO die. | have
been feeling it all along, and | am
, quite prepared, especially if l can
see Kitty before | die-the ra-
diant angel | have so often seen in
! dreams. But while there is time
, let us employ it with other mat
l ters. You know my mothers ad
} dress ?"
| did, for | lad given my pic
? ture by request to torN ard to his
; mother and sister, of whom he haC
4 often talked TO me in very affec
: tionate terms. To make sure oI
10 mistake, | wrote down the ad
Y dress in pencil. He also gave me
;, the address of his sweetheart, Kit
d ty Ashburnham.
o "You will please sell out my
share IN the gold" continued my
J. Door friend, sand forward it IN
|. draft TO my mother, as you hav'
# already received directions"
" He then instructed me at lengtI
d what to write, both to them AM
IS TO Ki;ty-a task which promises
}. him faithfully to fulfil. He ha'
I. been growing quite faint for th'
last five minutes, and when he wa
}: through imparling his instruction
e to me, he sank back on the gras
II with a weary sigh of relief.
He did not speak again till Jus
5, before he died, and then his word
v were not addressed to me. Ii
o lived about an hour after this, anC
d lust before he breathed his last, h
d extended his arms upward for al
e instant, crying:
h "ItiS she! She comes Oh, httty
V Kity!"
!. And then his arms dropped b.
lr his sides, a shiver ran through HI
n frame, and all was over. l hur
n riedlv summoned some miners VIII
r. were working farther down on the
n bar and at a fitting time they as
e sisted me in the interment OF IN
/. body. After The death of Marlin
r continued on alone till the ap
proach of the rainy season, when
e once more visited San Francisco
/ found a letter for Marlin from
IF his sister. | opened it, and wa
v shocked at the announcement o
e Kitty Ashburnham's death AM
r what was stranger than all III tn
way of coincidence, she had die
lr on the very same day that Marh
IS had.
v Nv first duty on reaching In
N city was TO make a righteous div
Y; sion of our gold up to the time
,e my poor friends death, which
m converted into draft payable
his mother. | then wrote a Ion
H. letter 10 her, in compliance vii
en Jacks request, which, with IL
rh draft. forwarded to her adde's
ut When returned TO San Franci
in co again at the end of another sc
re- son. and after unearihing a ri'
he rocket which yielded me mo
lal solid return than all my combin'
IN. labors for the two preceding yea
[ found a letter awaiting me, wr
h." len Jointly by Mrs. Marlin and h
he daughter, thanking me very war
f. ly for my trouble and. kindne
ne, and extending a pressing INV
rm ton for me TO visit them at IN
re- residence in Ryebnrg, il e'
all returned 10 the Atlantic Goa
f | which promised myself 10 do,
. had long ago become deeply
his terested in Martins eloquent pI
use ses of his sister.
II might be possible ] should
civ turn even before the close OF
ard rainy season, for l had been TIN
eze ing before l came down, II my
,:ne should happen 10 reach the eul
eed, mating figure had set my he
re- on, | might take II Into my hea'
lay return Immediately.
rom What a contrast for me beiw
the present and two years al
,use half agol Then | was beegi
ain. adventurer, iraversing The IRA
pas- less ocean, and enduring a We
ned of hardships, for the purpose
acquiring a competence, VII
-. .--f1, or1fwarv wirfucg- was 6