San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-12

was on the point of leaving India
and returning to England when he sent
for me. At least, to be accurate-and
am always accurate-I was not quite on
the point, but nearly, for was going to
start by the mail on the following day.
| had been up to Government house to
take my leave few days before, but Sir
John had been too i'll to see me, or at
least he had said he was. And now he
was much worse-dying, it seemed, from
all accounts, and he had sent down a ma
tive servant in the MONDAY heat with a
note, written in his shaking old hand,
begging me to come up as soon as it be-
came cooler He said he had commits
sion which he was anxious l should do
for him in England.
OF course l went. It was not very
of our fellows traps, as I had sold my
own, and none of them had the conf
dence in my driving which had myself
was also obliged to leave the packing
of my collection of Malay krises and In
dian kookeries to my bearer.
wondered, as l drove along, why Sir
John had sent for me. Worse, was he?
Dying, and without friend? Poor old
man! He had done pretty we'll in this
world, but was afraid he would not be
up TO much once he was out of it; and
now, it seemed, he was going. felt
sorry for him. felt more sorry when
saw him-when the tall, long faced A.
D. G. took me into his room and left US.
Yes, Sir John was certainly going.
There was no mistake about it. 1t was
written in every line of his drawn, fever
worn face, and in his wide, fever Lit
eyes, and in the clutch of his long, yell
low hands upon his tussore a..S dressing
gown. He looked very SIX, bad old
man as he lay there on etS low couch,
placed so as to court the air from without,
cooled by its passage through damped
grass screens, and to receive the full
strength of the punkah, pulled by an in
visible hand outside.
You go to England tomorrow" he
asked, sharply.
1t was written even in the change of
his voice. which was harsh, as of old,
but with all the strength gone out of it.
"By tO-morrow's mail" l said. l
should have liked to say something more
something sympathetic about his be-
ing i'll and not likely to get better, but
he had always treated me discourteously
when he was well, and could not open
out all at once now that he was i'll.
Look here, Middleton" he went on;
Il am dying, and | know it. | don't
suppose you imagined had sent for you
to bid you a last farewell before depart
ing to my long home. l am not in such
hurry to depart as all that, can tell
you; but there is something want done
that want you to do for me. Imeant
to have done it myself, but | am down
now and | must trust somebody. |
know better than to trust a clever man.
An honest fool-but | am DEPRESSING
from the case in point. | have never
trusted anybody all my life, so you may
feel honored. have a small parcel
which | want you to take to England for
me. Here it is.
His long, lean hands went searching
in his dressing gown, and presently
produced an old brown bag, held to-
gether at the neck by string.
"See here" he said; and he pushed the
glasses and papers aside from the table
near him and undid the string. Then he
craned forward to look about him, lay
ing a spasmodic clutch on the bag. I'm
watched! | know I'm watchedr' he
said in a whisper his pale eyes turning
slowly in their sockets. Il shall be
killed for them if l keep them much
longer. and | won't be hurried into my
grave. I'll take my own time"
There is no one here" said. and no
one in sight except Cathcart smoking in
the veranda, and can only see his legs,
so he cant see u.s."
He seemed to recover himself, and
laughed | had never liked his laugh,
especially when, as had often happened,
it had been directed against myself; but
liked it still less now.
''See herer' he repeated, chuckling:
and he turned the bag inside out upon
the table.
Such jewels | had never seen. They
fell like cut flame upon the marble table,
green and red and burning white. i
large diamond rolled and fell upon the
floor. | picked it up and put it back
among the confused blaze of precious
stones. too much astonished for a mo-
ment to speak.
Beautiful! aren't they?" the old man
chuckled, passing his wasted hands over
them. You won't match that necklace