Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-08-21

for me. At least, 10 be accurate-and ]
AMI always acs:urate-I WAS not quite on
the point. but nearly. for l was going to
start by the mail on the following day.
/ had been up to Government house to
take my leave a few DAYS before, but Sir
John had been too Ill 10 see me, or a.
least he had said he was. And now he
was much worse-dying. 1t seemed, from
all accounts, and he had sent down q ma
tive servant in the MONDAY heat with q
note, written in his shaking old hand,
begging me TO ONE up as oon as it be-
came cooler. He said he had a commits
sion which he was anxious / should do
for him in England.
Of course / went. 1t was not very
convenient, because I had to borrow one
Of or~f SIS traps, as I had sold my
none of them had the conf
IN my driving which had myself.
= was also obliged to leave tho packing
{ my collectioI of Malay kris and In
ian kookeIies to my bearer.
I wondered, as I drove along, why Sir
John had sent for me. Worse, was he:
Dying. and without a friend? Poor old
man! He had done pretty well in this
world, but l was afraid he would not be
mp to much once he was out of it; and
wv. it seemed, he was going. I felt
try for him. l felt more sorry when
w hin-when the tall, long faced A.
}. C. took me into his room and. left Us.
Yes, Sir John was certainly going.
There was no mistake about it. It 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, vel
low hands upon his tussore silk dressing
gown. He looked a very sick, bad old
man as he lay there on his low couch,
placed SO asto 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 mall" ! said. /
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 l could not open
out all at once now that he was i'll.
Look here, Middleton" he went on
81 am dying, and 1 know it. 1 don't
suppose You imagined 1 had sent for you
to bid you a last farewell before depart
ing to my long home. l am not in such
a hurry to depart as all that, / can tell
ou; but there is something l want done
that I want you to do for me. Imeant
to have done ii myself, but | am down
now and l must trust somebody.
know better than to trust a clever man.
An honest fool-but / am DEPRESSING
from thec case in point. / have never
trusted anybody all my life, SO you may
feel honored. l have a small parcel
which l 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 a 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. l know In watehed!" he
said in a whisper. his pale eyes turning
slowly in their sockets. II shall be
killed for them IL / keep them much
longer, and / won't he hurried into my
grave. I'll take my own time"
There is no one here" said, land no
one in sight except Cathcart smoking in
the veranda, and 1 can only see his legs,
so he can't see u.s."
He seemed to recover himself, and
laughed. I had never liked his laugh.
especially when, as had often happened,
1t had been directed against myself; but
/ liked it still less now.
See here" he repeated, chuckling;
and he turned the bag inside put upon
the tqhfo
.als | had never seen. They
ut fame upon the marble table,
~ Tad and burning white. A
Lar 50 -o7led and fell upon the
l y - and put it back
long til e! blaze of precious
leS. too "a astonished for a mo-
81. al: rent theyF' the cid mar
passing his wasted hands over
.., .'. You won't match that necklace
- any jewellers in England. / tore it
7G an old she devil Of a Finances neck
..fter the Tnutiny, anu got a bite in the
arm for my trouble. But she'll tell no
sales. Hell hei he! 1 don't mind say
ing now how l got them. am a hum
BILE Christian now | am SO near heaven
eh, Middleton? Hei he! You don't like
TO contradict me. Look at those emer-
Ids. The hasp is broken, but it makes
pretty bracelet. don't think I'll tell
.ow the hasp got broken-little accident
- the lady who wore it gave it to me.
Rather brown, isn't it, on one side? But
it will come off. No, you need not be
afraid of touching it; it isn't wet. He!
he'll And this crescent. Look at those
diamonds! A duchess would be proud
of them. had them.fYom o pTivstesol-
dier. / gave him two rupees for them.
Dear mel how the sight Of them brings
back old times. But ] wont leave them
put any longer. We must put them
away-put them away"
And the g~littering masssxas gathered
up and shoveled back fntoths Old brown
bag. He looked into It once with hungry
eyes, and then he pulled the string and
pushed it over to me. Take IT," he satd.
put it away now. Put 1t away" he
repeated. rs l hesitated.
l put the bag into my pocket. He gave
a long sigh As he WATCHED II disappear.
'.Now what you have got to do with
that bag" he said q moment sfterwArd,
sis to take 1t to Ralph Danvers, the sec.
ond son of Sir George Danvers, Of Stoke
Moreton, In D-shire. Sir George has
got two sons. I have never seen him OF
his sons, but / don't mean the eldest tt
have them. He is a spendthrift. They
are all for Ralph. who 10 . steady Eel
low, and going to marry q nice gir-e'
least / suppose abe IL . nice girl. Girl
who are going to be married always an
nice. Those jewels win swesten matri
mony for Mrs. Ralph. and II she Ii hka
other women It win need Eweetsntng
Thara. now you have got than ed thai