Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-16
only mean to help on greater fraud .

only mean to help on greater fraud.
my scheme, you mean?'
"Just so. When 1 was near death s
door down that pit 1 prayed to God to
help me, and swore to be better man if
my life was spared. l mean now to keep
my wOrd-to undo, as far as l can, all
the mischief have DONE
'Tnat means, 1 suppose, Mayhem
queried in a low, husky voice, as he
fixed his cleaning, ferret-lIke eyes on
his companion, Hthat Mark Eliot is to
bs set at liberty-that Richard Harwood
is to be armed against me, and chat am
to be crushed, thrown to the devil?''
"That is your own look out, May
hew!" Dan replied, doggedly.
"And yours, too. You have helped
to land me in this hole, and you must get
me out of it--by God, you mustl Eliot
shall hang; and HARDWOOD shall
never know the truth about Nell
lie!''
The younger mans face had grown
deadly pale. and his voice was tremu-
lous with suppressed passion; his pulse
was tbrobbing at maddening pace;
murderous ide was burning in his brain,
and to hide his agitation from Ashton he
turned from the table and walked to-
wards the fireless fireplace.
cit is no use Quarreling about 1t, -
said Dan, as he pushed back his chair
and arose from the table. 81
think about il, Mayhem. Come
down Tomorrow and wen talk it
over.'
''It will be too late them Mayhem
answered, sullenly, and the hand that
was behind him neryously fingered the
! heavy poker, which stood upright near
the fireplace. "By that time you
intend to have ell your business COM
pIeted.
"Oh, no; III watt and saying
that, Dan strobe past the other with his
back towards Mayhem.
Suddenly the brightly polished steel
poker flashed in the air and descended
with a sickening thud upon Ashton s
uncovered head, and with low gurgling
moan the stricken man fell like slaugh-
tered beast upon the thick rug at the
murderer's feet.
Quietly placing the weapon inside the
fender, Mayhem fell on his knees beside
Dau, who lay dumb and still where he
had fallen.
''He is deadl Who will free Eliot
now?-who will tell HARDWOOD?
Then he listened intently, wondering
if any of the servants had been aroused.
But all was quiet as a tomb. All he
could hear was the mad beating of his
own cruel heart.
Then Walter arose and threw himself
into a chair. That swift, deadly blow
had swept away every difficulty out of
his path; and once more he could breathe
freely, feeling assured that his schemes
were not threatened with destruction.
come and gone, a nd all the world was
asleep, he would sally forth and dispose
of the body of his victim. This would be
an easy matter.
The back of the house adjoined Bal
cares wood; the old pit was only few
hundred yards away, and therein he
meant to cast the man who lay dead at
his feet on the rug.
And when the morrow came the old
shaft would be searched, the body
found, and ell the world would set down
Dan Ashton death TO Mark Eliot 8
score-nor would Mark think that his
hand had not struck the fatal blow, as
he had already acknowledged his guilt.
No one had seen Dan enter Westwood
house; no one would see him leave it;
and it would take little short of mira
Gle to save the arrested man from the
consequences of his supposed crime. II
he were not hanged for killing Ashton,
Mark Eliot would be certain to receive
lengthy term ofimprisonment.
/. Richard HARDWOOD would meyer know
now that Dan Ashton had bled him for
years by means of q cunningly conceived
fraud; he would go on thinking to the
end of the chapter that Nellie was his
dead brothers. offspring, and that he
was usurping Der position and poses
sions.
Well, let him think so. With mine
host out of the way the truth would
never leak out and the mill owners
fears would make him an easy victim to
Walter 3 bleeding processes.
There was no fear now that the part
Dership scheme would fall through; in
few days it would be settled and then
his ambitions would be crowned with
triumph.
So thought Walter Mayhem as he sat
there beside the unconscious form of his
late ally, and waited for the coming and
pOinp Of the midnight hour