The morning call., 1891-01-18

8 p
"Stopi Say"
lect l made profound reverence and said:
with your permission, brave chieftain."
Then lighting the curious old brass lamp
which Septimus the Second had suspended
from the wall, | opened my desk, took out
some loose sheets of paper, and began to
write down these experiences as yOu ind
them here.
One, two three days went swiftly by, as
my chronOmeter made known to me, and |
began to look forward with somewhat of
regret to the time when / should be called
upon to take my leave of CoggerynoSSett
The deep stiffness of the place was most
delightful balm 10 my mind so lately racked
and torn by cruel fate as l have related to
YOU. But now what a golden vista Opene be-
fore my eyes. The fair Theodore rose before
me with heavenly smile lighting up her
glorious countenance aud Writ. my beloved
Writ, came into that dark chamber and
spoke to me in tones SweeteT than ever
emitted by organ pipes. | was profoundly.
intensely, completely happy Day after day
went By. The end was almost there when
suddenly strange faintness came upon me-
| pushed MY book aside and drank glass
of water but still tho beat of my heart
grew fainter and fainter. | arose, Stag
gered toward my bed, tell upon 1t, and
tried TO speak, but it was too late-my soul
seemed to have fed.
Every member OF the Coroner's jury was
a friend or neighbor of mine, and as their
eyes rested on the little heap OF charred
bones which had been raked from the ashes,
the tears trickled down the cheeks of many
oil them, for | had always tried to do my
duty, and men were pretty generally con-
strained to speak well of me.
Alter making tile nndlngS usual in such
cases, the jury recommended very strongly
Ia the guardian OF the person of the lanatic
the necessity OF restraining sail lunatie Of
his liberty IN accordance with the statute
in such cases made and provided.
Heaven in its inscrutable wisdom often
heiTiends the evil-Goer so that he may be
led 10 rush on the more swiftly and surely
10 his destruction. Bran 1okel was not
slow to act upon the recommendation of
the Coroner's jury. The very next day, ac-
companled by stalwart constable, he fell
upon my poor boy, who was sitting quietly
in his apartment and dragged him TO the
far thest end of the house, where there was
located what we called the oak ROOM low
celled chamber, walled with heavy oak, and
having but one small window, to which an
iron grating, for some reason unknown to
me, had been fitted. Writ made hard fight
for his liberty, but his magnificent strength
had been sapped by long-continued mac
uvlty, and he was soon powerless in the
hands of his captors.
theodore had been absent from the house
at the time OF the arrest, bnt hearing Wirt's
cries OF rage alternating with appeals for
mercy, and frantic repetitions of her name.
size had rushed upon the scene in BREATH less
haste.
Hold, sir" she called ont to Yokel.
what's the meaning of this outrage? Re
lease Mr.. Clegg. Let this INFAMOUS pro
ceedlng 60 no farther. Ill be responsible
for his acts"
"Theo, Theo, save me-" pleaded Writ.
My reason has returned to me. Go aud
rouse our friends; go, 20 quickly, Theo"
Miss Clegg," replied \ okel calmly 81
alone can be responsible for the acts of this
young man. 1 am his legal and lawful
keeper and have been ordered to RESTRAIN
him OF his liberty lest his violent acts should
again result in destroying human life"
Infamous wTetchi" shrieked Writ, your
day is near at hand. Don't listen to him,
Thee; shun him as you would viper. His
lips are dripping with falSehood. Go at
once and inform our friends what the man
is doing. | am no longer a mailman, Theo.
My reason has come TO NE again, Father
is not dead. He is only hiding under the
ground. He is not dead. L tell you; he is
not dead
At the sound of these wild and freazied
words Theodore covered her face with her
hands and sank with a grean into a chair,
and. as the form If my poor boy disappeared
behind the oaken door, she Sobbed out:
"0h, Writ, Wirt, God help you, God
help you'll"
Skilled as he was in the strategy OF vii
lainy Bran 1Okel pushed on with resistless
energy from one victory to another. The
very next day Theodore was Informed of
the failure of the woolen-millS. The news
fell like a thunder-bolt upon many a widow
and orphan whose little fortunes were in
vested in the concern supposed to be the
stanchest In the land. To Theodore il
meant poyeTty-absolute and abject poverty
for no matter how much Bran Yokel might
be inclined TO make provision tor Theodore
and her mother out of Wirt's property the
law would not permit single penny of
trust estate to be applied. Hence mother
and daughter must take choice between the
hard alternative of taking their departure
from my roof or accepting charity at the
hands of Bramwell YOkel.
Need | assure you that it seemed as if the
fair form of Wits bride must bend and
break beneath this crushing load of sorrow
and misfortune? But the sight of the silver
hair nesting upon her mothers brow and
the sound of my words ringing in her ears,
Remember you must live to watch over
our poor Writ" steeled her tender heart
against these dire caiamities.
Miss Clegg, murmured Yokel with a
faint CLINT of impiSh satisfaction in his
small deep-setNeyes, lit is true you are pen
niless, and know how useless it would be
for me to offer You and your mother assist
ande. but there's simple way out of this
difficulty. have asked you to be my wife.
Now that you and your mother stand help
less and alone in the world will you not
listen TO me? VIII you not believe me when
| come to you as an honorable man with the
offer of my hand and my fortune and
say that l love you? If my love for you
were not as strong as it is pure | should feel
the hurt which your disdan and contumely
have given me. But, Theodore, look about
YOU! On every side you see deSolation
You uncle dead Your fortune gone. Writ
a hopeless lunatic. In few weeks | shall
transfer him to the State Asylum and put
this property up at public SALE
Theodore gasped and it grew black before
her eyes.
Calm yourself. Theodore do not press
for an answer. You and your mother may
think it well over It's an important de-
cision to make. [ will not hurry you!'
And you, impatient reader, doubtless you
are asking yourself why | didn't hasten to
the rescue of my children? Why did not
burst upon this keen and refined rascal and
put a speedy end TO his cold FLOODED vii
lainies? All, we gropers after scientific
TRIMS are often times. through the very
pride OF our intellects, made more liable to
err than the untutoTed son of the plain
whose very instinct makes the poisonous
berry and needs no analysis to teach him
that death-dealing germs swarm in the linn
pid rill. | awoke at last. Coggerynossett's
cave wrs dark and silent as becomes the
habitation of the dead. My parched lips
and tongue grated upon each other and my
breath came and went in quick, faint putfs.
"Oh, mercifu Heaven" thought |; am
dying. Must l go hence without another
look upon the faces of Writ, and Theodore
Na-l . l..a,. IL.