Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-10-15

You certain that he is deadT"
His body was found chained to the
officer who was taking him to prison.
Oh, if there We're any doubt!' She
pressed her hands together and her lips
trembled.
"Of course there can be none. But
had he lived You would have been his
wifeg'
She covered her face with her hands,
and then dropped into her chair and
leaned her head against the back of it.
The count stood looking down at her.
He took off his eyeglasses, and his pow
erful dark eyes We're bent upon her with
an intense expression. His lips were
parted as if to speak. But at that mo-
ment a sound of voices was audible in
an adjoining room. Mrs. Baninck and
Mrs. Raven had returned from their
shopping expedition. The count recov-
cred himself in an instant.
II will do myself the honor to call
again, Miss Raven" he said. Forgive
me for having disturbed you. 1 hope
you will think of me as your friend"
And then, as the ladies opened the door,
he bowed to them silently and ceremoni-
ously and went out.
u e
His carriage, with two horses, was
standing before the door. AS the count
emerged from the house on the sidewalk
there was a singular bright and triumph
ant expression on his face, as if some re-
markable happiness had befallen him.
An understood man of dark complex
ion, with q black stubble of beard on his
face and wearing a ragged coat and a
derby hat rusty with age and two sizes
too big for him, was stumbling along
the sidewalk in a pair Of boots that were
not mates. As the Count de Lisle ap-
preached his carriage the dingy wreck
of civilization sprang to open the car
riage door, having determined at a
glance that the count wa not only able
to afford him a quarter, but was in the
right humor to do so.
The count looked at the man as he
| stood duckjng and scraping, with his hat
in his hand, and pausing, he put his
fingers in his waistcoat pocket. There
was nothing there but bank notes. The
count next tried the pocket of his trou-
sers, but millionaires suffer from incon-
veniences, as other folks do, though of a
different kind. He pulled out, not sill
yer, but only a handful of gold"
81 am sorry" he said to the man; II
| have nothing but a ten dollar piece"
That's better than nothing, captain!'
the mar returned, with a ludicrous affec-
| tationo of magnanimity. The count smiled
in recognition of the forlorn bit of humor
and threw the coin into the hat. The
man took it out between his forefinger
and thumb, ~delicately, as a p~restidigita.
teur might, and by a quick movement
caused it to disappear. MY thanks, cap
TAIN" he said. Another time l will dc
as much for you!"
Just then there was a roar and a rush,
and a changing of bells and snorting OF
steam sweesing across the head of the
road, a couple of rods off. 1t was a fire
engine, galloping headlong to its destina'
ton toward the eastern water front. The
counts horses were spirited creatures
and not as yet thoroughly broken in tx
New York customs. They made a spring
reared, and sprang again to get away
The coachman braced himself, but fell
that he could not control them. The
count, who had placed one foot upon the
step, withdrew it just in time to escape
being knocked down by the forward
lurch Of the carriage.
But the shabby man wa enterprisinE
in more ways than in collecting eleemo
synary eagles. He jumped nimbly t.
the heads of the horses and caught a
the bits. He might have been ~succesfu
in stopping them but that his hat, being
too large, was in some way jerked off hi
head, and fell upon the nose of the of
horse, who tossed it up in the air, ant
having got to the end of his endurance
made a desperate plunge. The pole o
the carriage struck the man on the lief
shoulder, swinging him round toward
the right. He still chung to the rein
with his right hand, but he vas being
dragged before the neal horse, and afte
a moment or two his hold slipped, ant
he fell on his back with his head TOWARD
the curb. The wheels passed over hi
legs below the knee, and his left leg wa
broken. Meantime d policeman hat
come up, and contrived to stop tn
horses, and Count de Lisle stopped owe,
the fallen nan
care you badly hurt?" he asked him.
"One leg gone, captain. Shouldn'
mind if I had acarriage of my own; but
being as it is, it's inc~onvenient."
"TIl call an ambulance, sir" said th'
policeman to Lisle. These fellers is al
ways gettin' in the way. Serves hin
right"
SCOT my ten dollars all the same
Bobby dear" murmured the cripplet
man.
my carriage is not an ambulance,
said the count to the man; ''but if yo1
think you can stand it I'll drive you t
my own house. You can be looked afte
as well as if you were at the hospital"
Never mind about the ambulance
Bobby" said the man; f'this gentlema
and I will manage for ourselves. Don
get in the way, my good fellow! Now
captain, / am at your servicet"
He was lifted into the carriage, an
his leg supported on a bundle of cal
riage u The count took his seat be
, side him, and they set out. The pave
iIICIiGS H6IS AS" IO1h tafCLiiCLtc, oi
did their best to add to the torture c
the sufferer; but the carriage had Won
derful springs, so elastic that their pros
ress seemed nor like sailing than dri,
= ing.
"And where might your residence b
if l may be so bold as to inquire, cal
: tainf' said the man, in an interval b.
tween two grunts of pain.
The count mentioned its situation.
"Bless meI' exclaimed the othe
"Not really! Well, well! So the oil
house is to have an occupant at las
, Well, L declarer'
"You appear to have been familis
with itf' said the count, amused.
, "In a measure, yes. I knew Har1
Trent well-very well. He built tn;
house to live in-as he thought; but il
/ stead of living in it he was murdered
q it. Mysterious, captain, the ways
Providencei Poor old Harry! Friend
Q yours, sirT'
II have met him. Who are your"
y "Alonzo Garcia is my name, captai
Sounds Italian, doesn't it? Well, l a
of foreign extraction. Since my bus
a ness connection with Trent was severe
s by his decease l have met with some I
9 verses. financial and other"
"What caused them?'