The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-08-13

llfil - IIlt SHDltjlt iHgtEIoIotlsSS VI I'LL
which he inquired. as they caught
glimpse of Central park. what ''th Il
green place was. The delight She
took in tutoring his simplicity averted
awkward questions. Besides, it was
infinitely diverting to an old ronnder
old in eypcricnce-iilse Nick. At last
the carriage stopped before handsome
brown-stone house.
Poor. dear Edward sister is stop
ping with me. you know. but sh.'s out
to-day. so we shall BE- all to ourselves
to talk over old times. Won't it b.
jolly:"
Nick hardly seemed delighted by the
thought of the prospective joility:
in fact he heartily wished himself out
Of his scrape. But there was no re-
treat now: he had burned his boats.
So up he went TO his dressing room. os-
tensibly to wash off the travel-stains
Of a journey he had never taken, really
to throw himself on couch and rack
his brains for plausible layths about
people and places he had never seen.
The way of the wicked man is hard.
Nick found it extremely so. and he
never enjoyed good dinner less. III"
inevitable examination began. I'll
try numbering EN-" he thought. SO
whenever he got mixed on the gcncalo-
gy or personal history Of any harmless
person or persons he ruthlessly slew
them and buried them away far ont of
the reach of all questions. Whole
families went at swoop; when neces-
sary he raised an epidemic typhoid.
cholera, grip-he didn't care what. as
long as he got awkward customers ont
Of the way. Samson's Biblical jaw
bone was an inefficient weapon for
homicidal purposes compared to Nick 5
Jaw" and poor Belle was in an ey
cess OF grief and amazement at the re-
cent loss of SO many friends Finally
he struck on snag in the shape Of a
Young lady whom he had consigned to
an untimcly grave-from too much
cigarette smoking. quoth he. irrever
emily. Inmclsily the fair Belle had a
message from the dead in weel1-old
letter. Then things got worse than
ever for the culprit. He got ncxtrca-
bly, entang!ea in the priclSly branches
of the family tree-hopelessly lost in
the lanes and byways of the local topo-
graphy. Still, with courage worthy Of
IA better cause and a superna tural calm
ness born of despair. he lied on by the
carload.
"Iiow's Zozoa" asked his unconscious
torturer.
''Lozo?" dubitatiyely. Wonder who
the dickens Iozo can be? - silly to
give anyone a name like that >po>e
it's a baby. I'll chance it, anyhow"
Then. aloud:
.'Oh. Iozo. Lozo's all right
! How can you say SO. when you
yourself wrote he was i'll. poor dear"
..Oh. yes. Of course. How silly am.
He caught scarlet fever. but he's much
better now"
What do you mean. Morta Scarlet
fever. | never heard of horse with
scarlet fever
Great Scott. groaned the pseudo
Mort. here's u how-de-lo. Er--cr-oh.
yes Don't you know? Er-Ilor,e,
often get scarlet fever, my dear, but Of
course you couldn't be expected To
know that Why. that bay mare father
bought only last year
Belle started up from the table with
shudder and stared at her visitor as
though at a maniac.
"Iou must BE- mad. Mort. Poor I'M
Gle has been dead these ten years. |
don't understand you ut all And her
frame shook with excitement.
Nick nerved his tagging wings to
still higher more eerulean flights of
imagination.
I'm awful sorry. Belle, darling"
land the villain fingered over these
words as over sweet morselsl: but
didn't you hear of my terrific accident:
fell down an old quarry ald hurt my
head very badly. Why, at times, es-
pecially when I'm tagged i bit and
bothered with questions. my mind be-
comes perfect blank. and make hor-
rible hodee-podge of everything. Ny
!, head feels as though it would burst at
this very minute This last with /.
groan Of most ghastly dimensions.
The poor girl was completely ho-
/ cused. and was amazed and Indignant
that she had not been told of the ter
rifle accident" before. Then She cooed:
| Poor old boy, poor old head" sa
! soothingly that it sent thrill of rap
/ ture down Nick's worthless frame.
/ And she strosed that head. hard a, the
neither milestone, SO lovingly with her
soft, plump hand that the Machiayel-
! liam one patel himself on the back, ali
of which only hardened him in his sin.
And when She refrained from asking
any more awkward questions he gloried
in his successful villainv, and laid him
self out to kill. And as he looked well.
and talked we'll it was not long before
the fair widow lay -metaphorically
4 speaking. OF course--at her tict tiou>
cousins feet in an excess of reverence
and devotion. she could hardly con-
ceive the great change that had taken
place in him since she had seen him
last.
You've developed awfully, Mort, II
the last two years"
Mort" with a grim smile. thought
to himself that the next two hours, per
haps, would see even more awful de
velopment of himself and things in gen
eral.
lie put the finishing touch to hi:
work just as he wa leaving. He wcul.
! have been content with a hand-shas.
by way of adieu. but poor Belle. will
| charming pout and most proyoca
tive raising of her blossom of a mouth
delivered herself into the hands of til,
/ enemy by pathetieally remarl<ing
You're very mean. Mort: you haven
. kissed me once yet Nick quailed
even he was touched by this absolute
, trust. lie felt almost inclined to blur
, out the whole truth and then run fo
+. his life, but that sunny. inviting smil
would have melted an iceberg: at al