Middletown transcript., 1891-06-25

ailing for some days, was seized, on
ahe evening Of Harry's arrest, with O.
convulsive attack. Medical aid was
at once procured, but the little suffer-,
,er continued to pass from one fit into
another until late 10 the afternoon
when it fell into q state of stupor,
from which it seemed unlikely ever to
be aroused. The half-distracted
mother was longing for the sustaining
presence and sympathy of her hus--
band, when she received a message
from him stating his situation and re-
questing an immediate visit from her
She would have flown at once to his
side had not her infants critical con-
dition seemed equally to require her
to remain. Bewildered and hardly,
knowing what she did, she dispatched
a hurried answer to her husband, say
ing nothing of the child, but entreat-
ing him 10 have patience until morn-
ing, when she would be with him at
the earliest hour possible. She then
returned to her little charge, and
hung over the scarcely breathing form
with emotions which would have been
unendurable had she not been half
stunned by the suddenness and vio-
lence of. the double calamity. a-.
Harry Irving, in the solitude of his
cell, received his wife's note, and read
it with feelings such as. until then.
he would have thought it impossible
to entertain towards the writer. He
was prisoner, loaded with q dis
graceful accusation, his prospects and
his good name blighted, perhaps, for
ever, and now his wife seemed to
have deserted him else, surely, she
could not send him such . message.
But had she not seemed TO lose much
of her fondness for him since the
birth of her child ? Had he not been
driven by her neglect to seek again
the society which he had relinquished
for her sake? And, as Harry thought
of all this, the iron seemed to enter
into his soul, and he fairly groaned
aloud in the extremity Of bis anguish.
That night was a sleepless one for
the husband and wife. When morn
ing came it brought to the latter some
alienation Of her trouble. The baby
had passed the crisis Of its disorder in
safety and seemed now to be in fair
way toward recovery. Mary instant-
ly repaired to her husbands place Of
confinement, and coon succeeded in
iustifying her delay and in conYinc-
ing him that his suspicions as regard-
ed the state Of her affections towards
him were utterly groundless. On
her part, like a true wife, she never
for a moment believed in the possi-
bility of her husbands guilt, but was
fully persuaded that his present posi-
ton was owing to the machinations Of
some enemy desirious of covering his
own criminality by imputing it to
another. Who the concealed author
of his misfortune could be-both were
equally at a loss to conjecture, but
were forced to seek consolation in the
assurance that an lnnocentsman could
never be exposed to actual danger
from charge SO utterly unfounded
in reality.
While the pair were thus endeavor
ing to support each other in theil
calamity, Robert Armitage had gain
ed the reward of his good service
rendered SO much at the expense ol
his feelings as friend. in devising th'
means of entrapping the supposed
criminal. He succeeded at once t.
the clerkship vacated by Harry, ane
was regarded as having entered upor
the path of prosperity from which th'
other had so suddenly been snatched
He conducted himself with exemplary
propriety, and was loud and frequent
| in his lamentations on the lapse ot
his once valued associate but it wai
remarked that he never went near the
latter during his imprisonment
probably fearing the effect of such al
interview on his own acute sensibili'
ties.
Two weeks passed, and the time fol
Harry's trial drew near. He had, o
course, engaged the services of law.
yer, who had exerted his utmost in
genuity in order to frame theory
which might account for his client
possession of the marked bank notes
His success in this endeavor had not
been encouraging. 1t seemed as i
Harry's previous good character
would be all that he could plead in
mitigation of the penalty he would be
found to have incurred. He wa
bracing himself to endure, with be-
coming fortitude, the public ordea
which would probably result in hi
consignment to the lowest depths o
civil infamy, when a most unexpectet
event threw open his prison doors
Robert Armitage suddenly disappear
ed. With him vanished all thos
available funds Of the firm which hat
SO lately been transferred to his keep
ing. In addition, he had obtained
large amount by forging the name o
his employers. His operations hat
been planned and conducted wit
consummate skill /; and he finally SUE
ceeded in eluding pursuit. But b
left behind him in his Office desk tn
following letter addressed to the hea
Of the firm:
DEAR SIR:-As my little gam
has been SO well played out, I wish t
release my worthy, but somewhat in
considerate friend, Mr.. Harry Irving
from the disagreeable consequences Q
his unconscious participation in il
Having gained entrance to your saft
by means which / prefer not t
divulge at present, I took out th
marked bank-notes on the very eve
ming after they were deposited, an
passed them to Mr.. Irving, in pay
ment of some losses at cards, while b
was too much excited by wine t
notice them, or to remember the OF
currence afterwards. OF course, b
is equally innocent of previous pecu