Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-28

our guest asked if the boat was mended Zone
Of the thole-pins had been broken), 1 an.
swered that it was.
''I want YOU two," he said, "to take me
round to Lamlash to-day. You shall have a
couple of sovereigns for the job. don't
knov that NAV not come back with you
but may stay"
Nv ewes met those of my father for a
fash "There's no. vera much wind, he
| said.
'What there is, is in the right direction, ="
returned Digby, as must call him.
''The new foresail has no. been bent" per-
sisted nv father.
There's no use throwing difficulties in
the wav," said our visitor angrily. eff
you won't come, I'll get Tommy Gibbs and
his father, but 60 shall. Is it bargain or
not?"
''Pll gang" my father replied sullenly,
and went down to get the boat ready. !
followed, and helped him to bend on the
new foresail. 1 telt nervous and excited.
| "What do YOU intend to do?' 1 asked.
"I dinna ken." he said irritably. "Gin
the worst come to the worst we can gle him
up at mlash-but oh. it wad be peety,
an awfu' peetv. you're young an strong,
laddie; can we no master him between
! us?"
"No," 1 said, "I'm ready to give him up,
but L m id if lay hand on him."
you're a cooardly, white-livered loon u
taunts, and left him mumbling to himself
and picking at the sail with nervous
fingers.
1t was about o'clock before the boat was
ready, but as there was slight breeze from
the north, we reekoned on reaching Lam
lash before nightfall. Digby and 1
stepped into the boat, but my
father ran back to where had been mend
ing the sails, and came back with the hatchet
in his hand, which he slowed away under
the thwarts.
"what dye want with the ax?" our
visitor asked.
TITS handy thing to hae aboot a boat, "
my father answered with averted eyes, and
showed us of. We set the foresail,
jib and mainsail, and shot away
across the Roost, with the blue
water splashing merrilv under our bows.
We were about half way across the
Roost when it fell dead calm, and the sails
tapped against the mast. had been steer
ing and my father managing the sails, while
the stranger smoked his eternal cigarettes
and admired the scenery; but at his sugges-
tion we now got the sculls out to row. 1
shall never know how it began, but as was
STOPPING down to pick up an oar heard our
visitor give great scream that he was muir
dered, and looking up l saw him with his
face all in sputter of blood leaning against
the mast, while my father made at him with
the hatchet. Before l could move hand or
foot Digby rushed at the old man and caught
him round the waist. You gray-headed
devil" he cried in husky voice. 81 feel
khnt TO-
never get what you want No-neverl
never! never!' Nothing can ever erase
from my memory the intense and concen-
trated malice of those words. My father
gave raucous cry, they swayed
and balanced for u moment and
then over they went into the sea. 1
rushed to the side, boathook in hand, but
they never came up. AS the long rings
caused by the splash widened out, however,
and left an unrut1ed space in the center, l
saw them once again. The water was very
clear, and far, far down 1 could see the
simmer of two white faces coming and 60
ing, faces which seemed to look up at me
with an expression of unutterable horror.
Slowly they went down, revolving in each
others embrace until they were nothing but
dark loom, and then faded from my view
forever. There they shall lie, the French
man and the Scot, till the great trumpet
shall sound and the sea give up its dead.
Storms may rage above them and great
ships labor ard creak, but their slumber
shall be dreamless and unrutfled in the
silent green depths of the Roost of Ufa. L
trust when the great day shall come that
they will bring up the cursed stone with
them, that they may show the sore tempta-
tion which the devil had placed in their
way, as some slight extenuation OF their
errors while in this mortal flesh.
1t was weary and waesome journey back
I to Carravoe. l remember tug-tugging at the
oars as though 10 snap them in trying to re-
lieve the tension in my mind. Toward
evening breeze sprang up and helped me
on my way, and before nightfall was back
in the lonely homesteading once more, and
all that had passed that spring afternoon lay
behind me like some horrible nightmare.
did not remain in Ufa. The croft and
the boat were sold by public roup in the
market place of Androssan, and the sum
realized was sufficient to enable me to con-
tinue my medical studies at the university.
fled from the island as from a cursed place,
nor did ever set foot on it again. Gibbs
and his son, and even Minnie Fullarton,
too, passed out OF my life completely and
forever. She missed me for time, no
doubt, but have heard that young McBane,
who took the farm, went a-wooing to Corrie-
mains after the white fishing, and as he was
a comely fellow enough he may have con-
soled her for my loss. As for myself, have
settled quietly down into large middle
class practice in Paisley. 1t has been in the
brief intervals of professional work that 1
have jotted down these "reminiscences OF the
events which led.up to my fathers death.
Achllle Wolff and the RocheYielle diamond
are things of the past now, but there may be
some who will care to hear how they visited
the Island of Ufa.-A. Conan Doyle in
Temple Bar.