Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-03-14

Z
lady novelist, viii best represent the con.
1ession that followed-words are not
equal to the task
Augusta listened with rising hair, and
realized how very trying must be the life
OF private confessor.
On, please stopl" she said. family, at
last. - can't bear i'll can't, indeedl''
An! ne said, as he sunk back ex-
hausted, i thought that when YOU under
$1,000 the customs at Nelson's you would
ieei for me in my present position. Think.
girl, think what Unjust suffer with snch a.
past standing face to face with an I'M
known futurei'
Then came a silence.
lake him away Take him awavp'
suddenly shouted out Mr. Meeson. staring
around him with frightened ewes.
W nor asked Augusta; '.who?"
Hlm-the tall, thin man with the biz
bookl / know him; he used to be No. .
ne died years ago. He was a very
clever doctor; but one of his patients
! Drought a false charge against him and
ruined him, so he had to take to writing.
poor devil! We made him edit q medical
ehcycIopedIa-twelve volumes for $500,
70 oe PAD on completion; and he went
MAJ and died at the eleventh volume So.
VI course, we did not pay his widow any
thlnS And now he's come for mel
know he has. Listenl he's talkingl Don't
you hear him? Oh, heavensl He saws
that am going to be an author, and he is
gong to publish for me thousand wears
going TO publish on the quarter profit
system, with an annual account, the usual
trade deductions, and no vouchers. OH
ON Lookl-they are all comingl-thev
are pouring out of the Hutches. they are
gong to murder me-keeD them off keep
tneln oil and he howled and beat the air
with his hands
augusta, utterly overcome by this
awful sight, knelt dowQ by his side and
trled to quiet him, but in vain He con
tlhued beating his hands in the air, trying
TO Keep Off the ghostly train till at last,
with one awful howl, he fell back dead.
And that was the end of Meeson. And
the works that he published, and tie
money that he made, and the house that
he built, and the evil that. he did-are
they not written in the Book of the Com
mercial Kings?
well, said Augusta family to herself,
When she had got her breath back a little,
1 am glad that it is over; any way, / do
nurse another publisher.
"Amtie! auntiel" gasped Dick, 'swhv
90 the gentleman shout so?"
Then, taking the frightened child blythe
hand, Augusta made her way through the
rain to the other hut in order to tell the
two sailors what had come to pass. 1t
had no door and she paused on the
threshold to prospect. The faint foggy
light was so dim that at first she could
see nothing. Presently, however, her
eyes got accustomed to it, and she made
out Bill and Johnnie sitting opposite to
each other on the ground. Between them
was the breaker of rum. Bill had a large
shell in his hand, which he had just filled
from the cask, for Augusta saw him in
the act OF replacing the spigot.
My go-curse You, my go!' said John
ME, as Bill lifted the shell of spirits to his
lips. You had seven goes and I've only
had six"
you be blowed!' said Bill, swallowing
the liquor in a couple of great gulps
"Ah! that's better, Now III fill for you,
mate; fair does, | says, fair does and no
favor, and he filed accordingly.
"Alr. Meeson is dead" said Augusta,
screwing up her courage to interrupt this
orgy.
The two men stared at her in drunken
surprise, which Johnnie broke.
'Now is he, miss" he said, with hic-
cough; is he? Well, a good job too,
says l; a useless old land lubber he was
| doubt he's off to warmer place than
this ere Kerguelen Land, and / drinks his
health, which, by the way, never had
the occasion to do before. Here's to the
health Of the departed, and he swallowed
the shelltul OF rum at draught.
Your sentiment | echoes" said Bill.
Johnnie, the SHE'LL give us the shell to
drink the 'ealth of the dear departed"
Then Augusta returned to her hut with
q heavy heart. She covered up the dead
body as best she could telling little Dick
that Mr.. Meeson was gone bye-bye, and
then sat down in that chill and awful com
pany. 1t was very depressing, but she
comforted herself somewhat with the re-
Election that, on the whole, Mr.. Meeson
dead was not so bad as Mr. Meeson in the
animated flesh.
Presently the night set in once more,
and, worn out with all that she had gone
through, Augusta said her prayers and
went to sleep with little Dick locked fast
in her arms.
Some hours afterward she was awakened
by loud and uproarious shouts made up of
snatches of drunken songs and that pecu-
liar class of English that hovers ever
round the lips of the British tar. Evi-
IDENTIFY Bill and Johnnie were raging
drunk, and in this condition were taking
the midnight air.
The shouting and swearing went reel
/ ing away toward the waters edge, and
then, all of sudden, they eliminated in
fearful yell, after which came silence.
+ What could it mean, wondered Augusta;
! and while she was still wondering, dropped
off to sleep again.