Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-09-17
PART TWO-TREASURE
CHAPTER VI.
TWO DSPERADOES

II vii be remembered that q jury
adfudged Keppel Darke guilty OF murder
in the second degrec-perhaFs to fortlfy
their oonsciences against the phantomo OF
tbat small man with the hair on hsface.
TbepubGc-so far rs the newspapers rep
nsanted E-professed itself satisfied with
t~hesentence of Imprisonment for me In
Sing Sing. The prisoner himself, how
ever. was ungrateful enough to declare
himself highly dtseontented; and Olym-
MA Raven, who c~outrived, in spiteof her
mothers protestations, to gain e to
the urtson before he left New York, said
to him words which he never forgot, and
whfeh made him resolve never to give
ND tho hopenf freedom. "Keppel." she
sad, 'Iknowyo are Innocent prom
isstolove you always and never to marry
any man but you"
The -suthoities were very proud OF the
ca94ty which had characterized their
copdnct Of the case from the beginning.
Instead of lingering along for two or
three-years they bad their man convicted
inthree OF four months. It was a lovely
dag In sammer when sentence was pro-
nouAced, and IN ordsr to maintain their
good record they arranged to dispatch
the prisoner to Sing Sing that night.
Al s1nseta heavy Thunderstorm sprang
IN, and instead Of clearing away after
anhor or two fresh battahons of clouds
gsthssed as darkness fell, and the efec-
trfcal flashes and dstonstions shivefed
andrnsounaed throuxhkhe heavens. The
tram with Ksppel On board ysts1ted from
the station IN the midst Of a drenching
rain
Keppa SIT In tho car naxt the. baggage
car. Frank Monroe, the detective who
had arrested him, sat In the eat by his
side. His left wrist was fastened to the
right wrist Of the officer by the hand.
cuffs. Another officer sat In the seat in
front Of him. There were about twenty
other passengers In tho car; but few or
none Of them were a~Are that Keppel
was a pr1suaer-stn hs that he was the
famous murderer Of Harry Trent
Most Of them began to be sleepy after
ha4f m heur or 50 and disposed them
selves as comfortably as they could for a
nap. Even the detectives eyes were
heavy. and he kept himself awake only
by a vigorous chewing OF tobacco. But
Keppel was not sleepy Tn the least. He
felt az If he should never sleep again.
He reviewed In his mind all the Incl
dents OF the last three montha A silent
passion Of rage and rebellion seized upon
him. He felt that to gain liberty he
would do murder q hundred times over.
BE was At deadly war with the world; it
had taken from him without justifica-
ton everything that he held dear. No
imaginable retaliation on his part could
be too great. But he was absolutely
helpless. He was chained to his captor,
and in little than an hour he would
be between walls that he could never
scale. The rain dashed against this win
dows; the lightning glared through the
darkness. Oh. if heaven would but send
q bolt to shatter his letters and set him
freei
His eyes, wandering about the car, be-
came fixed upon a young man who was
seated in the next seat forward, OF the
other side Of the aisle. 1t struck him
that this young man bore 9 considerable
resemblance to himself. He was tall
and rather slender, and had long dark
hair that hung down on the back of his
neck. His hands were slender, with long
pointed fingers. The face was scarcely
like his; the nose was different, and
there was a slight mustache on the up
per lip. His coat, too, instead of being
black, like Keppel's, was a gray summer
tweed. He sat In the corner Of the seat
by the window, with his head thrown
back. asleep. How careless and secure
he loahsd. He had a happy life before
him. There were no letters round his
wrists: no gloomy Jail to shut out for
ever tho nnile Of the world and the COM
partnership Of men. But for the accursed
blind fate that makes the innocent suffer
for the guilty, 80 might Keppel have
be0 sitting at that moment He ground
his teeth together and a sweat broke out
on his forehead.