Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-05-06
and lay the whole business before

and lay the whole business before
the captain.
When l got to the saloon, I noticed
that o strange steward stood behind
my chair. also that Mrs. Charters
was at table, but not her husband.
Afer dinner had gone on for q few
minutes:
Mr.. Stone," she said, would 1t
trouble you to go to our cabin and
tell my husband that we have begun
dinner? ] can't think why he hasn't
come in. know he heard the bell,
because I was with him when it
rang"
The small state-cabin which the
Charterises occupied was at the ex-
treme end OF q long passage, on the
starboard side OF the ship, while mine
was on the port side. Hence it took
me a minute or two to find the right
cabin-No. Al. Then l knocked.
" Dinners waiting, Charters, and
your wife's sent me to tell you"
What with the ereaking OF the
bulkheads and the clatter Of the
knives and forks in the saloon /
could not quite make out whether he
answered or not. So l waited a mo-
ment, steadying myself by the hand
rail running along the partition, for
the ship was rolling a bit. Suddenly
Just in front OF No. Al and, a moment
later, / was staring, horror stricken,
paralyzed, at a thin red stream OF
blood trickling slowly beneath the
| door. The Circassienne rolled slight
ly, as l said, and with a kind of fas-
cination l watched the crimson mark
| crossing the oil-cloth OF the floor,
backing and filling with each motion
| OF the vessel, but always creeping on.
on, onto where l stood. In another
instant l should be standing in it, but
to save my life 1. could not have
stirred then.
A stifed shrek behind me seemed
to break the spell, and / turned to
see poor Mrs. Charters at my side,
pointing with one finger at the nor.
Iible thing at my feet. Then, grad
ually, the long passage began TO ill,
as a crowd poured in from the saloon,
and a babble OF voices a~rose-terri-
| fed questions and confused replies.
And then, poor little woman, she
tainted right off. Thank God, she
| did not see what we saw when, after
some delay, we got the door open
Charters. half lying. half sitting on
a sofa, his eyes staring, his face
drawn and deadly pale under the
white glare OF the electric light, and
a long, slender knife buried in his
breast. Fastened by a pin-my scarf
| pinto the paneling Of the cabin,
was q paper with the words:
In recompense for duty shirked.
a trust betrayed, a cause aban-
doned.
And the hateful little Maltese ros
was pricked out in the corner Of the
paper.
You can see through the mystery
Of my scarf-pin now, can't you? I
saw 1t all, from the moment we
looked into that cabin. Or nearly all
for a letter which poor Charters had
left, written to his wife, helped US to
fill in the blank in his story. 1 new
er saw that letter but Mrs. Charters
told me what was III it. And l eve
thought that q woman could have told
the story as she did, quite calmly and
quietly, with only just the least little
choking sob in her voice now and
then as she went on.
Charteris. it appeared. had been
taken with a lot OF mad fancies
when he vas travelling in Europe,
and had joined one of those Nihilist
| associations, which had for its badge
| Going out to settle in Australia, he
| soon forgot his rash undertaking,
and was aroused from the perfect
happiness Of his recent marriage by a
| commission ordering him to murder
the Russian count, Patarof, whom,
for political reasons, it had been de-
termined to remove. Charters was,
Of course, Mortified. He at once got
rid Of his badge-which came so
strangely into my hands-disguised
himself as well as he could by shaw.
ing off his beard, and sailed with his
wife for London, where he hoped to
hide himself, knowing that certain
death would be the punishment for
his refusal to obey orders. But all
his efforts were fruitless. On board
the Circassienne there sailed with him
three-or goodness knows how many
more-spies Of the association, bent
upon tracking him down. Thanks to
my diamond pin, they all took me for
one Of themselves; and thanks to it,
also. I vas able to point out Gustav
as the most likely perpetrator OF the
murder, to which he afterward con
fesseG, as well as to the Pataroff bust
ness over in Adelaide, and for which,
a few weeks later, he paid the full
penalty Of the law.
As for the Rev. Erastus Leigh, and
the other conspirators among the
storage passengers, there was not
enough against either OF them to go
upon the prosecution, and they both
escaped.
Oh! yes. Mrs. Charters is alive now.
I see her occasionally. She's a wild
ow still. poor little woman! And l
think will always remain one.-P. T..
BLACK in the Cincinnati Commercial.