The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-15
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but thought 10 Judlcious 70 hold his tongue
aud wait.
Saw drew out a gayly colored handker-
chief from his pocket and mopped his face.
When he looked up, the traces Of excite
ment had so far vanished that Redwood
felt relieved.
Now. old chap" he said, setting the
candle on the mantelpiece. what was
it,"
I'm tell you," Sam responded, an tell
you ali about it. In '57-that's eighteen
years ago, amt it'll was in Melbourne
me and 'Tilda was married just a month or
two I'd come into my property and 'Tilda
wanted to come home. SO did |. Not be-
cause there was anybody here cared about
or soul as might remember me for that
matter, but thought I'd like to see the old
country again. / was willing to do any
thing to oblige 'Tilda. and so l agreed to
| come. Well, 'Tilds had been In service.
Shed been nursemaid."
That was to Miss HetheridgeF' inter-
iected Redwood.
81 didn't mean to tell you that just vet :,
but might ha' known you'd guess. That
was to Miss Hetheridge, as you say. I'd
meant to leave his name out, but it's got in
and it may stop in. Hetheridge, he went up
country, and the little CELL was Off to Eng
land with the Rev. Jordan Farrell. That
was the time as | got married, while Heth-
eridge got pushed up on the Wallagong as it
was given out as he was dead.
YES" said Redwood, II remember to
have heard Of that"
His death was in the papers. His house
at st. kllda-thats part of Melbourne
where the nobs liye-his house was empty.
The housekeeper had gone away and took
the key with her. 'Tildas bit of a swag
was there and borrowed the key and went
to fetch it away. Now who should | meet
In that there deserted empty house but
Hetheridge himself He was the picture o.
death with a two months beard oa him and
dressed like a common roustabout.
pinned him at first mistakin' him for "a
thief, but when l found out who it was, o.
course | let him go. We went into a room
to talk.
You wait there a minuts,' says he,
and I'll talk to you directly
He sits down at table like that there
and turns away to look about the room"
Sam arose. and walking TO the mantel-
piece took up the little Japanse figure.
That" he said, holding it under Red
woods gaze in his brown palm. That is
the thing as brought 1t all back into my
mind again. l was standing lookin' at a
thing on Hetheridge's mautelpiece the very
Twin image of this one. when all of a sud-
den | gets a regular weller on the head
enough to knock your brains out. II was
nigh on two years afore got my wits
again.
And you believe that Hetheridge struck
youm Redwood asked in half incredulous
astonishment.
"Of course, he did, )" cried Potter. There
wasn't soul in the house but him and me-
Left me there for dead, the murderous-
minded scoundrel.n
But the motive" said Redwood, almost
querulously What was the motlve9
Why should he try TO take your life! Were
you enemiesN
I'VE wasn't the best of friends" Sam
answered. But there was no real ILL
blood between us. Not as l ever under
stood
The story looked on the face of IL wildly
improbable. Redwood had heard, over and
over again, that in his own younger days,
before their acquaintance had begun, Sam
Potter had been queer" He had known
him intimately since then, and had never
found even the trace Of twist in Sans
simple and transparently honest mind.
Here, perhaps, he thought, the crank
might show itself for the first time in his
remembrance. The absence of inteligible
motive in the deed ascribed to Hetheridee
seemed fatal to belief.
"What do you intend to do about this,
Samp he asked, after long cogitation.
"Dol" Sam returned, II don't suppose 1
can do anything. It's like this, you see:
It's my word agen' his. It's eighteen years
ago. How do know where the Melbourne
doctors are nowl How could 1 get iem
over here to swear l was knocked on the
headln
Tell me, Sam, said Redwood, "are you
quite sure that tnis is no fancy Of yoursl"
Fancy" Sam answered, rather bitterly.
ats no fancy that there cruel nights
work robbed me o. three o. the best years of
my life. You ask 'Tilda and she'll tell you.
| was like a baby on her hands for the best
part of year. Like kid l was | forgot
how to speak for eight months, and that
was all along O. meeting him, here in Well
sted, outside your gates. remembered
everything then of a sudden Just as did
tonight. took him by the neck and 1
marched him off 70 the police, It was too
much for me-knocked me clean silly. [
was afraid it was goin' to do the same thing
again to night, but I'm stronger now, thank
GOD. No, no, Master George, there's no
fancy about it, whatever else there is"
He was absolutely cool and collected to
look at, and had never in his life spoken
more nationally or collected.
George, not kno wing what to make Of the
story, sat with his head in his hands trying
to think some meaning into il. Neither he
nor Potter had needed a ring at the outer
door, but now there came a knock at the
door they sat in. One of the maids had re-
turned from the gossip Of which George had
accused her.
"Mr. Dom is below and wishes to see you,
SIR"
"Show him in here"