Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-06-18


of thing, and the amount comes up 70
about so francs. have put in an envel-
ope a so franc note, and with II the card
OF the furniture man have written al
so in the letter, telling the old Dragon
Just what the things will cost that he
needs, and haze referred HIM TO the card
of the furniture man who has given me
TIE figures This envelope ! have address
ed the Dragon, and he will find 1t when
am dead. This is the joke that old man
Death and myself have put up on the Dra-
gon, and my ouly regret is that ] shall not
be able to enjoy a look at the Dragon S
countenance as ne reads my last letter TO
him.
Another sum of money | have put
away in good hands where be won't have
a chance to get it, for my funeral expenses
and then you see ! am through with the
world. have nobody to leave that need
worry about, or who would either take care
of me or feel sorry for me if ! needed care
or sympathy, which | do not. So that is
why laugh, and that is why come down
and sit on this bench in the sunshine, and
enjoy the postbumous joke.
! Robbins did not appear to be able to see
the humor of the situation quite so strong
| ly as the Living Skeleton did At different
times after that when they met, he had
! offered the Skeleton more money if he
| wanted it, so that he might prolong his
life little, but the Skeleton always re
! fused.
A sort of friendship sprang up between
| Robbins and the living Skeleton at least
as much of a friendship as can exist be.
tween the living an the dead, for Robbins
was a muscular young fellow who did not
need to live at the Riviera ON account of
| his health, but merely because he detested
an English winter. Besides this il may be
added, although it is nobody's business
that a nice girl and her parents lived in
! this particular part of the south of France.
One day Robbins took a little excursion
| in a carriage to Toulon. He had invited
the nice girl to go with him. but on that
particular day she could not 90. There
was some big charity function on hand,
and one necessary part of the affair was
| the wheedling Of money out Of peoples
/ pockets, and the nice girl had undertaken
| to do part of the wheedling She was very
! good at it, and she rather prided herself
upon it; but then she was very nice girl,
| pretty as well, and so people found 1t very
| difficult to refuse her. On the evening of
the day there was TO be d ball at tie primci.
| pal hotel in the place, also in connection
with this very desirable charity. Robbins
had reluctantly gone to Toulon alone, but
you may depend upon 1t ne was back in
| time for the ball.
! "Well, he said to the nice girl when
he met her, what luck collecting today ?"
ooh, the greatest luck" she replied en-
Enthusiastically: "and who do you think |
| got the most money from2'
81 AN sure haven the slightest idea
that old English duke, he certainly has
money enough"
mo, not from him at all; the very last
person you would expect it from-your
friend the Living Skeleton
WHAT cried Robbins in alarm.
ooh, found him on the bench where
he usually sits, in the avenue OF palms.
told him all about the charity, and how
useful 1t was, and how necessary, and how
we all ought to give as much as we could
! toward 1t; and he smiled and smiled at me
in that curious way of his. Yes, he said
in a whisper, j believe the charity should
! be supported by every one. will give
you eighty fr.ncs.' Nov, wasn't that
very qenerouy of him? Eighty francs,
I that wasitcli times what the duke gave and
]
at me and said in that awful whisper Of
! his Count that over carefully when you
! get home and see If you can find out what
else have given you. There is more than
eighty francs there And when | got
! home Il
But here the nice girl paused, Wien she
! looked at the face of Robbins, to whom, she
was talking. That face was ghastly pale,
/ L -. 81 a
seeing her Eighty francs" he was
whispering to himself, and he seemed to
be making a mental calculation in sub
traction. Then noticing the girls amazed
look at him, he said:
"Did you take the money!
"0f course took it, ' he said why
shouldn't I2'
Great heavens!' gasped Robbins, and
! then he turned and fed leaving the nice
girl transhxed with establishment and
| staring after him with a frown on her
pretty brow.
"What does he mean by such conduct ?"
she asked herself. But Robbins dlsap-
deated from the gathering through in the
| large room of the hotel dashed down the
steps, and hurried along the narrow pave
ment toward the Golden Dragon. The
proprietor vas standing In the hallway
with his hands behind him, a usual atti-
tude with the Dragon.
Where, gaspeG Robbins, sis Mr.
Mr.. -" and then he remembered be
did ut know the name. Where SIS the
Living SkeletonP'
"He has gone to his room' answered
| the Dragon: "he went early tonight-he
WASH z feeling well, ! think
"What is the number of his room 2"
"No. 40, and the proprietor rang a
loud, janging bell, whereupon one Of the
chambermaids appeared "Suow this gen
! tleman 10 No. 40.
The girl preceded RobbinsIup the stairs.
! Once she looked over her shoulder and
whispered, rs be worseY'
II don't knew" answered Robbins;
that what have come TO see.
At No 40 the girl paused and raped
lightly on the door panel. There was no
response. She raped again, Ehis. time
louder. There was still no response.
TRY the door said Robbins
Il am afraid to, said the girl.
"Why2"
'Because he said if be were asleep the
door would be locked and if he were dead