Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-03-11

~
baronet, who acknowledged the cere-
mony with vacant stare, and betooi
himself again to strolSin9 the dogs head,
which the loving creature had rested on
his knee, his brown eyes peering into
bis masters face with an intensity
which was almost human In its mute
expression.
Dunbar gladly accepted Capt. Archer'H
invitation to spend few days under his
hospitable ROOF, his host assuring him
that there was an abundance of game
In the neigh borhood, and that he would
eventually send him on his way towards
Colombo. To tell the truth, Capt.
Archer was rather glad of the young
mans visit; first because 1t relieved
the monotony of the dull life he led,
and secondly because it would be a
good card to play to send young man
Of high family back to civilization with
the report that the European gentle
man assuming to be Sir Harry Grahame
was merely harmless lunatic under
the kind care of friends who sacrificed
their own comfort to give him the ben
eft of a residence in climate peculiar
ly adapted for his particular malady.
One glance at Joe Bradley, the re-
served brute force, the power behind
the throne, was enough to convince
Dunbar that he was villain of the
lowest type of human degradation,
whose only redeeming quality was a
blind love of ardent spirits which he
drank morning, noon and night, and
which kept him in state of bemuddled
stupor. Two native servants completed
the menage of this small establishment.
One thing that had puzzled Dunbar
was the absence of the hordes of Cinga-
lese who were said to infest this region
large villages of people living in a
state of semi-barbarism, stories of
whose ferocity and lawlessness had
reached his ears in Colombo, where
every one was eager to add his share to
the terrible tales of their misdoings.
He had seen no sign of them; the coun-
try appeared almost uninhabited, and
he came to the conclusion that the in
formation which had reached him had
been either exaggerated or was alto
gether false. But, on the second day
after his arrival, this pleasant delusion
was dispelled; for just as they were
about to start on a hunting excursion
Capt. Archer received a message by a
runner, which brought cloud on his
brow and a torrent of strong words
from his lips.
"See here, Mr.. Arthur" he said, 81
cannot &c shooting with you this morn
ing. 1t appears that the natives in the
village over yonder hill have got into a
row about a white fellow they captured
nearly month ago, and who has been
doing o turn at the paddle of a war
canoe, for some atrocious crime against
the community; for, though patient and
far~enduring, these simple people will
turn to avenge themselves at last
81 hardly understand you. Capt
Archer. Do you mean that you are
anxious about the white mans safety?"
= "Not a bit! he was caught red
handed in crime-the brutal murder of
a native boatman. Through my inter
vention, they committed the sentence
of death to term at the canoes, and
now he has escaped and 1 am afraid it
will entail trouble on me-"
Glow SOP"
"Wen, do you not see that if it had
not been for my interposition, he would
have paid the penalty of his crime
but, cannot waste words of explana-
ton. The man is gone now, and
uQuSb 20 duu 1S1 ~ W A1lO hAA'
81 can be of no use, of course" Dun
bar said, coldly.
"Well, yes, indeed, you might do me
great service. should like to take
Bradley with me, and if you would
only look after my invalid friend while
am gone, 1 should be immensely
grateful"
'tOh, that can do with pleasure D
Arthur replied, not too eagerly.
"He will be of little trouble to you
just simply see that he does not wander
away, and, above everything, do not
contradict him. If he declares that he
is King Solomon, humor the freak o.
his imagination"
81 will How long will you be gomez
II do not know, but as the fellow has
got good start, it will be near night
robably before we return. an
sorry to appear so inhospitab1e, but we
are living here in a very strained posi-
ton with regard to our neighbors, anG
l cannot afford to appear Indifferent II
a case like this"
| Arthur Dunbar witnessed the depar
ture of his host and his villainous satel
lite with the keenest satisfaction
Hardly were their backs turned than he
was by the side of the baronet who
was sitting in his usual fashion on the
broad verandah, with the dog, which
never left him now, lying at his feet
''Sir Harry Grahame," Dunbar said
plunging at once in n,edias res, "try anC
rouse yourself. have come from Eng
land to your assistance to rescue 20,
from the tolls of your false friend
Archer"
The invalid simply glanced at the
speaker, and said, in low, careless
tone:-
ARCHER! Yes. Archer-capital fel
low, Frank ArcherI''
He is your deadliest enemy-oh, d.
try and rouse yourself, Sir Harry"
But Bradley is a beast, a drunken
brute; he is very rough with Franz
Archer and me- When 1 get well,
mean to kill Bradley, but don't say
told you 3d."
There was look Of pitiful imbecilit:
| ", @ona The fV.11fh Aocha