The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-12-28

d w hdo w yCh Nohb'
81 want to see him."
"Well, perhaps you can't. l attend
to his business mostly. He don't see
strangers"
81 am not stranger. reckon he'll
see me when he knows am here"
Mr.. Bostock suddenly reused him
self "Who is that?' he asked.
"Yes, / think he'll see me-" the
stranger loudly repeated.
l heard sigh from the invalid, a
| deep-drawn, troubled sigh.
"Tell him to go away" he family
said. "What makes him come here to
annoy me? don't want to see him."
"You hear, do you?" lie Fevre said,
standing in front of the stranger.
'What dye mean, coming here to
trouble sick man? You go, or I'll
find way to help you"
80, very well. If Mr.. Bostock won't
see me, he'll hear of me. May be he'd
like to have me take turn around La
Fourche and talk with the planters
about old times. Good evening"
He turned on his heel
"Stop!'' said Mr.. Bostock "Tel1 him
| to come in"
| He rose and walked into the parlor
| The stranger followed. Perhaps due
regard for social propriety should have
restrained me from following; but the
| impulse to do SO, growing out of my
recognition of the voice and my power
full interest in Mr.. Bostock, was ire
sistible. AS for the pugnacious over
seer, the sharp words that he had had
with the stranger and the constraint
under which the planter was acting
were sufficient reasons to cause him to
go in also
| Coralie had heard the sound of voices
and our entrance into the parlor She
came in with lamp The stranger
was revealed. had last seen him
when he was put ashore by the captain
of the Cotton Queen.
He sat down on sofa and stretched
himself out. Nobody else was seated.
His impudent eye ranged round over
the luxurious furniture of the apart
ment and coolly examined each one of
us. Then, to my astonishment and dis
gust, he took cigar from his case and
scratching a match on the finely
grained panel of the wall he lit it and
| began to smoke
lie Fevre started forward.
"Say the word, Mr.. Bostock, and I'll
pitch the insolent blackguard out of
here, neck and HEELS
The planter sat down and groaned.
NO" was all he said.
The intruder laughed, threw his
head back, and blew rings of smoke
upward to the ceiling.
You won't be so fast my friend,
when you hear how good a right I've
got to be here. That's Corale. | sup
pose?"
| Mr.. Bostock gave gesture of assent.
Fine girl. Who might YOU be,
young fellow? don't remember to
have met you before"
This was addressed to me.
| II have seen you before, certainly"
"You have! Where?'
'Up the river, when you were put
ashore from the steamer for cheating
with cards"
spoke from impulse, just as | often
acted. 1t would have been wiser for
me to keep the words back. A little
reflection would have told me that this
was dangerous man. and that ought
| lpu ISttltFr'iN W i-4tltI Ills cllIIllUN. DuU
had spoken, and the shaft had gone
home. The mans evil face flushed and
paled, and he gave me vindictive look.
He addressed himself to Mr. Bostock.
''My business is with you, sir. l
want nothing with these people,"
With slight pause, he continned:
~ was at Bouteilier's, in New Or
leans, yesterday For the first time,
he refused to advance me anything.
only asked him for hundred dollars
He said you had stopped the account"
sit has been so long since I heard
anything of you"
THAT you thought | was dead-eh?
You hoped SO, no doubt. If you'd
taken the trouble to send to Boutellier,
he'd have told you that your money
never stayed very long in his hands,"
lie Fevre whispered excitedly in my
| ear:
''What the devil does this mean?
Since have been there, the old man
has deposited thousands of dollars in
that bank, and not cent has he
drawn from there Who is this fell
| low?"
"Tell me what you want" said the
planter. "You promised me years ago
that you would not come near me
again. Go, now, and trouble me no
more"
"Give me two thousand dollars
first"
Mr.. Bostock turned to lie Fevre.
snake a check on Jacob Barker,
New Orleans for the amount payable
to bearer"
Nothing that had thus far happened
had greatly surprised me. / knew
about this man what was not known
to Coralie or lie Fevre; and, while she
stood in CONSERVATION by her fathers
chair, the overseer did not cease to
regard the interloper with threaten
ing looks, as if he only wanted little
more provocation to attack him with
his fists Amazed as he was nv the