The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1893-03-25
3 TTF
CHATTER XIV.
UNDER SURVEILLANCE.

but bitter dust and OllSBJ, the reward o
all his scheming was empty hands aud {
frantic, rebellious heart
Not line. not trace remained of the
document that held Tom CBpples' secret
to reveal the hiding-Dlace OF the GOV
eted package. With great hoarse
cry of rage and dismal, the
plotter ran to the couch whers lay the
paraIytic. The pickering rays OF the
dying contlagration in the CRATE illumined
his swarthy face, showing his bloodshot
eyes, his twitching muscles. 1t seemed
as if he would drag man from the couch
and tear the secret that was dying with
him from his dying lips.
Cupples breathed. There was life
then. Why might he not be revived tC
tell what the paper contained. A doc
tOr-a doctor, by all means.
Arnold Dacre sped from the room and
the house. When he returned five min.
utes later, professional-looking man
bearing medicine case. accompanied
him.
A light was procured. Gravely the
man of science inspected the inert mass
of humanity before him. His heart flut
tering with alternate hope and despair,
Arnold Dacre watched him feverishly.
tone as the physician, with dubious
sigh, turned from the couch.
"DoubtfuI."
"You mean?"
THE man is in very bad shape"
but he will ive?"
"Possibly day, more likely less than
an hour. | can do absolutely nothing
for him but watch him. There may be
n "a in No
Then watch him. doctor, secure a
nurse, spare no expense to revive him,
urged Dacre eagerly. lone question"
What is it?"
eff he revives. will he speak?"
Il fear not # this man lives, he will
be helpless paralytic."
Arnold Dacre remained in the former
quarters of John Wharton until nearly
midnight. He rented the apartment,
paid the landlady to act as constant
nurse to the sufferer, and actually
brought tears to the eyes of that good
lady at this noble exhibition of his
generosity and humanity.
"lf he reviveS," ,DaCre told her. al
he should talk or try to write or make
signs, tell him that left word for him
to impart his confidence to you, and BE-
careful to note what he may have tC
communicate"
Then Arnold Dacre sought n fitfuI
spell of rest broken by fearful dreams,
and early dawn found him haggard but
reSOlute, and starting out upon new
trail, having for It's motive the present
object of all his SChemes-the coveted
missing package
1t had eluded his possession, nearly
in his grasp. 1t looked as if he was
never to cast longing eyes upon
1t again, and yet he reflected
hopefully as he walked to a farmer
tavern at the edge of the town, whence
an old riCIetty stage ran into the coun-
try as far as Deepford.
1t was coach, express, and mail cart
combined, and it would take HIM to his
proposed destination by noon.
"Deepford." That was the town men
toned by Tom CuppIes. "In a cave"
That was not very specific clue, but it
was the only one he was warranted in
following out.
somewhere near there he hid the
package, sOllloquized tie anxious
schemer, ''hs incoherent babblingS be-
traYcd that much. Some where near
there, too, oYertaken by weakness, fear
ing to forget, to be struck helpless, he
got a man to write out explicitly the de-
tails of the hiding place of the package
Who was this man? A'CharCOal burner
There are not many IN the district. If
can locate the one he saw, he will GER
tainly remember writing tho scrawl for
CuppleS. Ignorant, careless, never at
taching any undue Importance to the di-
rections, perhaps purposely obscured by
Cupples, he will remember and repro
duCe them for me. Then the hiding
plaCe-the package Oh. | feel certain
| shall find It"
The ricKetty old coach had several
passengers. Arnold Dacrc scarcely no
tiCed them, until he CHANGED to casually
regard the one who sat on the seat with
the driver. Then he started violently.
suspiciOuSly.
'Hellol" he muttered, with frown of
concern, I've seen that face before
Whereof
He ransacked his memory diligently.
TawnY face-home spun lattire-buc
Spcctacles.
''Ah, the man who inquired for lodg-
ingS at the Wharton room last uight.'
calculated Dacrc. WAS it he too, who
was prying at the tranSOm, or was it
accidentally opened when the paper blew
into the CRATE. Am | being watched? Is
this man spy, detective? Hardly.
Pshaw! | am getting nervous | cannot
afford to worry over unimpOrtant tritics,
when the great central motive of my
fate hes In a quivering balance"
He dismissed the stranger from his
mind as far as he could. In the hustle
of arrival at the obscure settlement at
Deepford he missed him, and Dacre be-
came engrOSSed in the details of the
quest that had brought him hithcr.
He made frienCs with the keeper of
the one tavern the place afforded at
once. a few liberal treats won the good
opinion of the boniface. Then Dacre
projected his query
Il am looking for charcoal burner
living near here" he said. do YOU
know any such9"
81 do, for fact. There's only one
1t Amt paying business, but old Sam
Binder ekes out a living al it."
Binder? murmured Dacre, mcmor-
izing the name.
YES, you'll find him on the creek near
the cedar grOwths. He has a little abiE
you can't miss"
Arnold Dacre was on the track of that
cabin within the next hour. Affairs
were progressing well so far. He began
to feel quite hopeful, but that emotion
weakened considerably as he found dusk
coming down and the hut he sought
barely in view.
Too bad be muttercd diSappoint-
eddy, as after gaining 1t and parleyinC
for some time with its sole occupant, a
woman, he retraCed his steps towards
Deepford.
The woman was the wife Of the char
coal burner, Binder Yes, Sam was the
only man in that section, Had she
noticed a stranger about there during the
past few DAYS, and Arnold Dacre de-
scrihed the paralytic.
Why, yes, Sam had brought such
person to the cottage. lie was i'll, weak,
worn out. She remembered him dis
tnctly, for that was only two days
agone, but when Dacre cautiously refer
red TO some writing Binder had done for
him, the woman shook her head du-
htpuSlv and l.,