The Indianapolis journal., 1893-03-05
PART /.


or naught of what was or where might
be, a vagne indefinite sense of some evil
depressing me, something that prevented
my exercising my faculties OF thought or
reason, and that seemed also TO have a sim
liar restraint on my physical powers. /
felt as if / could neither move hand nor
foot. not even raise an eyelid, and was at
the same time filled with feeling of in
explIcable dread and terror. Perhaps it
would more correctly express my feel
ings to say that / felt as above with re-
gard to q dual second self. in whose
agony l could share but whom was utter
ly powerless to defend. Vague and indis-
tinct, nothing definite passing before my
mental vision, was the dread i felt. Pos
sibiy ID was some curious form of hysteria
that possessed me. But. anyway. there 1
lay. aud might be lying there still, sun
dried skeleton by now. if had not been
sud denly brought into consciousness by
severe pinches-
Istarted into sitting position. and in do
ing so startled an army of crabs. that. de-
ceived by my perfect quiescence. had be-
lieved me to be dead, and bad assembled
around. intending 20 feed upon my corpse.
/ rubbed my eyes and tried to think
where i Was, and how / came there.
looked around and saw l was on q small,
low, sandy island. on one point of which q
few wind-swept palms raised their bent,
grotesque trunks, and before me lay the
sea. smiling in the sun. and fecked with
foam from the brisk trade wind which was
blowing.
looked around and at myself I who
: had never before known hunger, thirst or
want. lying there on the sand of q desert
Island, with no clothing save the torn and
tsttered remn ants of a pair of trousers,
covered with bruises, an open cash on my
head, another on my back. from which the
How Of blood had been stopped by Ii clotting
with the sand on which had been lying.
How was IL came there9 My head was In
a state of torture and not q single portion
of my body was free from pain.
How was it L came there In sucn a CON-
ditionf What had happenedf Was
dreamingf WasI dead OF aliyel Thoughts
like these in rapid succession passed
through my brain, hich, owing no doubt
10 the injury TO my head. seemed incapable
Of properly performing its functions.
After q time, and with difficulty. stag
gered to my feet, and them about uudred
yards away. saw the body of n woman
lying. and the whole CHASTITY and dismal
tragedy, of which she and had been the
victims. flashed across my mind. aud. fall
Ing on my knees swore TO heaven that
would be avenged on the villains who were
the authors of my misery and the compass
ers of her death.
The words of that oath are ever present
to me even now. Tut dare not repea at hem
and would God / had never uttered them.
or would that. having uttered them. l had
died as they left my lips. The moment
that oath was uttered l was filled with a
strange strength. pain seemed to quit my
aching limbs. my wounds gave me no
trouble. and walked steadily and straight
ly TO where she lay who had been more to
me than home. than country. than father,
mother brother. sister, ay. more than the
whole world. more than God himself-my
Francisco, my own love. she who had been
the center OF my life and being. she lay
there slaughtered, murdered. and by whom!
BY her brother-slaughtered by her
brother, and cursed by d priest who looked
on approviDgly at the deed of which l..
too, alas had been q witness Would to
God / had died for her or with her; it
would have been happier for me. But no,
was destined &c be instrument of the
devil and TO work hls Will and pleasure
until those who had been actors in this
cruel tragedy had been hunted down and
done TO death; and never did | rest till the
last died at my feet. crying for drop OF
liquid TO ease his raging thirst. while /
Knocked bis agOnies by holding q glass full
Of clear. bright water before his glazing
eyes, aud mocked his senses of hear
Ing and feeling. also. by splashing
the cool fluid and dropping tiny drops OIL
bis burning limbs | reveled over and
gloated on his agony, apd reIoiced 10 SEQ
his death. The moment. however. that the
breath had lett his body q veil seemed to
drop from my eyes, AID / saw that insSead
Of being a just avenger OF the death of my
love- had been but willing lnstrumenJ
Of the devil 20 work his ways.
Vengeance Is mine. / will repay. saith
The Lord" sounded In my ears as III spoken
by q silver voice. while mOoking laughter,
arf l.a.ra Env.l 4
musical tones-'yOung man. take warning
BY me. and remember that we have right
neither to Judge nor to avenEe" .
Westbeach. as he was called, though after
wards / found that that was not his real
name. but that be was man of rank and
wealth, who had long been supposed to
have been dead. bnt Who in reality, had
been for many long years trying to work
ont the safety of his soul by deeds of kind
ness and charity in the slums of one of our
large seaport towns. No matter how low.
now degrading how criminal man or a
woman might be. If they were In want,
trouble or difficulty, old Arthur would
hurry TO their assistance. nurse them when
In sickness, feed them wnen hungry, and
plothe them when NAKED. and many fallen
ones had be put on their feet, and supplied
with the means of leading an honest and
respectable life.
l-no need to say who am-was then be-
ginning my Work assistant To- %
doctor. In this seaport town, and nv duties
often led me among those TO whose wants
MIR. Westbeach minstered, and after some
time We became acquainted. | believe
was the first. save sD OLD woman who
minIsiered TO his simple wants, who ever
entered the two tiny rooms which formed
his LODGING. PerhaDs. IL was with advanc-
in2 years ne felt the necessity for human
eompanioDship. aftera life which. though
passed among the crowded haunts of men,
had really been more solitary than that
OF hermit In the Theban desert.
perhaps 1t was he felt the premontory
symptoms OF the disease which carried him
oil, and would know something of the doc
tor whose aid he would have TO invoke. 1
donot know. butthOugh he was yerglng on
bis SEVENTEEN year. and was not five and
twenty. we became friends. and usually
passed sueh evenings 0s 1 could spare In
his company. He used often 10 employ me
TO visit his SICK. and act his alrnonor.
and was ever pleased II | told him of those
TO whom his aid would be helpful
Sometimes he told me OF distant lands,
for he bad travelled much, and had studled
mankind under many varying phases; but
never did he lift the veil which shrcuded
Lis personality and the mystery of his life.
until one evening. when he spoke. rs is
written above much 10 nv astOnlshment
and surprise. i think at first he was hard
ly conscious of nv presence. and spoke as
In q reverle. but at the last knew he was
speaking direct to me. i was lest afraid
the excitement under which he labored
should cause him harm, and being on an at.
tack OF angina pectorIs. of which ho had