The evening world., 1894-05-30
he looks at me like THAR"

ne looks at me ike that!
The sick man raved on:
Back, Donald. back into your grave!
Don't. don't do that! You're staring at
me, and ! can't die In peace. oh! horri-
0' sss "G' see!' s nHrsieee' the tortured man
In his delirium. There 1t Is, Strokes
face! See 1t? Twas | who killed him!
See! My hands are crimson with his
blood, yet his blood did not stain them!
It's there; It's there! Oh! Great God!
There! there!"
Great beads OF perspiration stood out
the hand Of death mercifully near. as
he gazed at his uplifted hands. hen he
suddenly collapsed, falling into the arms
OF his Mortified SON, who had been strug-
Cling with the dying maniac, his ears
ringing with the echoes of the terrible
self-accusations.
The awful cries Of the dying soldier
and nurse outside. Both hastily entered
the room at the m of the collapse.
An opiate was administered to the pa
titnt by the physician, who said:
He may regain consciousness for a
moment before death, but he's nearly
gone"
An instan, later. Col. Cation opened
his almost sightless eyes. They wan;
then rested ixediy upon that of
Harry's:
fo rFoss msr" m" sAi spy eSyhi e ana hT may sS d3s
The-se-cret- box -for-for-give"-
With a look Of agony pictured on his
will ever haunt him. so terrible was it,
Harry Cation witnessed the life spark
as 1t fed from his fathers tortured
body.
Dead. yes, Harry Cations father was
dead. The young mar realized the
awful truth. but that did not appea to
disturb him Ringing in his ears were
the deliricus cries Of his dying father.
1T was / who killed Stroke. and not
Donald"
And then the agonizing remorse which
had seized upon his father! What could
1t mean? the young man moaned PIT
eously. as he staggered from the death,
chamber into the open air. HIS dazed
brain refused to analyze the situation.
For an hour he ak the lawn, terribly
agitated, his. mental capabilities seeming
ly stunned for the time being.
Harry at last seated himself on the
porch. The awful scene which occurred
at the moment his fathers spirit passed
from the body continually pictures itself
upon his bewildered brain, until he was
almost beside himself with grief and
Then the words last to fall from his
fathers lips rang in his ears.
why did his father refer to 1t in his
delirium? Almost unconsciously Harry
arose and sought the library so recently
occupied by him who would never again
cross its threshold. Scattered over Col.
cations desk lay many u his private
papers. which he had left thus carelcssly
lying about that morning, having been
suddenly summoned to the city Hall on
the business matters already referred
to.
Harry gathered up the papers and
thrust them in the desk drawer and
closed It, but as he did so he d~iscoyered
among the documents n peculiarly
formed box made of brass and wood.
He had never seen this before, hence
his attention was much aroused, In
guisitively he examined the little affair.
II was evidently separated into two
sections. but securely held together by n
pair OF small brass hinges and a diminu-
tive paddock. There was a tiny hole in
the lower part OF the lock which rcsem-
bled a pin-head In size. and hardly gave
the impression that 1t was intended for
a key-hole,
In "A tiny drawer that he found open
and showing hat the contents had been
recently disturbed, the young man came
across a narrow strip OF gold. one
OF its ends was finely tapered - Il
point.
This will open the paddock he ex.
claimed aloud. II know it,
He inserted the tapered point u the
gold bar into the hole in no paddock
and pressed gently but firmly. Almost
simultaneously the I'd few open, revealing
within a small cavity a carefully fold
ed sheet OF manuscript, upon which. the
young man saw at once was the familiar
chirography of his father.
With still greater interest, Harry I'M
tents. He had read only a few lines