Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-10-20

while he can"
why did you fall down when I told
You my wife had painted the lions
face?''
why? Because she never saw the
Jew. He was n crafty man. He ruled
her destiny, but he never showed himself
never but once, and then The wine!
Give me the wine! Why will you keep
that aocursed thing in the room? Take
it out, sayi Take it ont Of my sight. |"
Dr. Lamar promptly removed the
easel, and Mr.. Dye seemed to breathe
easier. Maxey asked another question:
The Jew, the lion, ruled her desti-
ny? What was his name?''
Mr.. Dye bent close down and answer
ed in n whisper:
His name was Felix Rosenfel, and I
killed him.
Maxey shrank back.
1T startles You, does it?'' went ON
the wretched Dye. 1T makes you draw
away from me? You did not know the
Jew, or you would feel more like hum
bling yourself before me. All, a man can
be crushed and ground and trampled
underfoot and despised and spat upon,
and then the time may come when even
the cur will turn and rend the lion!
Say, my fine fellow''-he turned toward
Lamar-"you're q good judge Isn't
that sop
Undoubtedly, said Lamar encour-
agingly. Undoubtedly that is very
true. He spat upon you, and you killed
him. Very good. He had been grinding
youunder his feet for avery long while?"
Gentlemen, this will be q private
affair between us, strictly private. We
Will review this case together, and We
shall judge together whether / did well.
There shall be no judge, no jury, no
hangman's rope about this, will there,
cap!"
Decidedly not"
mo. Well, put it down first that .
very long time ago I was a merchants
clerk, and Felix Rosenfel was that mer-
chants private secretary. Got that
down? Well, stole money, and he
found it out. That was the beginning.
But it was not the end; no, not the end!'
Mr.. Dye talked in q rapid, feverish
manner and clutched the sleeve of Max
ey's coat His faded eyes had SO much
the appearance of a maniac's that the
artist could not help an involuntary
shrinking
The wretch's manner was variable.
A fierce outbreak was succeeded by q
period of comparative calmness. After
his last sentence he suddenly burst out
with a peal of forced laughter. He
pointed to Lamar and Maxey in turn as
though they were the most obvious OBJ
jects of mirth.
What pair of simpletons you are,
gentlemen! Do You expect me to go on
and tell You all about my affairs with
the Jew, with my dear Felix, the hon?
Oh, no, not at all; not at all becoming
seriousl. He got me under his feet, and
there he kept me, grinding his heel round
and round and round and never letting
me go. The more / did the more must
do. When he had woven such a web
around me that he held my honor, NV
freedom, my life, in his hand, then he
was satisfied becoming pathetic). Now,
gentlemen, don t be unreasonable. Don't
ask me to confess how it was that nv
life got into his hands. That's q dead
matter. People gave up looking for q
solution long time ago. Don't let MS
rake it up at this late day and harry
up peoples souls needlessly. Besides it
doesn't concern any of us.
Very well, said Lamar, ''let It 60.
1t amounts simply to an understanding
that this Jew involved you in a crime
the detection of which would have
hanged you.''
Mr.. Dye caught his arm and suppl
Gated him.
"Oh, my good man, don't talk that
wayi You hurt my feelings, for I've got
them, bad rs am, and besides that is
my last card. Esteem my confidence, and
Ill whisper to you q secret When get
reduced to the last extremity and want
only one more drink to carry me of,
know an ambitious detective to whom I
can sell my knowledge How does that
seem for q plan? 1t can't hang me then,
for shall be dead, and shall have had
my whisky"
Mr.. Dye suddenly became mirthful
and chuckled.
AAAAS 40 e~AAADAci 0Ax6y.
MIR. Dye Immediately grew fierce
again.
But it isn't for any regard of him
that l keep silent. Don't mistake me
there. But for that accursed Jew might
today have been well and respectable,
with home, q wife, children, perhaps
How does it turn ont? My wife dies of
q broken heart. / am an outcast. The
only child ever had-she whom I rear.
ed from her infancy cannot look IN
the face. lam broken, tottering wretch,
and all through him. Do you wonder,
then, that killed him? Do you won
der? There was that affair ON the sea
road. I told him that she knew q part
of the secret. He got white with rage,
and l cringed before him. He held me
to blame for it. Curse him! What had
I done? I have kept You alive all these
years. You have lived ON my bounty,
you miserable curl he said. Yes, gen.
tlemen, he called me o cur. So was
too You couldn't blame him for that
EI ID "a q