The record-union., 1895-03-30

that combat OF the clouds' except when
the Almighty launched his newly discov-
cred lightning against Moloch's black
ire and Horror and his mighty hosts.
and by its force hurled Moloch and his
angels over the batLlements of high
! heaven.
80 did the two clouds meet They
met with terrific force. The concussion
of the air seemed to shake the earth.
Binding lightning, in sheets and forked,
each flash instantly followed by terrific
peals OF thunder; flash and peal followed
each other so quickly that it almost
seemed to me to be one flash and one
peal. Thus it was kept up for from two
| TO three minutes, until the gigantic COM
batants had discharged their mighty
armaments, and, exhausted by their ter
rlble encounter and thunderous combat,
ceased. But the result was a vast deluge
| OF rain. Almost from the first contact
( of the clouds water descended in tor
rents, instead of drops. 1t seemed
sheet of water. l have never seen il
| equaled, except in Nicaragua.
! My attention had been so riveted
d, upon the battle of the clouds that l had
NOT seen what had been going on in the
| boat. My reverie was suddenly inter-
rupted by the boat giving Iurch that al
most through me out 1t righted again,
and | found the cause. The boys, being
wet TO the skin by the rain, and beginning
| to feel chilly, had made BILE for
their coats. They were merry over the
| incident, but with me it was different.
About year had elapsed since the
cholera epidemic had caused me TO
think of the effect their death would
| produce upon me. In the intervening
| time that feeling or thought had never
recurred, that l had any recollection OF,
and II had to all purposes been forgotten.
"At this time it came back with rein
| forced intensity. If the boat had upset
| a n haH
| drowned! What then? l saw myself in
athuence and power, with abundant
/ means to crafty my widest ambition.
| These and many other such thoughts
rushed through my brain with lightning
| speed.
81 was recalled to myself by the boys,
who were shouting and jestlng over the
| incident; but they little thought OF the
| danger they had been in. Not one of the
| boys could swim. l was an expert swim
| mer; but in that reVerle, LlenrOc, |
| assure you, not one thought OF premedita-
| ton or treachery had entered my mind
merely a thought of the result that might
| arise from mere accident.
wv ell, we continued on our course, and
| 1t soon became dusk, or almost dark-that
| period Of the evening when it is almost
| Impossible to tell when twilight ends and
darkness begins. The clouds had de-
! parted as rapidly as they came. The full
/ y
! silvery light and creating the most be-
| Witching and fantastic shadows. We
| rowed on up the river. ours being the
| only boat in sight, until we were within
a mile of home. L had occasionally taken
| turn at rowing, but at this
| time l was seated in the stern of
the boat. Something was still
continually whispering in my ear, What
/ if the boat should upsetp | need not tell
you that sometimes word, a look, or
some trlflng expression will change the
whole character of a mans life. Such an
| incident occurred to me at this time. The
character of the act, l cannot, for the life
OF me, recall at this time. l only remem-
! Der that it wounded me at the moment. l
| know that it was apparently trit1ing
one, and perhaps at any other time it
! would have evoked only a smile.
THE eldest boy had partly received a
collegiate course and assumed an air of
superiority over the other boys, and in
| order TO show that superiority in their
| presence, and to display his supposed
wit, he mad got into the ugly habit of un-
necessarily wounding the feelings of his
| friends. Whatever it was that then oc-
CURED, coming as it did in the frame of
mind l was then in. it stung me to the
| quick.
ut was at that moment some dark OBJ
! ject was discovered floating toward u.s.
1t chanced to be IN the rays of the moon
/
moment by all of US. AS it approached
nearer, and when but about half an oars
! length from the boat
"Llenroc. please pour me out some
more of that brandy. Thanks! what
| towards our feelings make of US! You
have heard or read of it-you said, if
recOllect Alright, that the three boys were
drowned in the Delaware"
| "4 es," l replied, Il knew of the mis-
fortune, but did not know you were
| present"
II was-I was present." said Horton,
! laying peculiar emphasis on the word.
! Aye, LIenrOc, you hit the word l was
| present; but listen. | told you that the
| dark object was within half oars length
! OF the boat. At once the boys made a
/ spring TO the side of the boat, extending
! their oars ana arms to intercept 1t. In
an instant the boat was overturned"
! Here Horton reached for the decanter
and poured out a half tnmbier or the
! brandy and drank it hastily, as ii it had
| been so much water. Then he resumed:
We'll, the boys were drowned, out it
was in consequence of their thOughtless-
ness Such was the verdict OF the Coron-
/ or's Inquisition.
! 'LlenrOc, you are here to hear a con-
| fession, and | am here to make 1t. [ cam
/ not shrink from 1t, but cursed be the
| cause.-the love Of ambition, or money,
/ which gives rise to the necessity! Pass
! LuS DTduuS! L lease III my glass, 1Or my
! hand IS nervous. What a demon man
would be if he mad no nerves, and with
out which he could retain his manhood
But enough OF that. Now, two of the
/ boys, the two youngest, l did not see, in
the excitement of the moment. They
( must have been caught under the boat.
! and being unable to swim, were drowned
inside OF a minute The eldest rose close
TO me; we were not thirty feet from the
| bank. l could have saved him, and |
believe l would have done SO if he had
| cried Tor help. l saw him for but mo-
ment, and then he sank!
| u have ever since thought that !
! kicked him when l struck out to swim
| kicked him while he was under the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and unintention-
| ally, of course. AS l live, Llenroc,
that is the truth! But l did
not turn around to help him.
l made for the bank and reached it. Then
it was too late; he was not to be seen. |
saw ripple upon the water lighted up
I-by the moons rays. The boat was float
ing away, and-I was alone!
Then came that DID, wicked thought,
that there was nothing between me and
! wealth and the qualification OF ambitious
hopes But, oh, God / am murderer!
Ii not in law, l am in heart I"
After this exclamation Horton seemed
relieved. He had divided his secret with
| another, and had only half of ii to bear
| This seems TO be the case almost uni
l versally in the human family: no matter
how great the secret, if borne alone it be-
comes too great a burden; by divulging
il, it becomes comparatively an easy bur
den.
After making his confession, [ supposed
the friendly part l was TO play had ended,
and that II was now time for the LAWYER
10 come IN, SO L ventured to say that it