Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-08-06
XIII.


/ story which explained his coming into
| my life. 4 letter from Perez brought
1 this explanation, for which had been
I waiting eagerly. Neither johnson nor
! / had had signs again of Lamar's pur-
suers. who, however, we believed, had
contrived to secure proof that their
! intended victim had evaded their ven
| geance The strange schooner had not
reentered the bay, but the fisherman
| had heard that a vessel answering her
! description had lain for three days at
anchor in little harbor some miles up
| the coast, and that at least four Of her
people had been away from her
throughout her stay. II was his the
ory that the four revisited the house
the night before Lamar's funeral;
though the man whom 1 had employed
TO assist johnson as watcher and care
taker, and who was then on duty, re
ported no unusual happenings, and the
fisherman's belief had, SO far as / could
discover, no more substantial basis
than the fact that as he approached
the house late that night the sea-breezc
bore to his ear faint sounds which he
took for those of oars against thole-
pins.
Ny term of residence in Rodneytown
was closed within fortnight after the
body of tie suicide had been committed
to the earth; but before 1 went away
there was u wedding, at which an al
together charming bride was given
away by my good friend DIR. Banks,
standing for the time in loco PARENTS.
In view of the change in our circunl-
stances, 1 had persuaded Dorothy TO
consent to an early marriage, and to
come with me to Trent, where there
promised TO be an excellent opportu-
nifty TO establish practice, and where
the bay might become a doctors nag
in reality as well as in name. And
there Perez's letter found US, as happy
a pair as the city held within its bGr-
ders. AS Lamar's residuary legatee =
If the term can be correctly used in
such case-I was possessed of an in
heritance which, with my savings, was
ample to support us in comfort for
the several years we deemed II wise to
allow for the building up of a profitable
professional connection.
But now for the letter, which was TO
tell me all I had ever learned of the
career of the man whom l knew as
Lamar.
"He was Of a family of rank and
wealth." it ran. "He had much TO con
tent him with his lot, yet he was by na ,
ture an ,ntriguer and a plotter, cold,
selfish, daI ing and revengeful. Many
hated him, more feared him. So adroit
was he in his schemes, that, though
they sometimes came TO grief, he HIM
self escaped.
'At last he became involved in po
litical plot of the gravest character,
and for once lost his craft. There was
a meeting Of the consrirators, at which
cnthusiasm ran high, and, IN the furor
Of the moment, u compact was drawn
up and signed by those present. So
reasonable was this document that the
signers were hopelessly compromised
should it fall into the hands of even
the most mercifully-disposed govern
ment. Within "a hours after the meet
Ing the paper disappeared. The sign
ers set themselves TO search for 1t, and
rs
they discovered that It had come into
the possession OF woman of rank,
young, beautiful, ambitious, mad for
| political intrigue, and attached TO Il
| rival faction. The fact that che had Sc
cured 1t was sufficient to insure the
failure Of the project II outlined; but
worse than this failure was the menace
\ to the signers. II wss resolved TO re-
cover the compact at any cost; but
| then arose the question, who should
| undertake the difficult task2 The
man who afterward came 10 you vol
| unteered, and was accepted.
"He recovered the document. Single.
| handed. he waylaid the lady's carriayr
drove off her servants, and, on her re-
fusal 10 surrender the paper, cut her
throat. AS he had expected, the precious
| paper was found in the bosom Of her
dress.
| "He fled the country forthwith, carry
| Ing with him the cause OF the tragedy
SO long as he retained possession of K,
he was certain Of holding his cocoon
spirators at his mercy. Many Of them
| nbhorred his bloody deed, but he held
their fortunes and perhaps their lives
| In his hand; and some OF them, at
least, were forced TO aid him In making
his escape. The family Of his victim
swore undying vengeance. Her broth
ers traced him TO Europe, and then to
the United States. They were close
upon him when he sought your aid:
had II not been given, he could hardly
have escaped; for In your country a
man OF his face and accent was easily
traccd-he impressed the persons he
met far too strongly for his own good
| "He had heard OF the lonely coast
| you described TO me, and he had carried
with him the card he presented TO you
II was given 20 him, not because / was
myself involved in the political net.
| but because others whom loved were
fast In its mcshes, and for their sake
desired him not 10 fall into the clutches
OF the avengers. When he came TO you.
the pursuers lost the trail They
bearcched and searched, but for
months without result After a time
l was told OF rumors that he had
opened correspondence with his broth
frS ut home, and that they were sup
plying him with large sums. His enc
mics also heard the reports, and Btrove
in every wny to hit upon the channel
OF communication, but their efforts
seemed to be doomed TO failure.
Chance finally did what skill and
bribery could not effect. BY acci-
dent traveller, who, through friend
ship for the murdered woman's king
men, bad aided them in their hunt,
stumbled upon the fuRitivc's hiding
place, and iB even said TO have seen,
from an ambush OF his own, the muir
dercr moving about his retreat. The
| discoyerer lost no time In bearing the
rcwB TO his allies. Two OF the victims
brothers. with force OF assistants in
whom they could trust, sailed hence,
ostcnsibly for France. Rumorg cur
rent here have IL that they arrived onl Y
TO find that their enemy was dead. 1t
is also said that the compact is de-
gtroyed. III you have any knowledge OF
ita fate you may relieve many anxious
| hearts"
Lamar's pursucrs had been tho
avengers Of blood. By my aid ho had
evaded them, yet through me they had
come upon him Mt last. Fortune'a Gu
Triec had granted him but u reprlevc,
allowing him, in the end. only the priv
1lege OF dying by his own hand rnthcr
N