The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-08-04
CHAPTER XIV.
VEI

Bill MS SCQ6mlnp was empty udiuo
frantic, rebellious heart.
Not line, not a trace remained OF the
document that held Tom Cupples' secret,
TO reveal the hiding-pace of the GOV.
eted package. With a great hoarse
cry Of rage and dismay, the
plotter ran TO the couch where lay the
paralytic. The Pickering rays OF the
dying confagration in the crate lllumlned
his swarthy face, showing his bloodshot
eyes, his twitching muscles. 1t seemed
as If he would drag man from the couch,
and teal the secret that was dying with
him from his dying lips.
Cupples breathed. There was life,
then. Why might he moi be revived to
tell what the paper contained. A doc
tor-a doctor, by all means!
Arnold Dacre sped from the room and
tn. house. When he returned five min
utes later, a professional-looking man
bearing a medicine case, accompanied
him.
A light was procured. Gravely the
man Of science inspected the inert mass
of humanity before him. His heart tlut-
tering with alternate hope and despair,
Arnold Dacre watched him feverishly.
NfeIIF Ut uGuduuCu 81 q Ni ,, n
tone as the physician, with a dubious
sigh, turned from the couch.
Doubtful"
"You mean?"
THE man is in very bad shape"
But he will live?"
"Possibly a day, more likely less than
an hour. l can do absolutely nothing
for him but watch him. There may be
a favorable turn In the morning"
Then watch him, doctor, secure a
nurse, spare no expense to revive him."
urged Dacre eagerly. Zone question"
what is it?"
"If he revives, will he spcak?"
81 fear not If this man lives, he will
be a helpless paralytic."
Arnold Dacre remained in the former
quarters Of John Wharton until nearly
midnight. He rented the apartment,
paid the landlady to act as constant
nurse to the sufferer, and actually
brought tears to the eyes of that good
lady at this noble exhibition Of his
generosity aud humanity.
IF he revives," Dacre told her. "lt
he should talk or try to write or make
signs, tell him that / left word for him
to impart his confidence to you, and be
careful to note what he may have to
communicate"
Then Arnold Dacre sought a ftful
spell of rest, broken by fearful dreams,
and early dawn found him haggard but
reSolute, and starting out upon q new
trail, having for It's motive the present
object Of all his schemes-the coveted
missing package.
II Rod a1pAa1 hi, nnccocc1np Dpor1y
h his grasp 1t looked as if he was
never to cast longing eyes upon
it again, and yet he reflected
hopefully as he walked to a farmers
tavern at the edge Of the town, whence
an old ricketty stage ran into the coun
try as far as Deepford.
1t was coach. express, and mail cart
combined, and it would take him to his
proposed destination by noon.
"Deepford." That was the town men,
toned by Tom Cupples. 'In a cave"
That was not a very specific clue, but 1t
was the only n he was warranted in
following out.
Somewhere near there he hid the
package. s%oliloQuized lie anxious
schemer, ''his incoherent babblingS be-
trayed that much. Some where near
there, too, oYertaken by weakness, tear
ing to forget, to be struck helpless, be
got a man to write out explicitly the de-
tails of the hiding-place of the package.
Who was this man? A charcoal burner.
There are not many IN the district II
can locate the one he saw, he will GER
tainly remember writing the scrawl fol
Cupples. Ignorant, careless, never at
taching any undue importance to the d.
rections, perhaps purposely obscured by
Cupples, he will remember and repro.
duce them for me. Then the hiding.
place-the package. Oh! feel certain
l shall find it"
The ricketty old coach had several
passengers. Arnold Dacre scarcely no.
tIced them, until he CHANGED to casually
regard the one who sat on the seat with
the driver. Then he started violently,
suspiciously.
"Hello!" he muttered, with a frown OF
concern, 1--WE seen that face before.
Where?'
He r~ansacked his memory diligently.
Tawny face-home spun tattire-blue
spectacles.
"Ah! the man who inquired for lodg.
ings at the Wharton room last night"
calculated Dacre. WAS it he, too, who
was prying at the transom, or was il
accidentally opened when the paper blew
into the crate. Am / being watched? Is
this man a spy, q detective? Hardly.
Pshaw! am getting nervous. l cannot
afford to worry over nnimportant ~trifles,
when the great central motive Of my
fate lies in a quivering balance"
He dismissed the stranger from his
mind as far as he could. In the hustle
of arrival at the OBSCURE settlement at
Deepford he missed him, and Dacre be-
came engroSsed in the details Of the
quest that had brought him hither.
He made friencs with the keeper Of
the one tavern the place afforded at
once. A few liberal treats won the good
opinion Of the boniface. Then Dacre
projected his query.
81 am looking for a charcoal burner
living nea here" he said. DO you
know any Such2"
"I do, for a fact There's only one.
1t amt a paying business, but old Sam
Binder ekes out q living at it,"
''Binder? murmured Dacre, memor.
izing the name.
"Yes, you'll find him on the creek near
the cedar growths. He has little cabin
you can't MISS"
Arnold Dacre was on the track of that
cabin within the next hour. Affairs
were progressing well so far. He began
to feel quite hopeful, but hat emotion
weakened considerably as he found dusk
coming down and the hut he sought
barely in view.
Too bad.' he muttered d%isappoint-