Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-07-30

Your wife is alive?"
"9es," he replied, gloomily; but
anxiety has made an old woman of her.
Her beauty has gone. She is the
wreck of what she once was. The Greek
/ spoke of has charge of her and the
boy. He has been well educated, but
he cannot teach the lad much longer"
"And the name, Mr.. Gerard, Of the
murderer"
Burlington"
"What? The writer? The social
ist?"
"That is he. meet him." he whis-
pered fearfully, ''at banquets, at the
clubs-everywhere."
thought of that familiar figure,
Damocles and the sword; of the wretch
In the iron chamber, whose torture Poe
has described; of many others whose
sufferings have stained the page of
history; and, noting the haggard fea-
lures of the man beside me, his witch
ing fingers, his prematurely gray head,
his sunken chest, and in salient con-
trast to these his love of life and pleas
urc, his great wealth, his power and
fame-noting this and more. con-
sidered my own future, and trembled
l make certain, looking back, that dur
ing this interview babe good-by to my
youth. The realities of this world,
stripped of gloss and glamour, grinned
sourly in my face, cacliling derisively.
"IIe cannot be mad" | exclaimed.
"11e is mad" persisted Gerard. wait
till you see him. The glare of insanity
is in his eycs-others have noticed it
but his sclf-control is marvellous.
What" = he leaned forward and
touched my cheek with his clammy
fingers-"what will happen when that
self-control gives way?"
The $4,000 salary began to shrink.
"But your son." said, impatiently;
"you wish me to be tutor to your son.
What has he to do with this man?"
Burlington" returned my host, in
somber accents, will Stay my boy as he
slew my friend. am certain of it,"
"Then he knows of your marriage?'
"Hc does"
"Of the birth of your son?"
"Yes."
"Of the sanctuary?"
II don't know. fear the worst"
"Mr. Gerard" l said, "are you sure
that you are not the victim of your
nerves? Possibly this man never COM
mitted the crime your wife charges him
with. Time has
'Tut. tut!' he rctorted, peevishly.
do you take me for fool? Burling-
ton knows what he is doing Look here
and here"
He drew from his pocketbook half
dozen sheets of paper. These were
soiled and stained from use. The man
must have read and re-read them a
thousand times. He spread one out
upon his knee, and without glancing at
it, repeated to ne FROM memory the
contents.
"'Iou cannot escape me- he muir
INJURED, but know how to wait. !
shall strike you down when you least
expect it.
He handed me the Paper. but could
not deciphcr the words upon it. 1t
bore a date, March II, 1875, and was
"litteu upon pIIuteQ Telegram loriu.
"a telegram" exclaimed.
Yes, and written in cipher, ci-
pber several of us used at Red Gulch.
and one familiar to Burlington. Here
is another message, of later date. 1t
runs: You have 4 child. Take good care
CT it, When received this" said Ger
ard, tapping the faded paper, ~ went
| nearly crazy with terror. had solved
the problem which had puzzled me for
five years. My life, in the opinion of
| this demon. was not worth the taking.
He had reserved for himself Il sweeter
revenge. Nothing would glut his appe-
tite but the blood of my innocent child.
OF course dared not tell the mother,