Catoctin clarion., 1897-04-29

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"If vou do bctruy me, may ltO1t dte as I
am duinu. u,ld arith no one to lore uO,tr'
But after the first greetings had been
exchanged--and very hearty they were
on both sides-Maurice began to reflect
that perheps the encounter was not so
fortunate after ALL For Dupont, besides
being communicative, was inquisltive,
and he had not been on board half an
hour before he had asked Maurice all
manner Of 'lIanswerable questions about
himself, his destination, his objects in
travelling and dozen things besides.
How to meet this broadside of interroga-
tives Maurice knew not, for his character
was straightforward and unimaginative.
He told lies awkwardly- on the 9TH
er hand, if he kept silence the result
could only be to stimulate his friends in
quisitiveness still further. Finally he
attempted compromise by informing
Dupont that for certain good and sut1i-
cicnt reasons he preferred not to specify
his exact intentions just then, but that
after they had arrived in New York he
would willingly tell him all he cared to
hear.
Dupont, who had all tho imagination
that Solange lacked, was gifted also with
tho power of effectively Disgusting his
feelings and designs when he deemed it
expedient to do 80. He accordingly pro-
fessed to be satisfied with the others
ultimatum; but, at the same time, pri-
vately made up his mind to get at the
bottom of the mystery, whatever it was.
And very likely he would have sue
ceeded, but that destiny chose another
way to bring about the issue.
While the Santa Lucia was still
thousand miles distant from her port,
sailing over smooth seas, with light but
rather battling winds, the second mate
fell i'll, and the captain, after invcstigat-
ing his condition, returned to the deck
with grave face. Tho mate remained
shut up i'll his bunk for two days, dur
ing which time there was q great deal Of
more or less outspoken speculation among
the ships company as to the nature of
his illness. The captain, in answer to
all inquiries, responded that the mate
was suffering from II bad attack of in
digestion and would be all right in a day
or two. But on the third day Dupont,
who WAS always the first to discover
everything, told Maurice that the disease
the mate had was yellow fever. Twelve
hours later the mate was dead, and then
the truth was known to every one. Be
fore sunset seaman had caught the in
fection and that night three others were
seized with the pestilence.
There were twenty persons on
board when the ship left st. Elmo; at
the end of a week after the fever ap-
peared only fifteen were left alive The
captain, Dupont and Solange were the
most active in nursing the sufferers. The
two first had seen yellow fever before,
and Solange showed the hardness and
,adaptabiity of an old campaigner. These
three were also the only ones who escaped
the panic that is among the most effect
i've predisposing causes OF the disease
AS fast as the men died they werestitched
up in their hammocks and buried in the
sea- No one who had been attacked re-
covered, but at length the epidemic
seemed to have run its course, and for
two days there were no fresh cases.
Then, when all seemed well, Solange
himself was smitten. He struggled man
fully against the fatal grasp of the fever,
but in vain.
When he realized that his time had in
deed come, the anxiety caused by the
thought of the peril to which his recent
mission was thereby exposed had the
effect of worsening his disorder. His
mind was in no less pain than his body;
he had set his whole soul upon fulfilling
the emperor's command, and he could
look upon his illness in no other light
than " q crime on his own part. He
had undertaken duty-:ss important
one as had ever been intrusted to SOL
dier-and he was about to fail in it, The
emperor, never hearing from him, would
suppose that he had been unfaithful and
had yielded to base temptation. 1t was
more than probable that the whole fut-
ure of France might be compromised by
his failure. He writhed in helpless ago
ny at the reflection. And every hour
every minute-he grew worse, and knew
that fate would be too much for him.
Dupont meanwhile faithfully tended
him; the lank, red haired adventurer dis
played all the tact and cleverness of u
woman. He always spoke cheerfully to
the sick man, and his genius for telling
amusing stories seemed to grow with the