The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-30

ed man, Who could he be-this stran-
ger, that had sought him out TO bring him
so immense sum of money? His brain
whirled in fruitless eonjectures.
But suddenly, without a seconds warn
ing, a thought smote him with a crash
that rolled through his. ears like thun-
der. He sppang to his feet in terror and
staggered 70 the wall, trembling like a
man with ague.
How long he stood there, with frozen
blood, he did not know. When he recover
ed power of sensation one wild, irresisti-
Bile impulse possessed him. He must look
upon the dead mans face again, at all
risks, at all costs. To live an hour longer
with that awful surmse would drive him
mad. He must return to the dead mans
bedside, look upon his face, assure him
self that the thought was hideous fan
tasy.
With shaking limbs he advanced to the
door and threw il open. 1t was dawn. The
grey light filled the room. The morning air
made him SILVER, as he paused for a mo-
ment on the threshold. Everything was
deathly STILL save for the rustic of some
straw, caught by the breeze, upon the cob
be-paved yard.All were sleeping in the 81
lent, struggling old building-an save the
man who was lying dead beyond that win
dow, the solitary open one in the midst
of the row of white blinds. A thrush swoop-
ed down and pecked at some grain in the
yard; and then looking up at the man
standing in the doorway of the cockloft,
with matted red hair@above bloodshot eyes
and CHASTITY features, took fright and flew
away over the gables of the inn.
Jonas Eames, barefooted. as he had des-
cended before, went down his ladder,
shouldered it and again placed it by the
open window. Until he had cleared the sill
and was standing upon the floor of the
room, he dared not look towards the bed
nv. -f,.1,4 IL.
he had left il, It had seemed spotless white.
Now over part of the covered form and the
counterpane beside it, spread a great if
regular patch like fantastic map of
dun red color. And there on the top of the
heap CLEANED the golden haft of a knife.
Jonas advanced on tiptoe, holding his
breath. Objects that had seemed vague
and indistinct in the moonlight took sharp
definition in the growing light of day This
very viVidness of surrounding seemed to
add a new cause for terror. The dead
mans clothes thrown carelessly into the
armchair the yellow leather case at the
foot of the bed, the silver tankard half
emptied on the table, the long horse-pistol
he had dreaded a few hours before, the
oalSen press, the prints on the walls-all
seemed to have started into awakened life
and to be accusing him with silent tongues.
And there in the midst of that red stain
on the bed, lay the most awful thing of all.
y Few steps he made on tiptOe, and then
with wild rush. he went to the further
side of the bed and tearing the bed
clothes from the face peered down.
lie fell back. with half choking cry.
In spite of the livid, eonvulsed features.
further distorted by the great red scar
from the hair-roots TO the chin. and the
glazed blue eyes set ia an awful stare.
he recognized the man. His thought re-
ceived hideous warrant. II was his broth
e.
For a long time he gazed at the dead
and then sank in a shuddering heap upon
the ground. And God and the devil fought
for his soul. He writhed in torture of
horror. His own brother-the only being
ne had loved in his degraded life bound
TO him by that strange blood-tie of twin
hood that drew him only the more strong
~ through his superstiuous ignorance!
His own twin brother-the lad around who
neck he had passed his arm. who had
thought of him in lands afar, and had
come, with love in his heart, to share with
him his fortune for a second time It was
horrible, deed never to be forgiven The
pains of hell gathered round about Jonas
EameS. To his warped moral sense the
Staying of an unknown human form had
occasioned no twinge of remorse on the
contrary il had caused him a pleasureabe
sensation, gratifying TO certain brute in
stincts, and among others. to his vanity.
But the awful discovery worked a revo-
luton in his soul
After a while he lifted up a haggard
face. The thought of the necessity of es-
cape occurred to him. Mechanically he
staggered TO his feet The sun had ris-
en-, and the room was bathed in golden
light. II he should fly it must be at once
But his eyes caught the dull glazed stare