Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-06-22

: SsS53S : wonders if the
S$:::.SI/H day of miracles
S:GsaAsNM has indee
r passed, but T doubt if any man was
ever saved from horrible and painful
death in stranger manner that was
twenty-five years ago, when I was EN-;
ployed as under-timekeeper at Wheat:
ly &c Sons great saw mills, in the
Westminster Bridge road.
My adventure sprang so directly out
of On incident connected with my do
mesAe life thatI may perhaps be Pc
tloned for referring to the incilent al
Tuestion. It.was as follows;
When I first came to the sa%mills ]
lodged with fellow employe named
Maxwell. He was q tall, powerfully
built, dark fellow, possessed of e cur
ious manner which made many of us
call him mad, though I believe none
of us ever thought him really insane.
When in q good humor he was the
best of companions, and after time
he and j became great friends.
Our friendship would doubtless have
continued had it not been for the in
tervention of that breaker Of SO many
: friendships between man and mana
woman. Ella Langley was the sweetest
girl I had ever looked upon, and when
1 first saw ner face I longed to make
her my wife. i ccnhded my purpose
one evening to Maxwell as we sat
smoking our pipes at our lodging, and
he spraug up as though had shet
him.
Course you, Graham" he said, in o
hoarse tone, the old mad look blazing
in his gray eyes, ''I mean to marry
that girl myself. Keep away from her,
do you hear2"
I could not help laughing.
'sYour behavior is extraordinary"
said, "and your remark still more so.
Haven't l as much right as you to
Miss Langley?",
ssRight or no right" he said, in o
doggee tone, ''you had better mind
what I say. We have been good
friends, Graham; but, Heaven holp
You if you make Ella Langley your
wife. If I cannot have her myself, I
will take care that You do,pot either.
have heard" I replied quietly,
''of the story of the dog in the manger,
but I never thought you were that
kind OF animal, Maxwell. Come, let
rs shake hands, rs pals should do,and
forget this nonsense. We both have
equal chances, as L understand it, and
let the best man win"
He held out his hand, sulkily, and
muttered that ho hal no desire to
quarrel, but that he was very jealous
and hated the idea of having rival.
Putting down his late outbreak to some
mad impulse which he could not con-
troll, [ dismissed the incident FROM my
mind and soon forgot all about it.
Te make long story short, I may
say that shortly afterward I asked
Ella Langley to marry me, and she
consented. We were we'd within o
short space, and Maxwell congratu-
lated me along with the others, won
dering at his magnanimity. Little
did I guess the hileous vengeance
which was already developing
in his brain; otherwise 1 doubt if
I should have gone my way with my
bride as ioyfully as went it then.
The weeks passed uneventfully
enough. and brought US to the August
bank holiday On that day the entire
factory was closed, the only person
on the premises being myself. 1 had
to look after the building until 6
O'Clock p. m., when the night watch
man would come on duty.
Invent my rounds methodically on
arrival, and as returned to the yard
Office, where myreport book was kept,
/ heard ring at the gate bell. Going
to the gate, I found, TO my surprise,
that the visitor was my late fellow
lodger. Roger Maxwell.
"Holloa, old man" he said, GIVE
just come to get my watch, which I
was duffer enough to leave in my
locker il the shop yesterday. Sha'n't
be minute. -
:. Although he spoke in calm man.
ner, and seemed friendly, did not
like the look in his eyes. Somehow
or other I began to fear that the mad
ness which we had always attributed
to him was now taking hold of him in
real earnest; but, of course, L could
make no reasonable objection to his
fetching his watch I therefore ad-
mitted him, and bidding him ''look
sharp" I returned to my stool In the
yard Office.
The day was exceedingly hot, and
very soon my head dropped forward
on my book, and I dozed off into a
vague, restless slumber. Dream fol-
lowed dream in ftful succession, and
suddenly the face Of Maxwell seemed
to come into my vision. His vlsage
was black with hate, and something
seemed to tell me that he was about
to seek my life. I was meditating
flight, when I awoke with a curious
feeling in my throat, to find the man
whom 1 had seen in the dream bend
ing over me in reality, his fingers
twisting themselves around my neck.
I struggled fercely, but the strug-
gle was an unequal one, for he was in
fnitely my superior in size and
strength, and then the ferceness OF
madness redoubled his vigor. Five
minutes later lay on the floor OF the
yard office bound and helpless. To
cry for assistance was useless, for the
door to the Office was shut, and even
had it been open, no cry of mine
could have reached the street.
My position was indeed appalling.
Here was [, unable to move hand or
foot, and at the mercy of a fierce
maniac, for I knew now that he was
indeed mad, and that his reason,
which long had been waverlng, had
fed altogether. Making, however. a
mi ,hty effort to be caim, 1 said, as
quietly as 7 could: