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

MaAWell. w naG are you SoluS W w
with me?"
His laugh; low and ,demoniacal, tolt
me that 1 might expect little mercy
When his fiendish mirth was exhaust
ed, he said with a sneer:
ssYou will know my meaning ant
what I intend to do with you sool
enough. Long before the afternoon il
out you will have ceased to live"
"What injury have I done you?"
pleaded, though L feared that my
words would avail little; "what in
jury have done you that you shoult
seek my life?"
He knelt down beside ME-. his
mouth so close that I felt his breath
on my face, and said, hoarsely:
sYou know we'll enough, but 1 vii
tell you all the same. You stole from
me the thing I loved best in the
world-the woman I longed to make
my wife. You took my Ella from
me, and 1 am going.to take your life
from you in return. You stole Ella
who was as precious to me as exist
ence itself; it is but just that your
life should pay the penalty of the
theft"
cit was no theft" said. "She
loved me and she did not love you
We had equal chances, and I Won
Such things happen every day."
"Aye." he returned, with look
which made me shudder, "and mel
go mad for love. every day, and some.
times those men kill their successful
rivals. But I will waste no more
with you. Prepare for the end"
7 saw that any further argument was
useless. I gave myself up for lost and
said to him:
''very well, Maxwell. Since you
wish to mrder the mau who was once
your friend, do so. But for Heavens
sake, let my death be quick and mer-
ciful."
He laughed again.
"No,"Ie cried, "your death shall
not be quick and merciful. 1t shall
be slow in coming and horrible when
it comes. Shall I tell you what l an,
going to do with you? I am going to
fasten you, bound as,you now are, to
the longest beam in. tile mill and set
you on the saw. Then I am going be-
low to get up steam, and you can guess
the rest. T ssIculate thatit.will take
two. hours to fire the boiler so4zas-@tc
start the betting, and you will thus
have two hours to.lie and think ofyour
punishment. Come, I think I have
won the game after all, Mr.. Jack
Graham.
His words strncl; terrible anguish
into my soul. To die at all, when one
is young and full of life and love, is
bitter enough, but to die the awful
death which the maniac meant to deal
out to me was too horrible to contem-
plate. [ could only lie there motion
less and pray with all my strength
that some miracle might be wrought,
and that even ct the eleventh hour my
life might be spared. For although l
clung to existence i was not afraid to
die, but the thought of Ella was pre-
eminent in my brain; Ella, whom l
loved more than life itself, and who
would be heart-broken when she
learned Of my awful end.
Maxwell stood gazing at me for some
moments in gloomy silence. Then
picking me,up as easily as. one might
lift child, he carried me to the shop
which contained the big saw, called by
tho men "Big jack" in consequence
of its great size, and bound me, with
deft fingers, to the beam, some six
yards long, which lay on the slab ready
to be sawn asundcr.
He then attached to the beam the
pulley by which the wood would be
drawn automatically toward the saw
directly the machinery was set in
motion, aud, with short, cruel laugh,
left me to myself and to my thoughts.
They were horrible enough. Now
that death seemed to me all absolute
certainty, i was not much perturbed
in my mind about myself, but thought
of my wife, and the memsry of her
sweet face, which never more would
look into mine, filled me with keen
anguish.
I cried out several times for help,
but I knew only too well that the cry
was useless. The shop in which [ was
lying was midway between the boiler
house and the street, and some COO
yards from either. as the factory was
q big one. I might have been at the
North Pole, so completely isolated was
I then from all human help.
commended my soul to God as I
lay there bound and helpless. l asked
Him in His infinite mercy to protect
my wife when I had passed from earth,
and to comfort her in her great sor-
row. Then L asked forgiveness for
the sins I had committed, and when
the prayer was ended, felt o certain
resignation which was deeply COM
forting.
The maniac had indeed devised q
horrible vengeance when he had hit
upon the idea of binding me to the
saw and leaving me while he fired the
boiler, for during that time [ was able
to lie and contemplate my end, and
in spite of the resignation of which
I have spoken, my feelings were bit
ter enough. I think in those awful
moments I must have aged by many
wears. Even at this remote time, the
horror of that day comes back to me
and fills me with terror, bringing the
sweat to my brow.
Sometimes I awake in the night
from a ghastly dream, in which fancy
myself once again bound on that saw
and I thank God with all my heart
and with trembling lips that, after all,
it is only dream.
After little space Maxwell came
back. .
ST have built the fire down below
he said, hoarsely, "and you can cal
culate, from your own knowledge OF