The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-12-16

4
Ibis hands were plucking back the
| bed clothes.
| thief"
III The one choking word burst from
my lips as painted up. Thank heaven!
That contact had broken the unac-
countable lethargy and for the next
moment / knew nothing except that /
really had him by the throat in an in
sane grip, forgetting all but the one
monstrous fact that he had attempt
ed the most despicable part that man
could play upon another. What next?
Why, there was a brief, blind struggle,
deadly shock and baked design on his
part. and incredulous passion on mine.
And then--then i had send him reel
ing back TO the floor in a spasm OF
loathing. Just the one dull bump
there he lay. quite still.
Dead? / did not pause to know.
Dazed, trembling with the reaction,
/ had only a wild longing to be out of
the place before he stirred. How
dressed / shall never know; but in a
minute or so / was at the door, the dis
patch safe in my pocket. Down the
staircase / went, and, perhaps luckily,
there happened to be no one at the hotel
entrance to intercept me, or worse
might have happened. Now was out
in the sweet night air, hurrying / had
no idea where. Only TO leave the place
and that prone scoundrel behind!
Heavens! that struggle was shudder-
ing upon me still. The precious dis
4 nafch-tha colonial office-
"Brian! Brian-it's Brianl Quick
here!"
| W-what was that? The wild cry,
from woman's lips, pulled me up and
partially back TO sense before, as il
seemed, had gone a hundred yards.
'Brian!" rang through my confused
brain. Was that--was that Lottie's
own dear voice ?-had the world come to
its end? 1t was wholly too much for my
strained nerves; there came a sort of
blank. They told me afterwards that
/ caught at a railing and slid down be-
side it helplessly Why, yes, think of
| It'll
| A sob, broken THANK God Oh,
thank God for this!"--and my eyes
opened. What n dream! My Lottie
herself, white and sweet, holding both
my hands. Quite enough! After thatI
know what the touch OF firm ground TO
the feet OF drowning man must be.
SCOT il, dear-the diamond-for the
weddingw recollect whispering up, in
quite childish ecstasy. "Shines so
beautiful"
Better, sir?" asked a policeman.
"Aye, better now, old man ?" echoed an
other deep voice, that startled me to my
senses as nothing else could have done.
Why, the man who had been supporting
me in his arms
"J-Jackl" gasped, staring wildly.
Eyes, yes, we know all--or we guess.
Never mind, so long as we're here in
time. Ssh, not word now, for his own
sake, If not ours!" He whispered ii in
my ear-and / knew il was indeed my
Jack Hamlyn, If only by the touch OF
his beard. Tell us all afterwards. I've
blundered; and scoundrel has taken
advantage Of it TO try on the dirtiest
trick Of his contemplate life. Wilfred!
Here, constable, it's all right;
show us TO n decent hotel!"
In less than an hour had come out
OF darkness into sunshine indeed, and
was able to see to the end of what had
seemed such an appalling mystery. My
fatal slip-my cablegram in code!
Jack, it appeared, who rented bach
elor apartments near the city, had re-
ceived the message from Madeira in due
course. Mystified at first, he had at
Iat 20, ft.or clnt n ha IL
into sense. and made arrangements to
be az Southampton to meet the vessel.
On the all-important day while at
breakfast he recollected some vital
business affair and hurried off to catch
his business partner, leaving the mes
sage and its solution beside his plate,
and in that unlucl<y interval something
happened.
Wilfred, his scapegrace brother, had
called therefor money, doubtless, as
he often did-seen the message, and,
quick Drained as he was INSCRIPTIONS,
had instantly conceived some idea of
meeting me in the character of Jack
and making off with the valuables /
had limited at. How? There was Jacks
coffee on the stove--the landlady said
Mr.. Hamlyn would be back inside half
an hour-the schemer saw his likeliest
chance in u flash. The half hour had
sufiiced. Without knowing why or how.
Jack had come out of deadly stupor
late in the afternoon, 10 find that the
locked door had been forced, and Lottie
and doctor, sent for by his landlady,
bending over him.
Dragged! probably with the bulk Of
the very opiate which had been put into
my. own glass at the hotel hours later.
Only recollecting that Wilfred had
been, and had seen the cablegram, Jack
instantly went Oft to catch the even
ing express to Southampton = and,
needless TO say, nothing in the world
would prevent the woman / loved from
accompanying him. An anxious tramp