Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1899-11-17
steadily back at his foe, and nodded a

ION, do you know me! linen you
perhaps remember where we last met,
and what said to you that day? Yes,
Mr.. Stanley Robshaw, 1 told you we
should meet again. The hope of COM
ing face to face with you once more
has kept me alive through the ten long
years l have spent in a living tomb.
l was not young man when your pitt
less invective-your charming love for
that precious decoy of ours-sent me
to undergo all the horrors Of penal SER
vitude. No doubt you thought should
never return; but 1 could not die and
leave my debt to you unpaid.
81 told you that the day when we
met once more would be the last time
you would behold the light. 1t was no
idle threat. You need not indulge in
any hope that your friend the doctor
will come to your rescue. My plans
are too well laid for any fiasco. DR..
Grand has been summoned to attend a
serious case at Evanston, a compound
fracture of the SKULL l believe our
wire said, and the last train will have
gone before he will discover the hoax.
"You are an authority on commercial
contracts, l believe, so you may like
to know the terms of the bargain be-
tween me and my pals. 1t is very sim
ple-they take the swag, and l take
you. l want none of your cursed
wealth; 1 want vengeance only.
when l spoke Of the last day you
would see,' spoke literally. You are
not about to die-not just yet, at least.
Perhaps you'll wish you were. No, sir;
but Pm going to put out your eyes;
I'm going to blind you. Pm going to
burn out those pretty, brown orbs, so
that you will never again see the light,
the green fields, the blue sky-the
sweet Miss Somerset-you see know
all about it," and he hissed out these
last words with look of intensest ha-
tired.
"And there's no need" he continued,
nowadays, Of hot irons and all that
rigmarole; the resources Of civiliza-
ton have rendered us independent of
that, and your medical friends shelves
have furnished the necessary means,
for we called at his room first.
''Do you see this little phial, with
camePs-hair brush, all complete? Well,
curse you! blister you-yes, I'm going
to blister you! This bottle is labeled
Liquor vesicatorius fortis,' and, if
your Latin is as rusty as mine, We'll
just call it 'tincture of cantharides.
Now, Mr.. Stanley Robshaw, Pm
going to paint your pretty optics with
this soothing eye-lotion, and then you
must excuse me and my friends for de-
clining your hospitality any longer. l
know all about this stuff, for l was
blistered in the hospital at that in
fernal prison.
Your eyes will gradually get redder
and redder, while the skin all round
them will swell and swell, till the big,
bladdery blisters completely hide them.
Afterward the blisters will burst but
you won't have any eyes then. It's a
lovely idea of mine, and beats vitriol
hollow. And now, look straight into
my face. l know how much you love
me, and it's an additional pleasure to
reflect that the last face you'll see this
side of the grave is that of your great
est and deadliest foe."
Stanley Robshaw fixed his eyes firm
ly and scornfully on the baleful coun-
tenance that glared upon him. For n
moment each stared steadily at the
other; then the eX-convict's gaze drop
ped. Even in the moment of his
triumph he could not, unabashed, meet
that clear, honest look.
At that instant a cab was heard to
stop In the street below, and, a few sec
onds later, latchkey grated in the
lock of the front door.
"Dowse the glim," whispered King
ston Scott, crossing to the door, which
he bolted, while another of the mis-.
creants turned out the gas.
In the breathless silence that en-
sued, footsteps were heard ascending
the stairs, and CHEEKY voice shouted:
"Are you in bed, old manT
Then the door was tried, and a mo-
ment later the young doctor retreated
to his own floor.
Lucky we've list slippers on"
growled one of the burglars, lighting a
small dark-lantern.
"Yes," assented his leader, adding in
a whisper, hold the glim here while
l put some soothing ointment on this
poor, afflicted gentleman's lovely op-
tics; and then we had best cut our
lucky. The 'sawbones' must have
caught his train, hang him."
And, while the other held the lantern,
the callous monster coolly proceeded to
paint the unhappy lawyers eyelids
with the deadly tlncture.