Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08
s'You will do your worst, II you please.
Then our turn win come. And you will


starve afterward."
II shall have my revenge. And my friends
there's noble lord-think of thati A
noble lord among them-they will not see
me starye; they will keep me in this house.
where the company Is good-yes-and the
drink is good-and plenty of it, have
never, not even in the days of my prosper
ity. enjoyed SO much good drink and SO
many kinds of 1t. My friends will look
after me. I am not AFRAID of you. sir, nor
OF any lawyers-nor of "a. the lawyers"
I warn you. Mind warn you solemn
ly. The tale you will tell is not true. 1t is
not true that this lady owed you s1,200; 1t
is not true that her account, which was for
less than 9100, was overdue; 1T is not true
that any action of hers put you into bank
ruptcy; 1t is not true, finally, as you think
of telling people. that she married con-
v1ct under sentence of DEATH
What? Not trueP Why. she married
negro-negro, SRA black beast of a negro
who is hanged"
'She did nothing of the kind Well, sir.
are You resolved upon getting your re-
venge? viii you attempt to spread this
1nvent1on-thiS monstrouS collection of lies
about among the lackies who frequent the
house?"
Sir" he attempted an attitude of dig
nifty. but his shoulders Iurched and his head
reeled. Sir" he said with Increased thick
ness Of speech. ut has been my boast and
my pride, throughout my life to forgive
NOBODY. Revenge Is dearer to me than life
L defy you. Do your worst. l will have re-
venge."
Oliver considered this poor impotent
boaster with kind of pity The man was
SO contemplate and SO obstinate His de-
cision was to bring him to a right mind if
possible and to persuade him, rather than
to threaten him, into abandoning these wild
threats of revenge. Any man, however ig-
norant and weak and helpless may do mis-
chief with a lighted torch.
Come he said, you talk at random.
You propose to tell your friends, the lack
1es-WhateVer you please. do assure you,
n
friends, as you call them, have given you
up; that your maintenance in this house
mas been abandoned. You are about to be
turned into the street. How will you tell
them, then, this or any other story? You
nave no money to call for more drinks:
there is not one among them all who will
ooiige you with pot of small beer. How
will you tell them?"
Il will have my revenge will have NV
revenge, he replied, with a poor show of
doggedness.
"On the other hand. am empowered to
make you an offer-an offer which Won do
not deserve. Now, listen, Mr.. Fulton The
offer is this: You are to go into the country
fifteen miles at least from town. If YOU
consent to this, and promise to circulate no
more stories about bills and fraudulent
doings and-and marriages in Newgate
you shall receive the sum of ID shilings a
week. With 10 shillings you can pay for a
room ana bed: They will cost you, say,
sh1l1ings week; your food will cost YOU
say, eight pence a day: there remains for
drink and for clothes the sum of s shilIines
a week at least. There, Mr.. Fulton is nv
offer"
The man drank off the rest of the tauk-
ard. He was now incapable of understand
ing anything properly; he saw things in a
haze. not clearly; he had returned to his
Ordinary condition-he was half drunk:
words and things had no more meaning
for him Don't waste your BREATH he
said thickly, talking nonsense. 1 will have
my revenge. This is comfortable house.
the company is good the drink is good and
PLENTIFUL have never before had such n
skinful of good drink"
Very good, Mr.. Fulton. very good. Please
to step this way with me-
Oliver took the man by the arm He was
quite unreSistlng. and rose murmuring and
repeating in broken language that he had
always prided himself on having his re-
Venge, and that revenge was dearer than
l1fe-W1th more bombastic stuff of brain
he unused.
Oliver led him to the door where the
sheriff's officer stood like a sentinel. At a
signal this man stepped forward and tap
ped the reVengeful bankrupt on the Shout
der, at the same time producing a slip Of
parchment.
I'm the name OF the law" he said, you
are my prisoner"
Some CLEAN of intelligence crossed the
drunkard's brain. He turned pale: he
reeled. "What?' he cried. Whose pris-
oner?"
Mine" Oliver replied. "I am the detain-
ing creditor. The debt is that for drink at
the Grapes. I gave YOU every chance You
will now, in the kings bench prison. reflect
at leisure on the consequences of desiring
revenge. You may tell any stories Won
please-on the poor side. You will have no
drink and very little food. [ have nothing
more to say to You. Officer, take him
away"
ITO he