Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1903-01-02
CHAPTER XX-Contlnued.

The crowd growing excited on the
beach, the shouts of the superinten-
dent to DR.. Moore, who was leaning
over the fence, the rage of the cap
tain at being kept waiting, all com
bined to keep away any chance of
reading my letter, anxious as l was to
do SO. u
FITS no use waiting, captain" said
the superintendent, as he hobbled up
the pier. CDR. Moore says the nurse
is out in the Enclosure and has not
been seen since 7 o'clock this norm
ing. Tell the authorities l sent you
on, and, If she is found she can go
Tomorrow, on with the next boatload."
"Come, Charley. jump on board;
they are just starting"
IT don't think I'll CO." replied Char
ley.
mot go! not co." exclaimed the.
old man full of establishment. II
Thought everybody was so anxious to
90 away, and here, in the very first
boatload, there are two missing;
come, jump aboard!"
mo; I'll wait till the next"
perhaps you will not be allowed
to go by that" said the Ancient Mari
II ucT, Will oil OLlllouS Ion VI ANS
head.
"Tll chance It," was the only reply;
and with that Charley strolled back
howard the police quarters. .tf
Then amid half-hearted cheers from
the crowd the boat moved slowly
AWAY, and we, sick at heart, stood
(. Watching her until she became indis-
tinguishable amid the incoming steam
t~-- rte- w. @,,rpoI nooh m orr COW
eral homes. they to discuss among
themselves the altered aspect of af-
fairs. and I to read the letter which,
like a boys first sovereign, was burn
ing in my pocket. At the end of the
pier the superintendent was waiting
for me.
"This Is a strange business, doctor.
She couldn't have got out, and yet she
isn't in the Enclosure. Where can she
be-"
81 am sure I don't know; spirited
AWAY, perhaps" l replied, laughing.
af "You may laugh, doctor, but moth
ing would astonish me about that wo-
man; she comes down here as a COM
.xmon nurse, and yet she corresponds
with a member of the government.
Why, I've sent the letters off myself.
Then she manages the doctor, the
grave diggers, the patients, and every
body in that Enclosure, as she likes;
and l don't much wonder, for when
she has sent for me sometimes to ask
for things over the fence, why, bless
your heart, she does as she likes with
me. l wonder where she is?" Re saad-
ed, after a pause.
81 don't know, but I suppose she
will turn up" l replied, anxious be-
yond measure to get away n read
my letter.
M Once out of sight of the people,
some of whom l knew had seen the
letter passed to me, l hurried out of
N the path Into the scrub, and sitting
down, pulled the bulky envelope from
my pocket. 1t contained three separ-
5 ate documents. The first was an or
der on the government to pay to me
the salary-forty pounds-due to her
for services rendered; the second was
an order on the bank with a check
Va Cloth signed and witnessed) for fifty
M pounds deposited there; and the third
n was the letter that was to explain all.
Though written in a bold, firm hand,
4 / experienced the greatest difficulty In
d%eciphering the words. The throb
bling of my heart and brain made my
eyes unequal to their duties; the
words were blurred and ran together
At length, after many efforts, l read
as follows:
M Dear Doctor Rigby-You will find
IA inclosed the documents / promised tc
send you; please do with them as
asked. You will, I fear, have some
difficulty in making Warren take the
money, but when he learns that
have no further use for it he will,
believe, no longer hesitate. l have
told him that in the event Of his want
ing a friend in the future, you will
do what you can. In this l am SURE
I am not making a mistake.
"Now, there Is only one thing left Il
do, and that is to wish you goodbye
l have been a thorn in your side;
have done you great injuries; Their
is no hope for you while l live. There
fore, l have decided to take the onl.
course open to me. That is, to opel
the door myself, and let myself GU
of a world that has been for me any
thing but a success. You must no
praise me or blame me for this, no
think It wicked or c%owardly, kind o
heroic. Believe me, it Is neither.
am sick of life; and ever II I had no
your happiness to think of should,
think, have taken the same course
and as far as its being wicked fror
my point of view 1t Is the exact re
verse. Wickedness means somethin
opposed to what you used to call tn
divine and kindly order of things, an
I have found myself opposed to thi
kindly order, surely the best thing 70
myself and everybody concerned
to take myself out Of the way. Flo
dava mast I have Thought of YOu q