The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-17

You remember that fellow who came
upon the evening before you left us7''
& Perfectly.
do YOU know who it was that we
let into the house that day?'
Il have no idea.
(" 1T was the devil, Holmes, he cried
81 stared at him in astOnishment.
"fYes, it was the devil himself. We
have not had 4 peaceful hour since
not one. The governor has never held
F, up his head from that evening, and now
| the life has been crushed out OF him,
| and his heart broken, all thru this ac-
cursed Hudson
/ 80 What power had he, thenq
| '.sAh, that is what I would give so
much to know. The kindly, charitable,
good old governor--how could he have
fallen into the clutches Of such a ruf-
fan? But am SO glad, that you nave
come, Holmes trust very much to
your Judgment and discretion, and I
know that you will advise me for the
Ebest.' ~.a ..
1--WE were dashing along the smooth,
white country road, with the long
stretch of. the Breads in front OF us
glimmering in the red light Of the set +
T could already see the high chimneys
and the flagstaff which marked the
squire dwelling.
! $50 My father made the fellow gar
dener,' said my companion, and then,
as that did not satisfy him, he was pro,
NOTED to be butler. The house seemed
to be at his mercy, and he wandered
about and did what he chose in it.: The
maids complained of his drunken habits
their wages all around to recompense
them for the annoyance. The. fellow
would take the boat and my father s
hest gun and treat himself to little
shooting trips. And all this with such
a sneering, 1eering, insolent face that l
would have Knocked him down twenty
times over if he had been a man Of my
had to keep a tight hold upon myself
all this time; and now I am asking my
self whether, if T had let myself go a
little more, might not have been a
wiser man.
" well, matters went from bad to
worse with us, and this animal Hudson
} became more and more intrusive, until
at last, on his making some insolent re-
ply to my father in my presence one
day, I took him by the shoulders and
turned him out Of the room; He skunk
away with livid face and two veno-
nous eyes which uttered more threats
| than his tongue could do. I don It know
what passed between the poor dad and
him after that, but the dad came to me
> next day and asked me whether / would
mind apologizing to Hudson. 1 refused,
as you can imagine, and asked my faith.
er how he could allow such wretch to
take such liberties with himself and his
household. -. ~-.-
, "Ah, my boy,' said he, "it Is
all very we'll to talk, but you don u
i: know how I am placed. But you shall
know, Victor. I'll see that you shall
know, come what may. You wouldn t
, believe harm Of your poor old father
would you, lad9' He was very much
moved, and shut himself up in the
study all day, where I could see thru !i
"'That evening there came what
,, seemed to me to be a grand release, fol
: Hudson told us that he was going tc
leave us. He walked into the dining
room as we sat after dinner, and an
nounced his intention in the thick voice
| Of a half drunken man. :.
I * we had enough Of Norfolk, ,
! said he. eth rum down to Mr.. Bed
: to see me as you were, I dare say.
* "You re not going away in ar
, unkind spirit, Hudson, I hope sale
. my father, with tameness which made
r my blood boil
f said he sulkily, glancing in my direc
( tion..
-" "Victor, you. will acknowledge
a that you have used this worthy fellow
: rather roughly,' said the dad turning
q to me. ...fs
$ {" con the contrary, I think thai
a we have both shown extraordinary pa
8 thence towards him. answered.
J: sRoFf th,t Y!;sry good mate. Wen SCI
3 M He slouched out Of the room, ant
q leaving my father in a state of pitiabl,
. nervousness. Night after night + heart
him pacing his room, and it was just a
y, ne was recovering his confidence tina
n the blow did at last fall.
g And how9' T asked eagerly.
In most extraordinary fashion
A letter arrived for my father yester
+ day, evening, bearing the Fordingbridg
: postmark. My father read it, clappet
both his hands to his head, and began
l.. running round the room in little cir
e cles like man who has been driven GU
! of his senses. When I at last drew
/ eyelids were all puckered on one side
)! and | saw that he had stroke. Dr.
! F'ordham came over at once. We pu
him to bed; but the paralysis ha
q ing CONSCIOUSNESS, and 7 think that W
9 shall hardly find him alive .sa~. =.
l. You horrify me, Trevor I cried
What then could have been in this let
T. ter to cause so dreadful result9'
d SO Nothing. There lies the inexplj
D. cable part Of it. The message was al
b surd and trivial. All, my God, it is a
GAS he spoke we came round tn
" curve of the avenue, and saw in tn
:, fading light that every blind in tn
II Il house had been drawn down. AS W
a 81 dashed up to the door, my friends fac
II convulsed with grief, a gentleman i
1. black emerged from it. =
II " when did it happen, doctor
n asked Trevor.
le left ~.
- Did he recover consciousnessq
IL For an instant before the end
: " Any message for me9'
q Only that the papers were in tn
~ back drawer of the Japanese cabinet
70 My friend assembled with the docto
II to the chamber Of death, while I RI
: manned in the study, turning the Who'll
matter over and over in my head, an
~ feeling as sombre as ever I had done i
y my life. What was the past of thi
y Trevor, pugilist, traveller, and gold -die
! ger, and how had he placed himself
7, the power of this acid faced seaman
Why, too, should he faint at an all,
=. sion to the half effaced initials upon hi
y arm, and die Of fright when he had
Z, Z, letter from Fordingham9 Then I II
IL membered that rockingham was /
e. Hampshire and that this Mr.. Beddoe
IvuvI,0 J. H. L 4