The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-15

VI
'My uncle Elias emigrated to Amer
lea when he was a young man. and be-
came planter in Florida, where he was
reported to have done very well. At
the time Of the war he fought in Jack
SONS army, and afterwards under Hood.
where he rose to be, colonel. hens
Lee laid down his arms my uncle re-
manned for three or four years. About
1869 or 1870 he came back to Europe,
and took small estate in Sussex, near
Horsham. He had made, a very con
siderable fortune In the states, and his
reason for leaving them was his
aversion to the negroes, and his dlsll ke
of the republican policy in extending
the franchise to them. He was "a
singular man, fierce and quick-temp-
cred. very foul-mouthed when he was
angry, and Of most retiring DISPOSE.
ton. During all the>years that he lived
at Horsham I doubt if ever he set foot
in the town. He had garden and two
or three fields round his house, and there
he would take his exercise, tho very
often for weeks on end he would never
leave his room. He drank q great deal
but he would see no society, and did
not want any friends, not even hia own
brother.
"He didn It mind me, in fact, he took
a fancy to me, for at the time when he
saw me first was a youngster or
twelve or so. This would be in the year
1878, after he had been eight or nine
years in England. He begged my father
to let me ivewith him, and d., ne waas.very
sober he used to be fond Of playing
backgammon and draughts with me, and
he would make me his representative
both with the servants and with the
tradespeople, so that by the time that
I was sixteen I was quite master. of the
house. I kept all the keys, and could
90 where T liked and do what liked,
SO long as I did not disturb him in his
privacy. There was One singular ex-
ception, however, for he had a single
room, lumberroom up among the
attics, which was invariably: locked, and
which he would never permit either me
or any one else to enter. With a boys
curiosity I have peeped thru the key
hole, but was never able to see more
than such collection Of old trunks and
bundles as would be expected in such
room. q ~. -
"One day-it was in March, 1883
letter with a foreign STAMP, lay upon the
table in front Of the Colonel s plate.
receive letters for: his bills were all
friends Of any sort, From Indial' said
he, as he took it up, 'Pondicherry post:
mark! What can this be9's Opening it
hurriedly, out there jumped five little
dried orange pips, which battered down
upon his plate. I began to laugh at
this, but the laugh was struck from my ny
lips at the sight Of his face. His lip
his skin the color Of putty, and he
glared at the envelope which he still
held in his trembling hand. X. e. XII
he shrieked, and then, MY God, my
God, my sins have overtaken mel
"fWhat is it, uncles' I cried.
DEATH said he, and rising from
the table he retired to his room, leaving
me palpitating with horror. I took UP
the envelope, and saw scrawled in red
ink upon the inner flap, just above the
gum, the letter K three times repeated.
There was nothing else save the five
dried pips. What could be the reason
of his overpowering terrorq I left the
breakfast table, and as I assembled the
stair met him coming down with an
old rusty key, which must have belonged
to the attic, in one hand, and small
brass box, like cashbox, in the other.
"'They. may do what they like, but
I'll checkmate them still, said he, with
an oath. "Tell Mary that I shall want
fire in my room today, and send down
to Fordham, the Horsham lawyer
f IT did as, he ordered, and when the
lawyer arrived I was asked to step up
to the room. The fire was burning
mass Of black, fluffy ashes, as of burned
paper. while the brass box stood open
and empty beside it,. As I glanced at
the box I noticed, with start, that
, upon the lid were printed the treble K
which had read in the morning upo1
the envelope. n >.&.
oct wish you, John,' said my uncle
to witness my will. leave my estate
with all it's advantages and all it's dis
} advantages to my brother, your father
: whence it will, no doubt, descend t.
and goodl If you find you cannot, take
| my advice, my boy, and leave,i it t.
i. your deadliest enemy I am sorry. tx
!, give you such a two-edged thing, bu
can't say what turn things are going
Ito take. Kindly sign the paper where
l Mr.. Fordham shows you
: IT signed the paper as directed, ant
the lawyer took it away with him. Thu
singular Incident made, as you ma,
land I pondered over it, and turned i
tevery way in my mind without bein,
!. able to make anything Of it. Yet
Y lcould not shake off the vague feeling
b of dread which it left behind tho tn
Isensation grew less keen as the week
2 passed, and nothing happened to. dis
fturb the usual routine Of our lives.
: could see a change IN my, uncle, how
lever. He drank moro than ever, and h
was less inclined for any sort of society
/ Most Of his time, he would spend in hi
= room, with the door locked upon the in
a side, but sometimes he would emerge i
a sort Of. drunken frenzy, and woul
q burst out Of the house and tear abou
the GARDEN with a revolver In his hanc
= screaming out that he was afraid Of n
: man, and that he was not to pe eoope
up, like sheep in a pen, by man Q
= devil. When these hot fits were ovel
q however, he would rush tumultuousl
: lin at the door, and lock and bar
behind him, like man who cam braze
4 it out no longer against the terror whie
= lies at the roots Of his soul. At sue
: times I have seen his face, even on
= cold day, glisten with moisture, as th
/ it were new raised from a basin.
10 5ttWell, to come to an end Of the ma
l. ter, Mr.. Holmes, and MOT to abuse you
patience, there came a night when b
d made one Of those drunken sallies fro1
II which he never came back. We fonn
/ him, when we went to search for hin
,e face downward in a little green-seun
st med pool, which lay at the foot of tl
garden. There was no sign Of any vi
b, lence, and the water was but two fet
Is deep, SO that the jury, having regard
his known eccentricity, brought in
D. verdict Of suicide. But ], who knew no
II he WINGED from the very thought I