The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-08-22

H1eHNrAAf aNAAr @9VA41t lLp9f inc de-
parting Pietro, 1t IS not to be avoid
ed, he said. Let the man sign it
and pay his debt to the bank
! ! caught helplessly at the last straw
floating out from my disastrous ship-
wreck; What then9p l said.
What then3" he repeated, with the
same indolent indifference. aWhy.
then. there viii be another day tonor.
row."
And he went out Of the room and
up to his bedchamber, where the 81.
lent Pietro made ready for his ecesn,
trio master.
had a long talk that night with
Pietro. He had cousin in Polian.
no, q village about league from Ge-i
noa, whore the Mediterranean makes
a little sunny pocket. The place. hei
thought, ran with General Crueer,si
dream Of the Riviera, the bay wasi
paved with topaz. the far-oft back OF
the sea wine-red, as in the days oil
Homer, the air soft as down-only the
natfVes were not to be desired. They
were picturesque enough for a theatricl
eye, but they were very dirty, very
stout liars, and all sons Of the forty.
thieves. His cousin, Guido, was no
better than the worst of them, but he,
kept a very comfortable inn, II the
feas in It were only dead. His wife,;
Gabrielle, had once been In the service;
of the old Marquis FeEeth at. Genoa
and knew how to serve a gentleman.
Pietro would write to this cousin,
and drive bargain for every detail
lot General Cruger's needs.
There was no comfort to be had
from waiting, SO / picked up a map,
a Baedecker, some current fiction on;
Italy, and, taking the eyilfated mort
gage in my pocket went to Clifcourt
the next evening.
1 almost cried when / saw Gem
eral cruger, his face was SO greatly
troubled. He looked white and feeble.
an old man in two days.
He tried to make a little genial
talk at dinner, and get back into his
old CHEEKY self. But It was an EFFORT
he gave up presently with rather
bitter smile.
Mr.. 9arks," he said, when we were
again tuthe library Victor Hugo once,
said that bad fortune always grew
worse, and pretended It a quotation
from the Sybilline books. He believed
that Destiny, when 1t seized a man.;
always hurried him from one disaster
to another until 1t flung him, finally,
into the grave. The first blow was not.
always the one.tb be wept over It.
was the second, the third, that he.
feared. Well, here is the second"
He took up a,letter from the manteli
and drew out the sheets as though he
would read it to me; then he sat down
in his chair still holding the shGtsi
in his fingers. =.
II got this letter yesterday from,
Emily. 1t vas Fitten from the st.
Louis as she went out to sea, and,
drought ineby the pilot" Ia. h.,
He stopped aemoment and sat STAR
ing into the fire. asrtf caught by some
vagrant memory. Then he read the
letter.
1t was a happy letter, charmingly,,
put, full Of tenderness for the old IA
Their in his lonely house, carrying lit;
tie directions to him, little messages.
which he should deliver, little duties
be must perform. p
He folded the letter and laid It on
the tai le. Then he spoke with the dis
tinctness of one going firmly to his
ruin. Italy was now out of the ques-
tion; he must remain and get employ
ment somewhere. But, first, this busi.'
ness with the bank must be conclud-I
ed. He would go up to the city with,
me in the morning, execute the mort!
gage and take up the note. He did
not ask me about my conference with
Randolph Mason, and SO 1 was spared
the recital of that failure. When the,
candles burned down, 1 slept again!
in the guest-chamber above the IL
brary, but no aid came through the
igate Of dreams. Hope had abandoned
this derelict to the seas.
We went into the VOLTS bank at ten
1 o'clock the next morning. General Cruz
ger executed the mortgage, and no
tary of the bank filed in the prepared
acknowledgment below his signature.
The bonds were delivered to the sec
Rotary of Myron Gates, the money
paid by him to General Cruger, who
delivered the cash to the bank and got
the note stamped Paid" Then, when
the transaction was concluded, we had
luncheon at a club and returned to-
lower Broadway after having promised
General Cruger to meet him for dinner
at the Holland.
When entered the house, Randolph.
Mason was coming down the stairway,
He inquired what business had taken;
up the morning, and / told. him, as Bit
terly as could, the sequel to my 9TH.
er story. General Cruger was now.
penniless, Myron Gates had boarded,
his galleon and sailed away with its,
cargo without shot at his black flag
or the hack of cutlags on his gum:
/ =