Beadle's Dime Library No. 162 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘aA See Bt Pree —— + + ee EE ‘ ' senses, and causes one to sink into deep slumber : i ‘ > -= rf en a we 4 y 2 - 2 ~ a. . ~ ‘believed that he killed her an ‘then secure the last will of your father, and _you, my son, need have no fear,” word in reply, and with a look of shis face ee a _ with ightful dreams. ** Administered for a few moments by inhala- tion itis deli ious; but for a longer time it is | sure death. “I went to the Hall to-night, and carried with me this deadly herb. **IT knew a secret way to enter the mansion told me by Neil Gregory long ago, and I gain ~b*trance and sought Grace Townsend’s room. * She was asleep, and I lighted this root and Aeti it there to send forth its Bayete odor, and long ere thisshe is dead, and none will know ‘how she died, for it will burn to ashes that a breath will blow away. ** But Leroy Townsend being absent it will be fled, and I will without a orror upon He listened to her fearful sto Seeing that he remained silent she went on: **Duke Gregory, there was a time when you loved your father; but he forfeited that love, and you have now but cause to hate and curse ** You also loved your sister, haughty and cold theugh she ever was; but she cast you off and became the wife of a man’s whose dam- nable trickery made Neil Gregory do as he has done by you; for had it not been for Leroy Townsend, he would have sought revenge on me, and kept your secret, **Buat Leroy Townsend urged him on, and made him do as he did, and also forced your sister, for she obeyed her father, to marry him, and thus he gained possession of your fortune and hers. “Now this man is in your power, and your sister is dead, and I say unto you hang him at the yard arm, and all will be well, for no one knows of a visit here.” ‘“* Yes, there are two; Burton, the butler, and one other,” ** They shall be silenced.” ' ‘*No, no; you are too ready to—” “Bah! Dil not harm them, but simply bribe them to say nothing of your arrival on the and by the sunrise you can have gained py: , and ere noon drop the land from ” ‘No, no, I cannot. “After all 1 have done for you, Duke Greg- ory, will you now refuse to merely take the Jife of a man bu know to be a robber and your worst foe?” ‘“*T dare not.” ** You have a wife and child, I believe?” He started and cried: . **Oh God, ar tt ane og Me dishonor from them,” “But Neil Gregory says he told—” ** Bah! you can tell her it was but the say- ings of an old paralytic in his dotage, and she l believe you. ‘“‘Heed me, Duke Gregory, my noble boy, and let not this dishonor rest upon you, and upon your wife and child, and drag you down in shame and misery, when one act of yours can save you.” in oman! temptress, I yield to your tempta- ns. “Yes, he shall die, and with him perish the base secret, and I will yet retain honor in the eyes of my fellow-men, and save my wife and child from shame and Ae © fairly shrieked forth words, and she burst into a loud peal of demoniacal laughter, in her wild joy at having conquered. CHAPTER XVI. A PRISONER. ** CoME, my 80n, come, for you have no time to lose, would you get on board the schooner ere of the darkness; it is now after 508. ‘fhe woman having conquered was determined to give no time for repentance, and her = ey the mene cabin ae the pata lead- to the sm ers’ ca e e wa at a brisk pice and he silently followtag ‘i ‘‘ Await here—oh! there is the man I seek now,” she cried, as she beheld the form of a man 2) paving the cabin. _ Capi!” she cried in a clear tone. He gtarted, but catching sight of her ad- ve Did you capture him?” she asked 1 . you re him?” she eagerly. *: Yes, Mrs. Bond.” ‘* He was amazed doubtless.”’ ** He was alarmed greatly.” “* And Maddecks?” **Was with me, and has him in charge now at the retreat.” ‘* You have done well; but you must do more for me.” ‘Tam ready.” “Go buck to the retreat, and gag and bind Judge Townsend thoroughly; then take him in your boat and row him down to yonder rock, where I will ahem you.” ** Leave behind,” —— AVLCULLILOL,. = * AL OUUA ‘T will do so at once.” ‘*That is right; for you must get alongside yonder schooner before daylight with the pris- oner. ‘*I will do my best,” and the young sailor hastened away, while Clarice Bond returned to her son who had not moved from where she had left him. “Cheer up, Duke, my brave boy, for the past and its horrors will soon be behind you, and the future will be ever so bright.” ‘** Not for me, my poor, misguided mother.” “Yes, for you; for as mine was the first sin, from ignorance of doing wrong, mine are the sins now that right those wrongs. ‘‘I tell you, Duke, Neil Gregory would turn over in his coffin if he knew after all I had out- witted him,” “But at such a price.” ““Any price is better than your dishonor, Duke regory. ‘One day I may think so; but the dishonor was no fault of mine.” “Bah! don’t moralize, but act; ina few mo- ments your prisoner will be here in a boat, and I will go with Carl to the schooner, and return with him, and you have your destiny in your own hands, and the life of that wretch must be the forfeit. ** You have promised me that it shall.” - **'Yes, mother, I have promised.” “ And will keep that pledge?” “ Yes.” “Enough: I ask no more; where will you touch next?’ ** At Baltimore.” “Then I will write you there the result of his disappearance and the death of Gracé.” The man shuddered and made no reply, but to and fro upon the sands, with his rest- ess, nervous tread. “It is brightening in the east; Carl stays long,” said the woman tmpatiently. ut as she spoke the quick ears of the sailor caught the dip of oars, and soon after a boat came in sight and landed near them. ‘‘Get on board, sir, please,” she said to her son, and she instantly followed him, as he took a seat in the stern sheets and grasped the tiller. ‘Which way, sir?’ asked Carl, touching his hat pe a ‘* Yonder schooner is my destination,” was the low reply. The oarsman set to work with stron and sent the boat over the waters, rippl six-knot breeze blowing from off-shore. On the seat fronting Duke Gregory sat the lawyer, Leroy Townsend, and his head dropped upon his breast in despair when he saw who it was that had entered the boat. But his hands were bound behind him, and a bandage had been fastened tight across his mouth so that he could not But. he could see, and his eyes nearly started from their sockets, as Clarice Bond came aft and took a seat by his side, while she said in a low tone: ‘Leroy Townsend, better had it been for you, had you allowed Neil Gregory to wreak his ven- geance upon me, and not urged him to make public the dishonor on that boy. ‘But I have played my cards well, and I won the game of revenge after all, for Duke Gregory will get the fortune you sought to cheat him out of, as his half-sister, the haughty Grace, your wife, died to-night.” A groan burst from the man and he writhed in agony, seeing which, Duke Gregory said y: ‘* Cease torturing him.” ; She obeyed a moment after the boat was hailed from the Arrow. Her commander answered the hail, and ran his boat slongside, and then said sternly, ad- dressing the officer of the deck: ‘*Mr. Harold, here is a prisoner: send him below and have him put in irons, and allow no one to speak a word with him, under penalty of the cat. “Ay, ay, sir,” said the young officer, and call- ing two seamen he ordered the prisoner, who = hardly stand from fright, to be carried w. ‘“* Now, sir, get the anchor up at once, and set sail,” was the next order, and at the command of the officer the men spring to their work, while Duke Gregory turned to Clarice Bond and said in a low tone: ‘* Farewell; we shall meet again.” “Yes, and under brighter skies,” was the an- swer as she held forth her hand. He it an instant, and then drawing from his pocket a — of gold, tossed it in o the boat, and said aloud: ‘There, my lad, is a souvenir for you; good- — arl would have refused the money, but Clarice bade him keep it, and as the darkness was fading away before the approach of day, he pulled rapidly shoreward, while the schooner afew moments after, with her huge fore and main sails set, went flying away seaward, wing- and-wing before the wind, a man forward in irons utterly wretehed, and her commander in her cabin equally so, for he could not banish the haunting phantoms from before his gaze. pulls by a CHAPTER XVII. RETRIBUTION. On board the Arrow was considerable won- dering, at the unexpected return of the com- mande-, for the officers and crew were aware that the vessel was anchored off Duke Gregory’s house, and had not expected bim back for a day or two; in fact he had hinted at having a dinner on hoard while the schooner was there, and also of inviting all up to the Hall. There was more wondering at the mysterious prisoner brought on board, and yet there was no opportunity of finding out who or what he was, for the threatened punishment with the cat-o’-nine tails, checked the curiosity even of the most curious. The manner of their commander was con- strained and stern, and altogether neither officers nor crew enjoyed the sudden sailing under such mysterious circumstances, As the dawn broke, and the schooner was driving along merrily under a constantly fresb- ening breeze, Duke Gregory left the cabin and went on deck. His first officer, Arthur Nevil was pacing the deck, with quarter-deck tread, watching the rapidly receding shores, and glancing at his tig me age fairly started at the change he saw in him. His eyes were sunken and held in them a strange brightness, while his face was haggard and lines of suffering were about the south. In fact, Duke Gregory’s night of horror had added years to his life, and caused him to look as though be had been seriously ill. “*I do hope, sir, that you have had no sad tidings nor met with misfortune at home?’ queried the young officer, kindly. * Yos, Nevil, Ihave, for I found that my fa- ther bad lately died, and other sorrows have come upon me,” was the abrupt answer. “You have my deepest sympathy, sir,” re- sponded the officer, and having learned this much, he made another attempt: ‘“*T left the prisoner gagged, sir; is it your wish that he remain so?” ‘* No, I will see to it though.” Duke Gregory walked forward and descended to the place where the prisoner was confined. He found him pacing to and fro, the ba: dage still across bis mouth, and his hands ironed be- hind him. Near him a marine stood musket in hand. ‘‘Guard, you can retire for the present, I will recall you when I need you,” said the young commander, and the marine, with a salute de- parted, leaving the prisoner and hiscaptor aione ether. he first act of Duke Gregory was to remove tbe bandage from across his mouth, then he sat down u a bench, and said: “Ju ge Townsend, I have been strugglin bard with my conscience what I should do, an I have decided.” “What right, sir, have you to inflict upon me this outrage?” sternly asked the prisoner, speaking with evident effort after being so long gagged. FOB a Fg Ay roof her night I Vv my bome and [ found you in possess the asberia of my sister—” = ‘One word, is she dead?’ was the eager query. “To the best of my knowledge yes.” ‘* Heaven have mercy upon me!” groaned the wretched man, bowing head, for be had loved Grace as much as one of his sordid nature could love any one, **T found you,” continued Duke, in the same quiet tone, “the husband of my sister, who I know never loved AR hing and who only obeyed the wish of her father in so doing, and which you urged him to force upon her. ‘* By the letter you gave me from Neil Greg- ory, for I will not call him fatber, I found out who and what I am, and also that you are em- powered to make this dread secret known within a month after my knowledge of it. ‘‘This you also wished done, that in case I should sue for m , 1 could be forever unentitled to it through my birth. ‘‘The letter 1 bave read and know all its damning tidings, and I gave ‘eg hge’ up as ut- un bet dagen was tempted save myself at the expense of others, and that I now do,” “* Good | how?” broke from the livid lips of the man. "My sister being dead, her tongue can give no utterance to the story.” ** But your wife knows of it,” cried the law- yer, catching at a straw of hope. ‘‘She will believe my story rather than all others, and appearances will be in my favor.” ‘‘ And you intend to hold me prisoner until I pledge my word not to reveal the truth?’ hesi- tatingly asked Leroy Townsend. “I intend to place you beyond giving utter- ance to it, sir.” **Oh, God! v ould you take my life?” **T certainly vil.” ‘. 4 (tod’- “ spare re nave not an atom of mercy now in heart.” “ ‘But you will bave?”’ “ No.” “Mercy!” wT “at not the word,” EGomichboo (E(0)