The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-11-27

lines of decision forming about his mouth
and chin; and, having bathed and cleanly
dressed, went out.
He went out beyond the town to the hut
where Scip the boatman lived. Scip was at
home. He lived quite alone. His father,
his mother and four brothers had died Of the
plague since June. He started when he saw
Hope, and his habitual look Of fear deep
ened to q craven terror; he would rather
have had the yellow fever than to have seen
the Northern nurse just then. But Zervlah
sat down by him on the hot sand, beside
rather CHASTITY palmetto that grew there, and
spoke to him very gently. He said
The Mercy came in last night, Scip-l
know. Andyou rowed down for the supplies.
You heard something about me on board the
Mercy. Tell me, Scip.''
"He's durn fool" said Scip, with a
dull show of passion.
"Who's durn fool?'
"That dem Mate.''
$50 it was the Mate? Yes. What did he
say, sclp~
But you told of it, Scip."
81 never told nobody but Jupiter, the
durn foolW persisted Scip.
"Who is Jupiter?"
"Doctor Remane's Jupiter, him that
holds the boss, that he brung up from the
fever. He said he wouldn't tell. never
done believe it, necer,.
low, kind voice, ''that wouldn't have told
II I'd been you. But never mind.'
never done mean to hurt youW cried
Scip, following him into the road. "Jupiter
the durn, he said he ID never tell. 1 never
told nobody else."
You have told the whole town." said
Zerviah Hope, patiently. "1m sorry, but
He stood for moment looking across the
stark palmetto, over the dusty stretch Of
road, across the glare, to the town. His eyes
blinded and filed.
1t wouldn't have been great while," he
said. 81 wish you hadn't, Seip, but never
mindn
He shook the negro gently off, as if he had
been child. There was nothing more to say.
He would go back to his work. AS he walked
along, he suddenly said to himself:
"She did not smile this morning! Nor the
lady at the telegraph office, either. Nora
good many other folks. l remember now.
Lord" he added aloud, thought
breaking into one of his half-unconscious
prayers, which had the more pathos because
it began with the rude abruptness Of an ap
parent oath-'Lord! what in the name of
heaven am going to do about it?"
Now, as he was coming into the little city,
with bowed head and broken face, he met
Doctor Dare. She was riding on her rounds
upon patient, Southern tackey, and she
was riding fast. But she refined up and con-
fronted him.
Mr.. Hopel There Is a hateful rHmor
brought from New York about you. l am
going to tell you Immediately. 1t is said
-
"Wait minute !" he pleaded, holding out
both hands. Snow. Go on"
at is said that you are an escaped con-
uinf - tlNa loI Il
1t is false" cried the nurse, in ringing
voice.
The Doctor regarded him for a moment.
may be wrong. Perhaps it was not so
bad. was in cruel hurry, and so was
Doctor, Frank. Perhaps they said dis
charged convict"
"What else~ asked Zerviah, lifting his
eyes to hers.
"They said you were just out of seven
years. imprisonment ormanslaughter. They
said you killed man-for jealousy, believe;
something about woman"
"What elseW repeated the nurse, steadily.
81 told them L did not believe one lu0rd of
it," cried Marian Dare.
"Thank you, madam" said Zerviah Hope,
after scarcely perceptible pause; "but it
is true"
He drew one fierce breath.
"She was beautiful" he said. "I loved
her; he ruined her; l stabbed him"
He had grown painfully pale. He wanted
to go on speaking to this woman, not to de-
fend or excuse himself, not to say any thing
weak or wrong, only to make her under
stand that he did not want to excuse him.
self; in some way, just because she aoGS
to make her feel that he was man
enough to bear the burden of his deed. He
wanted to cry out to her, "You are a wom-
an! Oh, be gentle, and understand how
sorry man can be for deadly SIM" but
his lips were parched. He moved them dri-
ly; he could not talk.
She was silent at first. She was a prudent
woman; she thought before she spoke.
Poor felloww she said, suddenly. Her
clear blue eyes oyerhowed. She held out her
hand, lifted his, wrung it, dropped it, and
softly added, swell, never mindv much as
if he had been a child or patient-much
as he himself had said, "Never mindw to
Scip.
Then Zerviah Hope broke down.
- haven't got murderer's hearth" he
cried. sit has been taken away from me.
1 amt so bad-noao. 1 meant to bel
wanted to do"
"Hushp' she said. "You have and you
shall. God is fair.''
eyes," said the penitent convict, in a
dull voice, tGod is fair, and so he let 'em
tell Of me. I've got no fault to find with
Him. So nigh as can understand Almighty
pOu, nc mcdHS W0ll. L guess He'll pull
me through some way. But I wish Scip
hadn't told just now. l can't help being
sorry. 1t wasn't that wanted to cheat,
but"-he choked-''the sick folks used to
like me. Now, do you think Pd ought to
go on nursing, Doctor? Do you think I'd
ought to stop?"
I" You are already an hour late," replied
the woman OF science, in her usual business
like voice. "Your substitute will be sleepy
and restless; that affects the patient. Go
back to your work as fast as you can. Ask
me no more foolish questions"
She drew her veil; there was an unprofes-
sional moisture on her long, feminine
lashes. She held out her hearty hand-grasp
to him, touched the tackey, and galloped
away.
"She is a good woman" said Zerviah,
half aloud, looking down at his cold fingers.
"She touched me, and she knew! Lord,
1 should like to have you bless her"
He looked after her. She sat her horse
finely; her gray veil drifted in the hot wind.
His sensitive color came. He watched her
as if he had known that he should never
see her again on earth.
A ruined character may be as callous as a
paralyzed limb. A ruined and repentant
one is in itself an independent system of sem
sitive and tortured nerves.
Zerviah Hope returned to his work,
under the foreknowledge of his
fate. He felt as if he knew what kind of
people would remind him that they had be-
come acquainted with his history, and what
ways they would select to do it.
He was not taken by surprise when men
who had lifted their hats to the popular