The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-06-07

opened it out and laid it on the table h kont of him
 He did read it his face ss.ned away from me. l les him get to the last page and then spoke:
 Bird of the artillery, if you are not Harry Ormsby, or his ghost. what in the name of all that is iriquitous do you mean by conducting yourself as if you were one or the other Your conduct is equally indefensible whichever you are. II you were only the ghost i, would be bad enough to haunt your own regimen, till you gave if a bad name but if you are the real living man, and can let the sweetest woman in England ire, herself into her grave for your shabby szke--
 Stop there, You know nothing about it!7 said he. turning sharp upon me. "What an impudent young began you are.' he wen, on, half laughing. aI give up. 1 must trust myself to you ,ou are gentleman, and will respect my secret"
 No, will not" said. sturdily. I've promised Miss DAcre 10 find you and bring you home, and I'd betray any amount of confidence sooner than disap- point her.
 , To find me How dic you know vas alivef What business is ii of yours .''
 gave him a rapid sketch of her situa- ton, during which he paced the tiny room uneasilv, looking miserably helpless and undecided.
 There's only enc thing to be done now,' 1 concluded. "To come a~ay with me to Pendereil at once. The longer you delay the worse it will look. Come.n
 handed him his hat and he got him. self into his coat in a may, somnambu- hstic fashion, and led the way down stairs. linked my arm in his directly xe got outside, and looked about for a cab. None vas to be seen, % walked him biiskly along the waser.side path 10 the bridge. We had to cross disused. shabby little wharf, green and rotsins. felt him vince.
 How were you saved ?" asked in a casual tone. We all know how you got in, but why didn't you drownT
 "I couldn't make up my mind to it. he replied, frankly enough. ''I went in as resoluteiy as anybody; but the water was (Osa duG StliCih Ot UT oiuakC. olAftnk in i, vas not to be thought of. so swan up to a barge, got put on shore and made my way to my old nurses. She married a ware-houseman. and lived near here. thought no one need ever know of my performance, and then suddenly recol- lecfed the letters l had left in my room, so bolted up to the barracks forthwith 1 found that my things had all been over- hauled and the letters taken. Then | came across my servant, who called upon all the saints to stand between us, and ran !; SO l thought as was supposed to be dead, to let 1t rest SO, for lew days at least. 1 did hang about and try to catch Loxdale. If could have seen him, and talked it over, 1t would have been all right. Then found the police were after me. My poor old nurse got in an awful panic, made me lie close and dis guise myself with cropped hair and black eyebrows for days; till the regiment left, in fact; and then came the question, what to do next 2"
 Wouldpt your uncle have helped youF l asked, more to keep the conver- sation alive than for information. We had got out of the town now and were striding across the dewy pastures in a line for the spire of Penderell church.
 My uncle not he. He was not only too glad of the excuse for turning me adrif. l mean the excuse for himself to his own conscience. He would have done it before, but for her, she stood by me and pulled me through the first mess go; into. think hear him nov, I've scriptural warrant for what am doing , (,has was signing a big check with the bible opened at the Prodigal Son, ready for the evenings exposition, before him. :; but remember, sir, even your prototype, with all fhis assurance, didn't try it on twice."
 Ormsby stopped to laugh at the recol- lection. He had a boyish laugh and a boyish face under all his Indian sunburn l wanted to hate and despise him, but couldn't somehow, especially when his
 Think of her ever wishing to see me again, believing in me all through! 1 tell you, Rivers, it was just the thought of her that drove me away. knew she'd stand by me and couldn't drag her into disgrace so when the regiment left l just borrowed the railway fare from old nurse, ran up to town and enlisted in the artillery. It seemed the one thing left to me.n
 "How have you got out again." asked naturally enough, before your time was up?"
 The poor old woman was SO misera- ble at my being a common soldier that she lent me all her savings to purchase my discharge, and thar is how I came to be here again, with the regiment. It seems like fatality. never calculated on being sent out to India to the same station. As soon as saw them at Secunderabad all my troubles seemed to start up again. could have murdered Vandeleur if had met him alone, and felt mad to hear the voice Of an old friend again. That was how 1 came to be hanging about Loxdale's bungalow one night-but when l saw that other man there made of, don't know how |;