The Sunday herald., 1886-10-10

for water or something, and forgotten all
about my things. | must Just 60 and get
them myself, suppose"
So, wrapping himself in the faded patch-
work quilt which had adorned his couch,
Mr.. Fsirburn flung open tho door OF the
other room and proceeded on a tour OF inves-
tigstiou.
What was his surprise when, crouched In
the selfssme corner from which she had
been extricated the previous evening, her
hands clasped In mute entreaty, and an
agony of terror depicted on her wrinkled
face, iIe found his missing hostess
"Poor old thing She's evidently little
wrong In the head" said the young laird 10
himself. "I must try and humor her
Bit"
But at the first soothing words he at
tempted the frightened creature crawled
forward and clasped his knees convulsively.
"vor the love o. heaven, dsunt ZEE harm q
pure old widder 'ooman what want be long
out % her grave anyhow, an I'll tell zee
the gospel truth, 10 cure as death wull |"
"There, there, guidwlfe, I'm not going 10
hurt you or anybody else. Get up, there's
a good creature. and get me my coat and
trousers, that's all I want. Don't look so
scared; you didn't take mo for ghost walk
ing In broad daylight, did you ?"
"You'm cure You want hurt me wan
tell ZEE arlY be In my zeventy YOUR, an
vrail rs bird, be I"
~ won't say what I shsu't do IL you keep
me standing here much longer Where on
earth have you put my clOthesf You
haven't burnt them by accident, have You 2"
"Oh, what wull zee ray when tell zee 7"
And Betty Trownson fell TO sobbng vio.
lsntly, while still cliuging TO her guests
knees. Mr.. Fairburn fairly stamped with
vexation.
"Confound II ALL what on earth am to
do with this old lunatio They'll have sent
out search party from Coombe by now, aud
IL may be up here directly as likely as not.
A pretty figure should cut II Miss Madge
put her head In the door Just nov
by the way, I wonder what time II really
is."
And freeing himself with difhoulty from
the unweloome embrace, Mr.. Fairburn
strobe hastily toward the inner room, the
impromptu dressing gown floating boldly
out behind his manly form. In another
| minute he returned with an angry light in
his blue eyes.
"Then there really has been some devil.
try or other going on 10 the night, you old
beldams! You've good cause to be fright
gun all alone! Tell me this instant where
|
old bodyi"
Notwithstanding his angry words, Alsck
lifted the sobbipg old woman gently enough
from the floor. and placed her In her wooden
| armchair.
"But first of all, tell me where shall find
my clothesf oan do nothing without
them for oertaiu."
ooh, ziri-daun't ZEE be 20 wrath wi me
they in gone toor
"Gone! gone where !" gasped the victim.
"Hs've a took 'em, yer honor-black Jan
am the watch, an the gun, an arl But
want zee have they things hs'th left vor
ZEE to wear instead I've got 'em arl safe
vOr 'ee."
And drawing from within the press bed.
stead a bundle Of clothing, the widow dis
played before tho astonished gaze Of the
young laird suit of homespun, COARSE in-
deed In texture, but pleasingly varied In
hue, each parti. colored garment being fur
ther conspicuously adorned with a huge
inwoven ''broad arrow" in short, the strik-
ingly distinguished costume peculiar to the
inmates of Dartmoor Prison.
Mr.. Fairburn's first impulse was, fear,
to indulge in some exceedingly strong lam
guage. But apparently there was something
in the grim humor Of the situation which
suited Highland sense Of the ludicrous, for
style Of attire offered for his adoption, Aleck
burst into laugh 30 loud and long that the
widow In her turn thought her guest had
taken leave Of his senses.
But when the laugh was over Mr.. Fair
burn spoke gravely enough.
"Come, guijwife, jokes joke, but you
must give me more lucid explanation than
this II you don't want to see the inside Of
Exeter gaol. What the dickens have you to
do with black Jan, who so literally places his
wardrobe at my disposali And why didn't
you at least give ms the chance of tussle
with the scouudreif
Betty Trownson was plainly immensely
relieved that her tidings had resulted In
nothing harder than words.
ooh, zir, do zee be thankful that zee be
spared zafe In life and limb to zee the light
o. this blessed day, instead Of q lyin' in
there mangled corpse9 There bain't y
more desp'rate villain alive than Black Jan
wan the bid of 'un is up, an he wouldn't
ha' stopped short O. murder last night II SO
be he couldn't ha' got they cloze any other
way"
The allusion reminded Mr.. Fairburn of the
decidedly incomplete nature Of his present at.
tire, and led to hasty adjournment to the
inner apartment, where, seated on his mat
tress and wrapped in his patchwork robe d.
l
bling narrative.
II appeared that she had known "Blauk
JAM" alias John Hearn, from his boyhood
} he having been born and bred on the moor.
While still youth he had fallen into evil
, company and evil ways, aud at length on a
charge Of housebreaking he heard senteno,
of ten years. penal servitude pronounced
against him. Then, naturally, hs had van
ished from the sight and hearing Of homes
folks; until, as tho solitary widow sat dozinl
over her fire tue previous afternoon, mar
in convict dress had stood suddenly bsfor'
her, painting and exhausted from run o
many miles -"Black Jan" himself, who
. having escaped under cover Of the fog frou
I one of the gangs at work on the moor, nov
half besought, half-threatened the lionel,
old woman into affording him temporar,
, shelter.
"Then the scpundrel was actually In tL
I, place when knocked yesterday afternoon I
Interrupted her auditor.
SEES fay, he wasl An both Of us though
cure twas the sodgers after un, though he'
' q made me put out my bit o. wire vor wear
might sarve 'um vor guide. I'd o'ny jis
o. vinislied hidin' Of un in the peat stack
. out at the back, wan ZEE brock oppen tn
j. door In that fashion, zir, an was jist val
I mazed wi terror"
r turn me ont on the moor again But no,
= came you to change your mind, guidwif,
!, and become SO hospitable all in hurry :"
"Didn'tyer honor spake o. goin' ont to 6.
's the turfs yerzsl and wasn't Iquakin' like
y leaf vor year thsrs'd bs blidshed betweent
IL two Ov 'es vor Jan had zwOre he'd nsvs
y be looked agen alive. And though 'ss bs
ID vine vigurs Of q man, surely, you'm Il
match, zir, vor Black Jan, the best wrestls
Is in arl Devon, an q head higher than you
Q bezidesl 10 wan l goosd out to get the
10 turfs an zwsared to me l nun either &.
It they cloze an money vor he, or zee thee mu
in dered ovore my eyes, thinked II wor no zi
Of TO zavs the zifs ov 'ee at any price. And b.
a. zides, yer honor, to tell 'ee the whois trutl
d one winters day, many long year agon,
IS Jan Hearn coined up here TO bring me
T. rabbit he znared--'twant long after my ol
y man was took-and he fndth me a lyir
tr all alone zick we'll nigh to deaths doore, al
he rinnsd matter o. ite mile to vstch ti
k doctor vor |; an 20 II zeemed I couldn
s stand by an zee un shot down by they sodgel
IN like mad dog, ifzo be could zsve the Ii
of un! 70 made uu swear IL he got the