Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-09-13
A FAMILY AFFAIR.
BY HUGH CONWAY.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE sWEETs OF LIRERTY.

THE SWEETS OF LIBERTY.
Liberty, the 'god less heavenly bright"
showed her ia G, the first time for years,
to Maurice Her ey on the very day when
Miss Clauson and Sylvanus Mordle went
to BlacktowD.
Mrs. Miller who had manifested so keen
an interest in the felon's enlargement
remained in complete ignorance Of the
happ event. This due to no omis
sion on her part She had written twice
to the go ernor of Portland, begging that
the date of the convict's release might be
made known to her. The letters were
dated not from Oakbury but from some
pla in London. The first letter was
duly ackn wledJed, and the Information
vouchsaied that the date could not be
exactly fixed TO the second letter she
received no reply. Phe reason for such
apparent disco lrtesy was this:
i he day of the man emanc patton was
drawn very near, 80 he was told that
his fr end adj written and he was asked
ii he wished TO be sent TO l. ndon t. meet
her? He cast down his es and i'm a
respectful way stated that he was sorry
to say that he attributed II present
shameful position to certain evil counsel
which the writer had given him, and
which he had followed. He di not wish
avoid tn wo an than seek her. After
this avowal Mrs. Miller letter rema ned
unansw red
80, practically, free man, Maurice
Heryey stood in the street on the second
day of l. e new year. The first use he
made of his berty and money was char
&C e:iS ic, and fear may awaken in Ill
gent sympathy in minds of the ma or
ity of man mot woman kind. He went
into a tobacconist and bought a nine
penny cigar. lie lit ii, sat down upon a
chair in the shop aud for some minute,
smoked in blis,tul cOntentel silence.
-Afte few more purchases needed by a
gentleman for his toilet, he found his
money had dwindled down to very little.
lie had, however, enough left to buy a
shiny black bag. Into this he tumbled
his parcels and hailing hanson paid his
last shilling to be conveyed to the door of
well known hotel. A luxurious dog this
convict,
He engaged q bedroom. He ordered Il
dinner of whichever Horace d II rbert
mi hit have approved. He rang for hot
water, an spent half an hour soaking his
hardened and dis iSured hands He
scow ed as he realized the painful fact
that hundreds OF gallons of hot water and
mon hs of time must be expended be ore
these badly used members in any way
resumed the original appearance. Then
without a shilling in his pocket, he went
to his inner, W tn which he drank a bot
tie o champagne
He spent { evening smoking the hotel
cigars, and drinking the hotel whisky and
water ! leasant as these occupations
were, he retired to rest early. ''Besdes."
he murmured, as he sunk off to sleep,
there is n need for ioolery of any kind.
| am master of I G situation. | can eat
drink and be merry for the rest o my
lie"
In the morning, after breakfast, 1t oc.
Cured to Hervey that moneyless man
staying at a hotel is In rather a precari
Gus position. Pleasant as was h newly
found liberty, there was work to be done
before he could with clear conscience
en- oy IL. SO he called forth, tr dyed
thro oh n number of streets, and at last
reached a quiet back road full of unpre-
tending tile houses. At one of these
houses he in uired for a Miss Martin, who
had lodged there some four or i've years
ago. Miss Martin, he was Informed, had
left ever so long-left without giving an
address. Herve g heart grew sick.
The woman OF the house, who noticed
his dismay, added that the shop at the
corner might know what had become Of
Mi s Martin; so tn the slop he went. He
was in luck. He earned that his friend
lived about mile away; more over that
she was now Mrs. Humphreys. lie
walked to the new address, that of anoth-
er little house in another quiet street. He
knocked. A good-l oking, respectable
young woman, carrying baby, and fol-
loved by toddling child, opened the
door. She gave q low cry and staggered
back against the wall. Hervey raised his
hat with mock politenesS. and without
invitation entered the house. The woman
called to some one, who came and relieved
her of her children. She then opened the
door of sitting-room. into which she fol-
lowed her visitor. Hervey threw himself
on q chair, and looked at the woman with
satirical smile. AS yet not word had
passed between them. The man was the
first TO break silence
''Well, Fanny" he said mocklngly, 80
you are married, and have forgotten me?"
mo; am trying to forget you. She
spoke bitterly.
"And you can't. That's a compliment,
considering the years of separation.
The woman looked at him In the face.
''Maurice," she said, IL am married.
married kind, true man. who loves me,
aud works for me and for our children.
He knew n great deal. not all, about my
past, yet he ok me and trusts me. You
will sheer when i tell you ani trying TO
be a good woman and a good wife. You
always sneered at anything good. But
Naurfoa for tho aaka 0f what NE waro