The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-15

~ AlpAiA AZ ueAs lot Ne was always III
Prospective. sulie kind of fellow, aud I'm
sure he would have | vel nothing more
than 70 shower abuse on me while making
you ms father conteSslr. Bat to cut long
stjry short, after wrangling and rubbing up
against each other all our lives we we both
landed IN Paris, he as attaclee to the En-
gllsh embassy there and l in my usual posi-
ton Of fortunes tavorite, waiting to see
what would turn up. An easy life, and
now this internal tumble has, | expect,
rather spoiled my beauty for me, but in
those days L was good-looking boy of
Iour-and-twenty, and our chiefs wife took
a fancy TO me and gave me the run of the
place. l had certainly fallen on my feet,
for was 10 look around me. and if cared
for the service, my oil friend was willing
enough 10 help me through her husband; or
If, as she hoped, dropped the idea and took
10 wrlUing for livelihood, why it couldn't
damage my prospects in that line to see
meth 6 of life first. Meanwhile John
he,ner was shaving like a MICRO. His
powers as linguis5 were something ultra,
and he was popularity supposed to be a COM
ing man"
"Ahl But wasn't it also popularity sup
posed that this same good friend of yours
greatly disIiked Reyner! heard something
from him to that effect
1t was the first question the priest had
asked.
Possibly" allowed Fairle. "She grew
to dislike him when he became engaged to
her niece, Isabel, who lived with her"
The priest interrupted for the second
time.
"Yes, yes, 1 know that, he cried, hastily
Get on with your story. And then you de-
termined to win her from hing
YES, Ibid, said the other, COMPATIBILITY.
81 loved that girl, and / meant to have her.
And then tba fUSS nhOut tho
and won my wife and paid off old scores
at the same time, for French law swa fit
to lay Master Jack by the heels. and Isabel
became Mrs. Val FaIrhe. End of act the
secondn
"Stop a Bit" cried Monsieur lie Cure
harshly. You get on so fast l can't quite
follow. want to understand about those
papers,"
MY very good sir" returned Fairlie,
leisurely, 81 am most certainly not going to
give you a twice-told tale. Whatever else
your interesting penitent may or may not
have told you, he must have told you about
that. Besides, after all, what does it mat
ter! You know as much as any one else
knew at tie time. Secret intelligence
which was-well, we will say diplomatical-
~ conveyed into other hands, broken
desk that was the ugly part of the affair."
| a muddle-headed investigation which hit on
Reyner for victim, there you have IL in
| nutshell. The only part that Reyner didn't
guess-for although he could not prove it,
poor devil, of course he must have sus-
pected me-was that l didn't try to fasten
it upon him deliberately. l was a hot
headed young fool and think must have
been half mad with drink that nj ght, aud
then when it all came out and felt sure that
with him out of the way Isabel would come
to me, didn't exactly see that was called
Gtrni ftarS for hi hvrlr
ing against the luck which was so evidently
In my own favor"
The hitherto restless hands of the silent
priest were gripped tightly together as he
answered him, but there was otherwise no
change in the rigidity of the bowed figure
ut has been quite interesting to have so
lucid an account of the other side of the
question. [ have quite enjoyed it." he said,
slowly, but the airy form of the words sat
upon him clumsily for he spoke them in even
a more grudging and laborious fashion than
usual. You see had always looked at it
from John Reyner's point of view. Shall
try to make you see his, or would it bore
you! You might find some material for
your next novel in that mans SORROWS"
perhaps" said Fairlie, indifferently. at
was all part of the doctrine of chances, you
know. How runs that quotation of yours,
Monsieur le Cure? La Fortune, CONNIE les
oubl % II GU pun ASo
autres ellie est aware ct dure.' Yes, it is
something like that"
'5es enfants gates, " repeated the other,
bitterly. AYE. there you have it. But
this man, ill-used as he was by the luck on
which you rely SO much he could feel, too.
Think of it a momentl He had good brains
and boundless ambition; he had already
made a start in the most fascinating career
in the world; young as he was, fame and
M oDiHlu haOouoyncr no
mere promises to him; he was to be married
within a year, and in his gentler mood he
had Visions of q pure home life which
should fill the lack of his own motherless
youth. And then the end of it all, as
abrupt and final as though death had actu-
ally claimed his body instead of only his
heart. His wrists were manacled, his
shoulders were dashed, he was sent to herd
with the very scum of the people,"
Val Fairlie had shut his eyes and was
slightly smiling. So he had at last aroused
this taciturn companion of his, and the man
was really not SO insensate as ne appeared.
His monotonous voice had actually faint
tinge of passion in it as he recounted John
Reyner's wrongs. Curious, very.
"When these five years of hell upon earth
were brought to an end the convict was set
free, and he crept out to face the world
again, hunted, desperate man. His father
IoluSoI w oeS uAli 4o1OOl was W bu0
man who had ruined him. Then, a few
months afterward, he fell into the hands of
the priest who saved him from the devils
which held him in possession"
Fairlie opened his eyes; in them there was
a faint CLEAN of amusement.
monsieur lie Cure himself, l presume"
he said, politely, feeling really grateful to
the mau who was Willing away a sleep
less night; but curt mo" was all he re-
ceived.
Through the offices of this good old
man, John Reyner entered the church and
dropped his old life and his old associations
with his layman's name"
The words were flung out without either
explanation or comment, and his listener
was fairly startled
''Good graciousp' he exclaimed, what
queer ending. I didn't think that holy
church would receive a convict into her
fold"
Possibly not" said the other, drily.
Certainly not, had she known. But in this
particular instance holy church was repre-
sented by practical unorthodox old man
who believed in Rsyner's innocence, and
who, rightly or wrongly, thought that Ger
tain energies and powers which he believed
him to possess might be better used in Gods
service than in the DEVILS"
''Aud then what happened to bimg" asked
Fairlie, curiously.
Then he was drafted into the cure of
little country parish, where he tried to do
his duty. and-and where he ate mis- heart
out for eight long years"
Il. =. i