The St. Johns herald., 1890-12-11

Honor in His Own Hands
 The young men were practicinr arch cry on Mir. Howson's lawn and Bud Markham had astonished every one with his skill as n1arksman, says a writer in the New York Morning Journal. ''Why, you shoot like an Indian," sad Jim Crawford.
 ''I am worse' than that" said the other, calmly. q was born in Austra- lia, the son of a convict" Frank How son and the other young men drew away. The young host flushed angrily.
 What do you mean?" he asked. ''You know very well that if you're the son of a convict we can't associate with you, and so I'll tell the coachman to have the carriage ready for the five o'clock train.'
 His young hosts plain speaking did not seem to give the other any uneasi- ness, for he answered, with a short laugn:
 "AIl right-as you please. But you may change your mind about my not be- ing good enough to associate with after you've heard my story"
 Frank looked uncertain at this mo- ment, and then sat down and looked un- easily at the other, who began:
 My father was arrested twenty-eight years ago on the charge of killing his uncle and tried for the murder. The testimony, which was entirely circum- stantial, was not sufficient to hang him, but was so damaging that, in spite of his most solemn protestations of inno- pence, he was transported for life to the penal settlements of Australia.
 ''He was taken there, and for ten years worked like slave, with a chain and ball dragging at his heels.
 "At the end of that time another con- vict died in the same prison, where he had been sent for highway robbery, four years after father was transported. On his death-bed he confessed that he mur- dered my fathers uncle, and gave minute details of the crime, and even told the place where he had hidden the knife which he had used in the crime, and also where he had hidden the murdered mans watch and pocket-book.
 'Of course my father was released and every thing done for him by the Gov ernment of New South Wales to show how deeply every one regretted that an innocent man should have suffered for so long.
 ''In year he married the daughter of Q merchant who had visited the prison very often and been a ministering angel to him and to the other convicts.
 After living a short time in Mel bourne his dislike of the city as being the place where he had suffered so much unjustly drove him to move away, and with my mother he went far up into the interior, in the brush, miles away from any human beings, except the natives, and there built log hut and lived for twelve years.
 ''I was born soon after our new home was finished, and in less than two years after my brother came. We grew up to- gether, with no companiOnship but each other and the few natives who lived in the mountains near us. From them we learned how to throw the boom erang and draw the bow, until, young as we were, we eXcelled even them in their use. We could bring down. tho kangaroo with the bow at one hundred yards, even if it was running at full speed, and smash a bottle set behind tree one hundred feet away with the boomerang.
 "When was thirteen and my brother eleven father discovered gold on his farm, which by that time had grown to thousands of acres, and in two months the country was flooded with miners and he was worth S500,00O.
 My mother prevailed upon him to move back to Melbourne, where he is now tho Governor of New South Wales and ono of the richest men in Australia"
 Il beg your pardon, my dear fellow" exclaimed Frank, eagerly extending his hand, while tho others crowded around him with equally profuse apologies.
 But, to their astoa;3hacnt and chagrin, he did not seem to notice any of the proffcred hands, but, with a quiet smile, turned to Frank.
 ''Now that you know how came to handle bow so well-as also how man can be a convicted felon and yet be innocent of any crime-it would make your stock of information still more complete if you could learn that even if father is guilty of crime it does not make his son any the less honorable or fit to associate with tho world. Every mans honor is in his own hands, and is not affected in the slightest by what others may do-it is by mans own deeds that he will be judged by his Maker! And now, my dear Frank, will go to your house and pack my valiso, and if you will have tho ready for the five clocl, train l will relieve you of my presence"
 And, in spite of his friends protesta- tions, the boy that afternoon shook from his feet the dust of the Howson estate.
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