The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-06
Now FIRST PUBLIsHED.l
CHAPTER III.

utterance would give them the clew they
wanted.
at is not horrible dream. them" NUT
tered poor Mr.. Widgery staring about him.
''it is the dread TRUTH have been taken
and shall be hanged"
And he turned his face to the pillow and
wept. He remained in that position until
the chaplain gently shook him by the shoul-
der.
Come, comet You are in the hands of
friends. Who are you, and where do you
come fromF'
at this Mr.. Widgery without revealing
his face pricked up his ears. What else
could the words imply but that at present
be wes not suspected of the crime Of which
he knew too well that he was guiltyl How
then was the present condition Of affairs to
be accounted tori And in order to give
himself time to reflect on the matter Mr..
Widgery still with his face on the pillow
feigned to have lapsed into iusensibility
/ again. Gradually his memory returned to
him, and in a panoramic kind Of way there
( was revealed to him all that had occurred
/ from the time he made his way from his
obscure lodgings down 10 the beach for an
early dip in the sea. He remembered un-
dressing and depositing his clothes in the
shelter of a cliff and entering the water and
emerging therefrom to find WHAT A suit of
clothes Enthusiastically those of convict,
and. presumably an escaped one, and in
which with no other alternative but nudity
he had attired himself. Mr.. Widgerv recol-
lected struggling up the cliff path toward
the village, and then came blow as though
of a thunderbolt and oblivion.
Putting this and that together he could no
longer doubt what had happened.
He had been picked up in an unconscious
state and carried to the prison 10 mistake
for the convict whose clothes he was found
wearing, when it was discovered by the
authorities that he was the wrong man.
Mr. Widgery was convinced that he had
unraveled the mystery so far. But what
was he to dol 1t would never DO 20 volun-
teer an explanation. That would involve
his confesslng who be really was and why
he had fed from London, which would be
equivalent to acknowledging that though he
was not entitled to the identical suit he was
found wearing be was well qualified for one
OF a similar pattern. He had best say as
little as possible until he had gained a little
more enlightenment Presently the chap
lain shook him by the shoulder, and he
turned over and faced them.
''Let me advise you 20 listen TO reason, my
friend" returned the reverend gentleman,
kindly. THAT you are not the man we ex-
pected to find you we now know well
enough. The simple question you have to
answer is-who are youp
Mr.. Widgery passed his hand bewildered
.1y across his forehead.
who am II" he repeated.
Eyes, and where do you come fromp put
in the prison governor, sharply. "You will
have to own up, you know, and you had
best do so at once. You will gain nothing
by concsalment. Indeed, l may tell you
that you may involve yourself in very seri-
Gus difficulty by Persisting in keeping ST.
lence"
my good sir" returned Mr.. Widgery,
mildly, 81 have not the slightest idea of
what you mean. 1t is not possible for you
to be more in need of enlightenment than
am at the present time. Perhaps you will
permit me to ask you a question or two.
Who brought me here, and what do you re-
Quire of me now l am herep
THAT l can do in few words Tell me
what has become Of the convict, Peter
Wimblep
II give You my word of honor. SIR" re-
turned Mr.. Widgery, that l have no
knowledge of any such person"
THAT is a madman's answer. You were
found wearing the convict's clothes"
Instantly it flashed to Mr.. WidgerY's
mind that he might, under the circum-
stances, do worse than sham alteration of
intellect.
II don't know what you are talking
about" he remarked, "but, speaking OF
clothes. why the deuce don't you bring me
mine, and let me get up and dress myself %
The governor whispered to the chief war
der, and in few minutes a suit decorated
with broad arrows was produced.
Are these your clothesf'
"Why, of course, they are"
show long have they belonged to youF"
"Why, ever since l had them made TO
measure, long, long time ago." replied
Mr. Widgery, with apparent impatience
"Who has been telling you that they are
not my clothesp'
Then your name is Peter Wimble."
He frowned rehectively, and tapped his
bandaged head with bis forefnger.
"Wimble, Wimble." he repeated; "the
name seems somehow familiar to me- pom
my life, now you remind me, believe my
name is Wimble. But don't undertake to
swear it. 1t is such long time since was
christened.n
at this point the prison doctor inter
fered.
"My dear sir" he whispered aside to the
governor, lit is quite useless questioning
him further at present. The severe injury
his skull has received has disturbed the
brain, and he is not responsible for what he
says. He had best be left undisturbed for
few days"
Meanwhile, Peter Wimble was not
idle. No butterfly newly released from the
chrysalis state was ever more gayIy dis
posed to enjoy itself. From the lowermost
depths OF despair, by the merest wanton
Whit or good fortune, he had been raised
TO what to him was the seventh heaven Of
happiness. One day miserable wretch,
escaped from captivity, to which death it
self were almost preferable, hiding in holes
and caves like hunted beast and with not
the remotes6 hopes Ct getting Gear OF, -
less he was enabled to change his prison
branded suit for another-and where was it
to come from, unless" as he grimly said to
himself, the man in the moon takes com
passion on me and dropped down to me q
few articles of his cast-oR raimentF
And then, ell on a sudden, he had been
provided with clothes of gentlemanly cut
that fitted him to a niceity-boots, hat,
gloves, umbrella. everything complete, with
comfortably lined purse in
his pocket, and, as he very soon
discovered, a card-case with cards that
furnished him with new name, with let
tiers, etc. in a pocket-book that might be of
service TO substantiate his right to It,
The one thing Mr.. Wimble regretted was
that he had not taken effective precautions
against the owner of the other property
adopting pr 9mpt steps to recover it. Moth
Ang Woulo have oeen easier than to have
hidden close at hand until the latter came
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