The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-05-24

Iossou. O6n L nave q WOrQ alOuo WIN
you. sirf" he murmured to Allen
Certainly answered Allen. looking
rather surprised. "You'll excuse me o mo-
ment. wharton he said to me- stop and
lunch. won't youi There's the old specta-
tor for you." and he took Mr.. Thomas into
a:sman den where he used to hear his
pupils read their essays. and SO forth.
In q few minutes he came out looking
rather pale and took an embarrassed fare
"Look here. Wharton" he said to me;
there is . curious business. That fellow
from Blocksby's tells me that the LonRe-
pierre Theocrltus disappeared yesterday
afternoons; Tat l was the last person "a
whose hand it was seen, and that not oniy
the man who always attends IN the rocni
but Lord Tarras and Mr.. Wentworth saw 1t
In my hands just before it was missed
were looking at it when Miss Breton and l
saw You, and You didn't notice rs. Does
Thomas know when-I mean ai.Sut what
o~cl0ck-the book was first missedf"
that's the lucky part Of the whole wor-
actly, and it was missed about ten minute
to 4; dozens of people must have banded IL
in that interval of time. So interesting a
book"
Butt 1 SAID, and paused-"are you sure
your watch was right"
quite certain; besides. ] looked at a
church clock. Why on earth do you ask"
~"Because-I Am awfully s~orry-here is
co'uc uuluCky muOQle, Dut IL was kaCtl1
q quarter, or perhaps seventeen minutes. to
4 when both Miss Breton and i saw you alb
sorbed in the Longeperre.n
"Oh. it's quite impossible" Allen an
swered; Il was far enough away from
Blocksby's at a quarter to T."
That's all right i said. OF course you
can prove that if it is necessary. though l
dare say the book had fallen behind q row
of others. and has been found by this time.
Where were Won at q quarter to AZ
Il really don't feel Obliged to stand q
cross-examination before my time,n ans
wered Allen, flushing a little. Then l re-
membered that l was engaged to lunch at
Ali Souls. which was true enough; con-
%venient. too, for / do not quite see how the
conversation could have been carried on
pleasantly much further. For | had seen
him-not a doubt about it. But there was
one curious thing. Next time ! met Miss
Breton L told her the story. and said, You
remember how we saw Allen at Blocksby's.
just as we were going swayf
NO" she said, II did not see him; where
was he?"
Then why did You s~miIe-don't you re-
memberf Hooked at him and at you. n
l thought you smiledw
'Because-well. / suppose because you
smiled she said. And the subject of the
conversation was changed.
1t was al excessively affair.
1t did not come before the public ex-
cept. of course. In the agreeably mythical
gossip OF an evening paper. the Rowdy
Puritan. There was no more public scan
dal than that. Allen was merely ruined.
The matter was introduced to the notice
of the wardens and the other fellows OF st.
yude's. What Lord Tarras saw, what Mr..
Wentworth saw. what saw. clearly proved
that Allen was in the auctlon-rooms, and
had the COMPOUNDED book IN his hand at an
hour when. as he asserted. be had left the
place for some time. 1t was adj
mitted by one of the people en-
ployed at the sale-rooms that Allen had
h40n< nOflcQ0 fha WQa wall knnVn fharal
leaving che house at 8. But he must have
come back again. of course. % at least four
people could have sworn to his presence in
the showroom at . quarter to- o'clock.
When he was asked in q private Interview
by the head of his college to say where he
went after leaving Blocksby's. Allen re-
fused 70 answer. He merely said that he
could not prove the facts; that his own
SO many .unprejudiced and even friendly
witnesses. He simply threw up the game.
He resigned his fellowship; he took his
name off the books; he disappeared.
There was q good deal of talk; people
spoke about the unscrupulousness of col
lectOrs and repeated old anecdotes on that
subject. Then the business was forgotten.
Next, in q years time or SO, the book-the
confounded "Longepierre Theocrituso-
was found in q pawnbrckor's shop. The
history of its adventures was traced beyond
q shadow of doubt. 1t had been very
adroitly stolen and disposed of by q motor
rious thief, a gentleman by birth-now
dead. but well remembered. Ask Mr..
Quaritch.
Aliens absolute innocence was demon
etrated beyond cavil, though nobody paid
any particular attention to the demonstra-
ton. As for Allen. he had vanished; ne
He was here; dying here beside the black
wave of lone Loeb Nan.
All this, so long in the telling. / had time
enough to think over as I sat and watched
him onA -ipoA HE 1.no NTH xuofar <~0c.
the burn. clearer and sweeter thar the
water of tho loch.
At last his fit of coughing ceased, and q
kind Of peace came into his face.
ALLEN, my dear old boy" / said-I don't
often use tho language of affection-"did
you never hear that all that stupid story
are innocenup
to speak, but he looked happier. and he put
his hand in mine.
/ sat holding his hand, stroking it. /
don't know how long i sat there; i had put
my coat and waterproof under him He
little use in what | did. What could / do
with hint How bring him to a warm and
dry placef
The idea seemed to strike him, for he
half rose, and pointed to the little burnside
across the l0ch. An idea ccurred to me;
l tore q leaf from my sketch-book, put the
paper with q pencil in his hand, and said,
Where do you hvef Don't speak. Write"
He wrote, in a faint scrawl, Help me to
that burnside. Then | can guide YOU"
1 hardly know how / got bin there, for,
light as he was, l I'm no Hercules. How
ever, with many q rest. we reached the
little dell, and then i carried hlm up it's
green side and laid him on the heather Of
| the moor.
He wrote again:
go to the clump of rushes-the third
from the little hillock. Then look, but be
careful. Then lift the big grass tussock.v
The spot which Allen indicated was on
the side of . rather steep grassy slope. / APP
preached it. dragged at the tussock Of
grass, which came ava easily enough, and
revealed the entrance to no more romantic
hiding place than an old secret whisky
still" Private stills, not uncommon In
Sutherland and some other northern shires.
are extinct in Galloway. Allen had prob
ably found this one by accident
in his wanderjngs. and in his half
insane bitterness against mankind had
made 1T. for some time at least, his home.
The smoke-blackened walls, the recesses
where the worm-tub and the still now
stood. all plainly enough betrayed the orig
inal user Of the hiding-place. There was q
low bedstead, a shelf or two. wherein lay q
ton, Plutarch's Lives" verylittle else out
| of a library once so rich. There was a tub
of oatmeal. q heap of dry peat, two or three
| eggs IN a plate. some bottles, o keg Of whis-
ky, some sardine-tins. q box with clothes
that was nearly all the "plenishing" ofkhis
hermitage. 1t was never likely TO De dis
covered, except by the smoke, when the In
mate lit q fire. The local shepherd knew
it. of course. but Allen had bought his ST.