The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-03

the sentence, though the speaker added
with the evident desire to force from bis
| companion the attention he seemed little in
cned TO beStow, 'Old Ferret would give
his eyes to catch you. but you're too clever
for even him"
''Clever," repeated the other man in the
same light half-careless tone. perhaps l
am But 1t doesn't need so many wits as
people who haven't tried think. 1t wants
the motive that drove me to the work, and
keeps me at il with a cool head and q steady
hand,n he paused and then went on alb
ruptly, "do you know what that isP It's
revenge"
"Revenge!" repeated the young man in
his turn, and in a tone of some surprise, as
if be bad suspected some motive, but not
such an one-"Revenge, what forF
IN tell you. Yes, | mean it, I've a
mind to this morning. It's not a very long
story. Twenty years ago was as honest,
God-fearing man as ever trod, but there
was a devil sent to torment me-snd make
me what am nova fiend even in form, a
poor deformed wretch, no higher than my
hand, whom | had often carried in my
arms when his stunted limbs we're tired TO
please whose fancy had learnt to cripple
up my body Ike his hat we might play as
equals. He was my cousin, but was more
ike a brother TO me and TO him. he was
near to a baronetcy; | was cut by the family
| because my mother married beneath her.
AS If that made me any less gentleman or
his equal. He believed in me and loved me,
1 thought pitied and trusted him until
one day he left England suddenly and I'M
| expecteily for Australia. | was the one
friend who saw him off. He wrung my
hand as | wished him God speed. When lie
was gone and il was too late, |
knew him as he was-a traitor, the
worst of all traitors-a false friend. He
was guilty Of a crime. To fly the country
was not enough. He had fastened his guilt
on me, and left me to bear his punishment.
1t was only matter of Gl00 missing, a
paltry sum to turn man into 50 black
| hearted a scoundred. l was innocent of
even a shadow of guilt, but he had done his
work too we'll. Law and justice hunted me
down, made me what | ana devil-lil1e
they believed me, like he was himself. l
was an honest man, they punished me for
! thief. | worked out my sentence, and now
! am thief; for every pound in that hun
dred they believed / stole have stolen
| nearly hundred itself. | never laid so
much as a finger on any mans property
now locks, bolts nor bars can't keep me
| out. 1t was we'll for me, for them,
there was no blood laid to my
charge. It's only the fear l may earn it
| has kept me from danger, which would be en-
| joyment to me. But have my weapon all the
| same. Those who put the prison brand on
an innocent man while the guilty went free
| were blind fools Whoever tries to Law hold
Of me for the crime Of which am guilty, l
glory in it-nO it won't be murder, l won't
sell my soul qUite-but ne will be blind, too,
| before he can betray me- and ever after
! ward" And the stained hand with the
white wrist above drew from the breast of
the ill-made coat little phal containing
colorless fluid, horrible weapon should the
need ever be. "Yes,n as the phial was re-
placed in its hiding place. Pm working
for rev5uge-the work that makes a man q
| l~f1Is, hf,l ,rT III
working to pay for a ruined home muir
dered wife, aud the only love there was true
in all the world. My hand is against every
mau-every mans against me-"
The innocent criminal had began to speak
coolly and dispassionately, as If to calmly
review his motive was his penaoea, to
stimulate him to act further 10 to 1t, but as
he recalled his wrongs, saw 10 fancy all the
good ne had lost, all the evil by which he
meant to pay back the evil which had been
forced upon him, he could not keep down
the fire within him. 1t burnt in hot flush
in his chee&s-1ashed in his deep set eyes
showed its fury in the clinch of bis hands,
as he raised one above his head and shook it
as if in defiance 20 the very powers above
and with the other clasped his breast just
above his heart. as If its feverish pulsation
even now urged him on.
The young man had listened with more
curiosity than interest, certainly without
any apparentsgmpaUhy Nor at the end of the
recital did be offer any. Plainly, whatever
the motive which drove his companion to
the work which they shared, even such an
one was nothing to him, so that the work
was, as had been saId-"devilish well done p"
Il always Thought you cared more for
the glory OF the thing than what you
got by it,n he said, pulling his coat closer
around him carefully, as if the draught in
the place chilling his body were OF far
more Importance to him than the storm
which had blasted his companions soul
You never seemed to spend the money in
enjoying yourself, though some OF the scum
about here seem to live on you, and stay on
here in this miserable hole"
1t was good enough for my wife to die
| in, returned the other, his manner losing
none of It's excitement, but gaining bitter
ness which made it almost pain to listen
to, $50 it's good enough for me to live in
Aye, it's the memories OF the place make it
a palace, q home to me. It's here | make
my plans as that devil made his TO ruin me
and it's here | count the tricks I've played,
against the debt | owe. Enjoy myself! Yes,
| do enjoy myself | enjoy every moment
which sees me at hide and seek with the
worst punishment the law could give me
Tiff 1t were to catch me. For creeping
back here when the works been done Pve
laid there on the bed" pointing into an
inner room in which was the wrotchad
pallet, sorry picture 10 the CaIe-'On the
bed where my wife laid down and died Of q
broken heart-a heart they broke-aud
laughed to think how neatly I've done the
trick once more--the trick thatpsy my debt.
| try to forget then that, were the payment q
hundred-fold | should never be free. never
be anything but the guilty wretch they
made me-for then | know Pm serving the
bloodhounds they served me. They
brought shame and disgrace on an honest
man. Every time l slip them it puts them
to shame and brings disgrace on them.
swore to be quits. and I've kept my word
kept it till now. And now"
The raised, excited voice suddenly fell.
Anger and bitterness alike vanished from
the mans face, and, save for the habitual
practice of caution, one might have fIncIed
there was regret if not remorse in the look
which swept across il. His companion, who
had been swinging his leg carelessly. sud
denly stayed his foot, and turning sharply,
looked with fash in his eyes across 1t him:
And now?" he asked, in a tone of greater
interest than he had hitherto used, q cir
cumstance which showed he was fully
aroused at last ''And nown
His glance was met coolly enough, but
the other turned his head with gesture
not exactly OF impotence as he replied in a
I{stI nh told "a of 10