The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-10-14

"God forbid, me- said, pressing m,
"If you did this thing. / am responsible
not you-and II punishment is to follow ]
will take my full share"
Holding my hand, as If to assure me I.
the bond of fellowship, he stood for some
moments silent in thought. Then, after
putting a few rapid questions to me, his
face frightened and he said:
II lam hopeful, little friend. That Mon
golian head is too hard to be smashed by the
slight fall Of that stone. The lamp upset
on the earthen floor of a brick cellar would
not hold sufficient benzine TO set fire to the
floor above. If the house had been burned
down, the bodies of those two rascals would
have been uncarthed, and the tragedy could
not have escaped the notice of my friends
In the Minories. will go and find out the
truth. IL the men are killed, l will come
back and give myself up to the police foI
my share in the murder. III they are not,
you shall leave this cell before noon. In
any case l will see you again quite soon"
The cab that brought him stood outside
the station. He sprang in, telling the
driver TO go to Sweet Apple lane. As he
neared Ferryboat stairs his first hope was
realized. The Mariners JOY still stood
The shutters were down. He stopped the
cab, and a minute after stood on the spot
where he had been thrown dow and over
powered a few nights before. There his
second hope was partly gratified. Putty
stood behind the bar with one arm in q
sling, "A patch over his eye and otherwise
looking rather the worse for recent events,
but still alive. AT the sight of Taras stand
ing there before him with that strong, res.
olute face and formidable proportions, his
jaw fell.
"You amt a-goin to round on us, mas
ter, are your he asked in a tone of abject
remonstrancc at wasn't no fault of mine.
Ididn't know what they was after. And
look here, I've had a pretty good doin fori ii
one way and another-what of gettin my
eye pretty well knocked out, and my arm
a-nigh broke. as you may say, along OF that
Teller a-fallin all the way down that hole
atop of me, to say nothin of getting burnt
here and there and all down there, and a
new suit o. clothes torn off my body, with
internal injuries as causes me that i'll con-
venience / can't sleep a wink all night. And
got nothin for it neither. Why, I'm blessed
If | don't wish i hadn't never seen the lyin,
ugly hound with his hump back"
"Where is he nowi" asked Taras sternly.
"Well. that's more IAN / can tell you,
master. and I'd round on him IL ! could
that's as true as heving, for he amt paid
me a farthin for all the damage done, to
say nothin of what he promised, which
comes of trustin spies n bein a fool not
TO stand by you as are q real gentleman
and won't be too hard on a poor fellow, !
know. However, it's a comfort to know an
he got his jimmy cracked by that ere flag.
stone a-wallopin down on him and serve
him right and won't be able to show his
ugly face outside a house for weeks to come
through gettin burnt along of the lighted
lie 10 times wus AN me, n l give him a
tidy dressin down, too, though If you only
knew what / suffered down that hole and
well nigh d~rownded, too-the pair of us
andsthen as near suffocated with smoke as
it don't matter what, afore ever we a
aged TO get up out of the CELLAR
Iaras waited TO hear no more, but turned
his back and left the Mariners Joy with
out a w~ord-doubtless not less to the as
constituent than to the satisfaction Of the
apprehensive Putty.
From Ferryboat stairs Taras hurried back
to the Thames police court. 1t was still
early. The magistrate was hearing appli
cations in his private room. Taras sent in
his card. with u few words written below,
and obtained an immediate interview, in
which, with characteristic candor and di
rectness, he briefly told what he thew OF
my history, leaving the magistrate to form
his own conclusions as TO the cause of my
attempt to destroy myself. and offered &c
give ~sureties for my better behavior In the
future. But before he had arrived at this
point the magistrate wrote an order and
dispatched il to the station. The officer
who brought IL took me back to the court.
Taras was standing at the door, and l saw
by the light in his face that he had good
news for me.
1.-THE men are living, he said as / passed
him.
The magistrate had just taken his scat
when | was led into the dock. He re
Trained from putting any questions, but
spoke to me TT some length IN a tone OF
severity. The tone was all l heard, for my
thoughts were wholly occupied with con
lectures az TO the course Taras would take
In the future. 1t mattered very little &c
me whether ! went to prison or returned &c
such an existence as l had hitherto led in
Shadwell. The more important question
was whether Taras would come sometimes
to give me a kind look, or whether having
done so much he would feel himself re
leased from any further concern for my wei
iii duu : itdNC ihC W ~ ldNt iutSt
speculations were brokeno of by the wardcr.
Come on down" said he, touching my
arm. Don't You hear1 You'redischarged.'
l left the dock, and another remand
took my place. Taras beckoned me, and
taking me out the court put me in the cat
waiting there. | did not catch the address
he gave to the driver, but TO my great JOY
he stepped up and seated himself beside me
Are ye goin to take me back to Shad
welli" l asked.
NO" said he: 1--WE must find a better
world than that
"Tho Minoriess" l asked. with a ~recollec
tion of the fair haired woman.
He shook his head and said:
"You must forget all that is past, for yor
have to begin a new life. little friend"
CHAPTER VIII.
TA1,AS.