The Press., 1893-07-13

woman should be ashamed to die before she is 70. wish, Clara, that you would ask your father to step up. And you, Ida. just pass me my cigarettes and open me bottle of stout.
 .sNow, then" she continued IS the doctor joined their party, "I don't quite know what I ought to say to you, ad- miral. You want some very plain speak ing to-
 ss'Pon my word, ma'am, don't know what you are talking about"
 1.-The idea of you at your age talking of going to sea and leaving that dear pa- tient little wife of yours at home, who has seen nothing of you all her lifel It's all very well for you. You have the life, and the change, and the excitement, but you don't think of her eating her heart out in a dreary London lodging. You men are all the same"
 "Well, ma'am, since you know so much, you probably know also that l have sold my pension. How am to live if do not turn my hand to work?
 Mrs. Westmacott produced large registered envelope from beneath the sheets and tossed it over to the old sea- | man.
 ssThat excuse won't do. There are your pension papers. Just see if they are right" He broke the seal, and out tumbled the very papers which he had made over to McAdam two days before.
 '.But what am to do with these nowT' he cried in bewilderment.
 sYou will put them in Q safe place, or get friend to do so, and if you do your duty you will go to your wife and beg her pardon for having even for an instant thought of leaving her."
 The admiral passed his hand over his rugged forehead. "This is very good of you, ma'am," said he. livery good and kind, and know that you are stanch friend, but for all that these papers mean money, and though we may have been in broken water of late we are not quite in such straits as to have to signal to our | friends When we do, ma'am, there's no one we would look to sooner than to you"
 Don't be ridiculous" said the widow. .sYou know nothing whatever about it, and yet you stand there laying down the law. I'll have my way in the matter, and you shall take the papers, for it is no favor that I am doing you, but sim | ply restoration of stolen property"
 ''How's that, ma'am?'
 'I am just going to explain, though you might take lady's word for it with out asking any questions Now, what l am going to say is just between you four and must go no further. have my own reasons for wishing to keep it from the police. Who do you think it was who struck me last night, admiral?"
 s'Some villain, ma'am. I don't know his name"
 ."But do. It was the same man who ruined or tried to ruin your son, It was my only brother Jeremiah"
 'Ah!'
 "I will tell you about Lin-cr 8 little about him, for he has done much which I would not care to talk of nor you to listen to- He was always q villain, smooth spoken and plausible, but dan- gerous, subtle villain all the same. If have some hard thoughts about man. kind, I can race them back to the childhood which spent with my broth CT. He is my only living relative, fo1 my other brother, Charles father, was killed in the Indian mu$iny.
 "Our father was rich, and when he died he made good provision both fol Jeremiah and for me. He knew Jere. miah, and he distrusted him, however so instead of giving him all that he meant him to have he handed me over g part of it, telling me with what was al 1 hS 4> 1,s,11 7c1 for my brother and to use it in his be half when he should have squandered o1 lost all that he had. This arrangement was meant to be secret between my father and myself, but unfortunately hi. words were overheard by the nurse, anG she repeated them afterward to my broth CT, so that he came to know that hell some money in trust for him. suppose tobacco will not harm my head, doctor Thank you; then I shall trouble you fol the matches, Ida.' She lit a cigarette and leaned back upon the pillow, witt the blue wreaths curling from her lips.
 II cannot tell you how often he has at tempted to get that money from me. Ht has bullied, cajoled, threatened, coaxet done all that @ man could do. I stil held it with the presentiment that { need for it would come. When heard of this villainous business flight anG his leaving his partner to face the storm above all, that my old friend had beer driven to surrender his income in order to make up for my brothers defalcation' l Il felt that now indeed had need fol it. sent i'll Charles yesterday to MT McAdam, and his client, upon hearing the facts of the case, very graciously consented to give back the papers an6 to take the money which he had ad vanced. Not word of thanks to me admiral. I tell you that it swas very cheap benevolence, for it was all done with his own money. and how could use it better?
 ''I thought that should probably heal from him soon, and did. Last evening there was handed in a note of the usua. whining, cringing tone. He had come back from abroad at the risk of his life and liberty just in order that he might say goodby to the only sister he ever had and to entreat my forgiveness for any pain which he had caused me. Hewould never trouble me again, and he begged only that I would hand over to him the sum which I held in trust for him That, with what he had already, would be enough to start him as an honest mar in the new world, when he would ever remember and pray for the dear sister who had been his savior. That was the style of the letter, and it ended by i'm. p1oring me to leave the window latch open and to be in the front room at in the morning, when he would come to re- ceive my last kiss and to bid me farewell
 Bad as he was, could not, when he trusted me, betray him. I said nothing but was there at theshour. He entered through the window and implored me to give him the money. He was terribly changed-gaunt, wolfsh, and spoke like | 4.ll l.. l>. q ..sI