The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

out imploringly: "Oh. father, under
stand. You have righted the wrong you
innocently did and have saved my happi-
ness. / thank you from the bottom of my
heart! But stay yet moment. These
impostors-this scoundreI who imper
sonated you, where can / find hlm2 And
the purser-"
As he spoke the ghost raised his hand,
and at the same moment scene so dinlv
outlined that through it the lieutenant
saw the familiar objects of his room ap-
peared before him. 1t represented the in
terror of stone cell occupied by a gray
haired decrepit man, who sat upon a
bench with his chin on his hand and his
elbows on his knees, mumbline his skinny
fingers as he stared into vacancy, with
feeble, malevolent old eyes. And not
without great effort, as one who can
scarcely remember, did the lieutenant
finally comprehend that this was the
penitentiary at Sing Sing, N. Y, and
that the prisoners number was 247.
Then the vaporous picture slowly dis
appeared, and with it seemed to disap-
pear the figure of his father, but again the
latter appeared, and with it a scene so
vague as 10 be scarcely decipheraple. 1t
seemed like a street and the front of a
house bearing sign, but, struggle as he
would, the lieutenan could only guess at
the name inscribed upon it, so faint were
the letters and so mingled with the arti-
cles on his mantelplece. As for the name
of the town, the impression was conveyed
that it was in New England. but before he
n1I1A 1oor OF
aud fainter, despite his efforts to retain it:
fainter, too, grew the form of his father.
Finally. with one desperate, superhuman
struggle to understand ere it was too late,
the lieutenant awoke TO hear the clear
notes of the bugle sounding reveille.
4
That day Lieutenant SaddIetree applied
for leave ofabsence Without divulging
the hopes awakened IN him by his singular
experience of the night before he took an
affectionate farewell of his betrothed and
started East.
For three months he patiently followed
the clews given him and then turned a
joyful face homeward, bearing the affida-
Wit of Phineas Barker, purser of the Silver
Moon, and thr sworn statement of John
DluuPOli ALIAS Bredt many otAeI pdoiy
tainted names. setting forth the facts in
the case of Silas Westicott, all as they had
been delineated for him on that memora-
bic Christmas eve.
AS may be imagined. the hero of these
events, Mr.. Westicott himself, was over
joyed at having his position so signally
upheld. When the papers were read be-
fore meeting of the Society of Pioneers
they created a great sensation and Mr..
Westicott was unanimously elected, amid
much enthusiasm, q member of that or
ganization. His gratitude to Lieutenant
Saddletree for thus freeing him from what
had been the nightmare of his life knew
no bounds. He retracted and apologized
for the unkind words he had uttered about
his father and lovingly bestowed upon the
young officer his beautiful Kate. More
over, the old gentleman took great pleas
ure after the wedding in letting it be
known that with the exception OF a GER
tain sum beoueathed to the Society of Pio-
neers as a mark of the high estimation in
which he held that honorable body, he
had made KaIe and her husband his heirs
to all the property he had accumulated
since the days of '49.