Evening star., 1898-10-08

the cliff was a steep wooden stairway de-
scending to a bathing tent dimiy visible on
| the beach. Below was boat pulled up
and a silent little man with black face
| stood beside 1t. "A few moments explana-
, tion," said Mr.. Ledbetter; II can assure
you Somebody kicked him and he said
| no more.
They made him wade to the boat carry
Ing the trunk; they pulled him aboard by
the shoulders and hair; they called him no
| better name than 'scoundrel'' and bur
| glar" all that night But they spoke in un-
dertones, so that the general public was
| happily unaware of his ignominy. They
hauled him aboard yacht manned by
| strange unsympathetic orfentals, and part
| ly they thrust him and partly he fell down
| gangway into noisome. dark place,
where he was to remain many days-how
| many he does not know. because he lost
| count among other things when he was sea-
| sick. They fed him on biscuits and incom-
| prehehsible words; they gave him water to
drink mixed with unwished-for rum. And
| there were cockroaches where they put him
| night and day, and in the night time there
| were rats. The orientals emp;ied his pock-
cts and took his watch; but Mr.. Bingham
| being appealed to, took that himself. And
| hVe or six times the five Lascars-if they
| were Lascars-and the Chinaman and the
| negro who constituted the crew fished him
out and took him aft to Bingham and his
| friend to play cribbage and euchre and
| three-handed whist and to listen to their
| stories and boasting in an interested man
| ner.
| Then these principals would talk to him
| as men talk to those who have lived a life
| of crime. Explanations they would never
permit, though they made it abundantly
| clear to him that he was the rummiest bur-
| giar they had ever set eyes on. They said
as much again and again. The fair man
| was OF a taciturn disposition and irascible
| at play, but Mr.. Bingham, now that the evil
| dent anxiety of his departure from England
| was assuaged. displayed a vein of genial
| philosophy. He enlarged upon the mystery
| of space and time and quoted Kant and
| CT Ia Gai ha Il
| times Mr.. Ledbetter got as far as My po-
sition under your bed. you know but then
he always had to cut or pass the whisky
| or do some such intervening thing. After
| his third failure the fair man got quite
| to look for this opening, and whenever Mr..
Ledbetter began after that he would roar
| with laughter and hit him violently on the
back: Same old start; same old story: good
Old burglar, the fair-haired man would
say.
So Mr. Ledbetter Jared for many days
20 perhaps-and one evening he, together
with some timed provisions, was taken over
| the side and put ashore on rocky little ISL
and with spring. Mr.. Bingham came in
the boat with him, giving him good advice
all the way and waving his last attempts
at an explanation aside.
II am really not a burglar" said Mr.. Led
better You never will be-" said Mr..
Bingham. You'll never make a burglar
I'm glad you're beginning to see it. In
choosing profession a man must study
temperament If you don't, sooner or later
pie. All my life 1 have been in banks-I
have got on in banks. 1 have even been a
bank manager. But was l happy? No
Why wasn't I happy? Because it did not
suit my temperament. l too adventur-
GUS too versatile Practically l have
throw it over. l do not suppose l shall ever
manage bank again. They would be glad
to get me, no doubt, but | have learnt the
lesson of my temperament at last.
No: shall never manage a bank again"
Now, your temperament units you for
crime-just as mine units me for respect
ability. L know you better than / did, and
now do not even recommend forgery. Go
back to respectable courses, my man. Your
lay is the philanthropic lay-that is your
lay. With that voice. The Association
for the Promotion Of Sniveling Among the
Young-something inthat line. You think
it over
THE island we are approaching has no
name apparently-at least, there is none on
the chart You might think out a name for
it while you are .there-while you are think
ing about all these things. 1t has quite
drinkable water. I understand. 1t is one
of the Grenadines-one of the Windward
Islands. Yonder-dim and blue-are other
of the Grenadines. l have often wondered
what these islands are for-now, you see,
am wiser. This one. at least is for you
Sooner or later some simple native will
come along and take you off Say what
you like about us then-abuse us if you
like-we shall not mind. And here-here is
half sovereign's worth of silver. Do not
waste that in foolish dissipation when you
return to civilization. Properly used 1t
may give you fresh start in life. And do
not-Don't beach her, you beggars; he can
wade!-Do not waste the precious solitude
before you in foolish thoughts. Properly
used. il may be turning point in your ca
reer Waste neither money nor time. You
will die rich I'm sorry. but I must
ask you to carry your tucker to land in
your arms. No, it's not deep. D-n that
explanation of yours There's not time
No I HStan OIvar r5
go!''
And the falling night found Mr. Ledbet-
ter the Mr.. Ledbetter who had complained
that adventure was dead sitting beside his
cans of food, his chin resting upon his
drawn-up knees, staring through his
glasses in dismal mildness over the shining
vacant sea. He was picked up in the
course of three days by a negro fisherman
and taken to st. Nincent's. and from ST
Vincent's he got, by the expenditure of his
last coins, to Kingston, in Jamaica. And
there he might have foundered. Even now
adays he is not man of affairs, and then
he a singularly helpless person. He
had not the remotest idea what he ought
to do. The only thing he seems to have
done to visit all the ministers of re-
ligion he could find in the place to borrow
a passage home. But he was much too dir
ty and incoherent-and his story far too in
credible-for them. l met him quite by
chance. 1t close upon sunset and l
was walking out after my siesta on the
l was rather bored, and with a whole even
ing on my hands. luckily for him. He was
trudging dismally toward the town. His
woebegone face and the quasi clerical cut
Of his dust-stained, filthy costume caught
my humor. Our eyes met. He hesitated
Sir, he said, with a catching of the
breath. could you spare few minutes for
what l fear will seem incredible story"
"Incredible" I said.
quite" he answered eagerly. mo one
will believe it, alter it though L may. Yet
| can assure you, sir
He stopped hopelessly. The mans tone
tickled me. He seemed an odd character
Il am he said, "one of the most unfortu-
nate beings alive
Among other things, you haven't dined?"
I was struck with an idea.
Il have not he said, solemnly, "for
many days"
You'll tell 1t better after that I said
and without more ado led the way to a low
place 1 knew, where such a costume as his
was unlikely to give offense. And there |
with certain omissions which he subse-
quently supplied, | got his story. At first ,
l was incredulous, but the wine warmed I
him, and the faint suggestion of cringlng |
his misfortunes had added to his manner |
disappeared l began to believe. At last 1 |
was so far convinced of his sincerity that |
m ha6 for thn ajtyht