Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-06-01

| YES. that Is what he was called when
you met him. first knew him, however,
when he was an unhappy, starving col
porteur. as William Simmons, and that.
he assures me. Is his real namc.'
| Where is he now!'
| AT my house, which. fear. he will
never leave alive. He suffers much aud
is very far gone. wanders In his head a
good deal, and at such times talks only
Of you and of his children and wife. Poor
fellow! His pilgrimage has been a sad
one. but 1t is nearly ended"
Then 1t is probable that Sim Mulvcil
really had warrant for John. on account
of those thingsT' suggested Uncle Da-
vid.
YES. lie was. no doubt, dcceiNcd by
misinformation. and, honestly believing
he was doing his duty as an officer Of
| the law, went to his death In trying to
execute that warrant. l hope you do not
cherish any i'll feeling toward his mem
DRY on that account, John"
| Il certainly do not. sir. I never look
cd upon Sim as an enemy of mine. and
am sincerely sorry for him. He was an
honest man. who tried to do what he
thought was right, and IL he made mis-
| take now and then, IL Is no more than
| most of us are liable to-"
IL wish" growlcd Uncle David, that
1t could he got out of the fool heads of
some Of these Mulveils that John is IN
some way responsible for Sims DEATH
Il guess l can knock that idea out bet
ter than anybody else" suddenly intcrpo-
| lated the big stranger who had for u
short time appeared In the church, now
| rising from behind q clump of elder
bushes, where he had been lying In the
grass. an involuntary listener to their
| conversation.
"Sim Mulveil.' exclaimed together the
three men to whom he presented himself.
THAT'S me" he responded with a grin.
"And you were not drownedY"
Not enough to stay drowned. 1t was
pretty close call. though. After we
went through the ice. the first l knew
| was being rolled ON a barrel, on my
stomach, aboard u tugboat going down
the Ohio, and l learned that somebody
with Il boat hook had snaked me out of
the river below the Point. where the
channel was open. When I came to. l
felt sort of Disguised with things gener.
ally, including myself, and instead Of
coming back, l just kept ON going. The
tugboat went no farther than Steubcn.
Vile. to get a barge. I got u job Oh u
river steamer and kept Oh down to Gin.
cinnati and from there to New Orleans.
l don't know as would ever have come
back. but got good chance to invest
some money and recOllcctcd that l have
u farm and mill here to sell. And, In
coming back, the thing that has worried
me most has been what 1t was my duty
to do about that warrant I had for John
| Cameron. ! had sworn It out myself, on
information and belief but never real.
| ~ believed he was guilty. ! guess rum
gave me good muny Of my bad ideas In
those days. and RUFF Goldie was But,
pshaw! There's no use throwing blame
| of on dead man. | deserved to be
| drowned, on my own account. Well, to
get back to the warrant; ! didn't know
| whether | ought to arrest John and give
him a chance to clear himself, or lust
/ let the whole business die out. But Il
| never would really die out, so long us the
| record stood on the slulre's books that
| there was u warrant out against him for
| theft. 1t worried me, l tell YOU, and I
came here to-day mainly IN the hope of
| meeting John and arranging with him to
| do ms he might think best In the matter,
| Aud now that II IL settled as Il IA, I'm
rs right-down glad of 1t as you can DO
| yourself, John Cameron"
lie and John shook hands heartily, and
| the constable asked:
Flows your wife?"
John REDEEMED aud. with an embarrass.
ed air, replied:
II haven't any"
what. Didn't you and Hetty Mulvcil
~ IN ttyI,, a .l.,,
1--WE eloped, 1t II true; but the belief
that you had lost your life and the no.
| ton that ! was somehow to blame for Il
put u temporary stop to the proceed
ings. Iletty IL still Hetty Null.
veil. but don't mean she shall be much
longer. please God"
well, Sim Mulveil-count him dead or
count him alive-won't stand In your way
any more. my boy. Maybe you didn't
know II, but had u sort of laundering no.
got all over that. The river soaked n
good deal OF the dunn foolishness out of
me. I'm too old for her. She doesn't
care for me. And I've got other projects
| than marrying, anyway. So. IL the old
woman Is as cross-graincd aud rambunc-
tious about 1t as she used to be. III do
what can to fetch her around and fx
you all right"
".And l think It Is high time ] began
looking after my interests" exclaimed
Mr.. Mcleod with Il jocose affectation of
anxiety. II didn't know until now, John,
that you had run away to be married.
How that secret has been kept beats me;
aud am shocked at the idea OF my lcgit-
innate business leaving me In such way.
How could you do such thing, .John!"
"Indccd, ! never wanted to, sir. 1t
was all her mothers fault. and you
mustn't blame me even II have to do II
again."
"Oh, but l will! Come along and let
MS see II. with Simeon's influence to help
us. we cannot bring the old lady to
terms"
IF John can make sure of the girl. all
four of us ought To be more than match
for her mother" laughed Uncle David
\ more utterly amazed woman than
Mrs. Mu!veil, when they presented them
selves before her, 1t would be difficult to
imagine. She had just got her collation.
spread ont on the grass, ana Mr. Roger
McFarlane her guest, was carving
roast chicken with Il deXterOus grace
that was her admiration. when the min
isters salutatiOn Of her by name claimed
her attention, and, looking up, she be-
drowned man Simeon.
or course, as n preliminary to all else,
he had to tell over again the story of his
escape, and, as she constantly interrupt
cd him with EXPLANATIONS and questions.