The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-30

Yes" he answered almost indiffer-
emily.
and there is Dixon's wife You will
have to go and see her. ] have been.
She stays at home and takes her pun
ishment quietly-unlike some of Them
And two hours later he was waiting
for Mary Dixon in the little drawing
room of the house in a Kentish cillage
which he had helped Dixon to furnish
for her. She did not keep him long;
and when she came into the room he
drew a sharp breath; but he had moth
ing to say to her. She was tall and
strongly made, with fair hair and deli
cate coloring. She had no children,
though she had been married six years,
ana Nature seemed to have designed
her to be the mother of large, strong,
gentle men.
Stoke looked into her eyes and imme-
diately the expectant look came into
them. There was something else behind
them-a sort of yelled light.
at was kind of you to come so soon"
she said, taking a chair by the fireside.
There was only one lamp in the room,
and it's light scarcely reached her face.
But for all the good he did in COM
ing it would seem that he might as
well have stayed away; for he had no
comfort to offer her. lie drew forward
a chair and sat down with that square
slowness of movement which is natural
to the limbs of men who deal exclu-
sively with Nature and action, and he
looked into the fire without saying a
word. Again IL was she who spoke,
and her words surprised the man who
had only dealt with women at sea,
where women are not seen at their
best.
II do not want you to grieve for me-"
she said quietly. You have enough
trouble of your own without thinking
of me. You have lost your friend
and your ship"
lie made a little movement of the
lips and glanced at her slowly. He
held his lip between his teeth as he
was wont to hold it during the mo-
ments of suspense before letting go
the anchors in crowded roadstead as
he stood at his post on the forecastle
head awaiting the captains signal. She
was the first to dl@ne what the ship
had been to him. Her eyes were wait
ing for his. They were alight with
a gentle glow, which he took to be pity.
She spoke calmly, and her voice was
always low and quiet. But he was quite
sure that her heart was broken, and
the thought must have been conveyed
to her by the silent messenger that
passes to and fro between kindred
minds. For she Immediately took up
his thought.
1T is not" she said rather hurriedly,
"as If it would break my heart. Long
ago / used to think it would. I was
very proud of him and of his-popu-
larity. But"
And she said no more. But sat with
dreaming eyes looking into the fire.
no he 10
$50 you must not grieve for me-"
she said, returning persistently to her
point.
She was quite simple and honest
Hers was that rare wisdom which is
given only to the pure in heart; for
they see through into the soul of man
and sift out the honest from among
the false.
1t seemed that she had gained her
object, for Stoke was visibly relieved
He told her many things which he had
withheld form other inquirers. He
cleared Dixons good name from any
thing but that liability to error which
is only human, and spoke of the cap
tain's splendid nerve and steadiness in
the hour of danger. Insensibly they
lapsed into a low-voiced discussion OF
Dixon as of the character of a lost
friend equally dear to them both
Then he rose to take his leave be-
fore 1t was really necessary to go
in order to catch his train;
impati to meet her eyes
which were waiting for his-for
moment as they said good bye; as the
man who is the slave of a habit waits
impatiently for the time when he can
give way to it.
He went home to the rooms he al
ways occupied near his club in Lon
don. There he found a number of let
tiers which had been sent on from the
steamship company's office. The first
ne opened bore the postmark OF st.
Just I'm Cornwall 1t was from the
coastguard captain OF that remote
western station. and it had been orig
inally posted 20 ST. Keverne.
Dear Sir" he wrote. zone OF your
crew or passengers has turned up here
on foot. He must have been wander
ing about for nearly week and Is
destitute. AZ times his mind Is un-
hinged. He began 20 write q letter but
could not finish II and gives 40 name.
Please come over and identify him.
Meanwhile ! will take good care OF
him"
Stoke opened the folded paper which
had dropped from the envelope.
Dear Jack" II began. one or two
sentences followed but there was no