The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1903-08-26
BrHEXRT NENBEZ

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| 1 can bear"
He paused, and then went on in low
agitated voice:
My friend" he said have you ever
seen French convict-shlp? I have.
1t Is many years ago, but the recollec-
ton or those sitting cages and the mass
| OF scarcely human misery huddled be-
| hind the bars Is a nightmare with me
TO this day. Dicks breath Kissed in
ward through his teeth.
"Silence!' he said, sternly. mot an
other word, or I strike!" The colonel
did not finch.
| Strike, and welcome" he replied, ''if
you think that will save her."
| NO said Dick. nothing that I can
DO VIII save her; II would take the
sacrifice OF my honor, and that I can
not offer nor she accept"
| Your honor?" said the colonel
Surely II Is too late to speak of that
| now"
| why SO? why later"
| Because 1t has long been COM
promised beyond retrieving"
| What do you mean?"
My dear Estcourt," said the colonel
In his most serious and reasonable Tone
Il see that you don't understand the
gravity Of your position. Let me put 1t
briefly before you. You will remember
that one day in March last wrote a
letter asking you to join in this expedi-
| ton OF ours, and naming place Of rem
devious In case of your asserting to
my proposal. You kept that appoint
ment. and were then and there intro
| uuced to your fellow-conspirators."
| "Nonsense! interrupted Dick. you
| i
| plain that mistake"
"Indeed?" replied the colonel, coldly.
1T is odd that my servant never
brought the note to me-
| mol" cried Dick, remembering the
shadow on the blind In Bedford Square.
| mo, but saw you take 1t from the let
ter-box yourself"
Unfortunately" said the colonel, "I
have no recollection whatever of doing
| so. III l ever did u, l feel sure that
| nothing Will recall 1t to my mind, and
as no one else seems to have known
| of the existence of the letter. 1 fear that
this part of your argument breaks down
| for want of confederation"
mo matter" retorted Dick, triumph
antly; II can prove. for all that, that 1
never thought of accepting. for 1 didn't
get your letter until after l came back
from Russell Street"
Excuse me-" said the colonel, 'but
your own servant has sworn that you
| opened 1t before II o'clock that morn
| ing"
Sworn? My own servant? To
| whom?"
| ITO me- She mentioned the matter
when I called for you one day before
leaving town, and told me that you
had scolded her and quarreled with your
lawyer. Mr.. Wickerby. about the seal
of the letter, which she Is certain you
broke yourself
| Dick was silent, and turned in his
chair with an angry and impatient
movement. He remembered too well
the overwhelming manner in which
Mr.. Wickerby had marshaled the evil
| dence against him that afternoon, and
was staggered to find how fatal had
been his contemptuous disregard of that
worthy gentlemans advice. Clearly the
battle was going against him here, and
he fell back upon his third line of de-
| Tense.
| What is the USE" he cried. "of argu-
Ing about that? II the truth were
known. l believe you broke the seal
yourself. But what does 1t matter now?
| lHt pcSt pIOol thdt SCOTntu your
reasonable offers Is that 1 came away
directly afterward on business Of an
other kind"
II see no evidence Of that" replied
the colonel; you sailed without us, It
is true. but you rejoined US at Cape
Verd. and have come with us to st.
Helena"
mot of my own knowledge or free
| will I salad for the
clerk In the Admiralty knows, and as
this letter will show beyond dispute"
And he took from his pocket the paper
containing the instructions for his voy-
age and held it up.
The colonel did not offer to read It,
81 am very much afraid" he said.
| that that letter never saw the inside of
the Admiralty; and as for his majes-
| tvs ship Niobe. know that she is in
the Madras roads, sound from stem to
stern, with her full complement of Of
ficers and men"
Look here" said Dick, with ominous
calmness, "let me tell you this. came
here innocent, and | am going back
! innocent. You have, by shameful de-
ceits and devillsh cunning, brought me
with you so far, but nothing you say or
| do or threaten can move me q hair
breadth farther. Without my help your
plot will fail, as you yourself know
well. And when you are in Malcolm $
hands well see whether he'll believe you
or me first"
The colonel did not betray II by so
much as the trembling Of an eyelid; but
this last stroke OF Dicks was down
right blow. and might, II not PARTED,
mean the ruin of his whole fabric OF in
genious policy. His manner, accord
ingly, became lighter and more indif-
iferent.
Come. come, my dear Estcourt," he
said, you are taking the matter too
seriously. don't think you realize what
1t Is l am asking of you. l don't, OF
course. expect you to take any respon-
sibility for our plan, or to do anything
which could be censured as a breach OF
duty or the rules of your service. !
only ask you, In the absence of Cap
tain Worsley, to take command of the
Speedwell for twenty-four hours, and
bring her to anchor off the island here
until tomorrow night. on Sunday
morning we shah be ready to sail again
What we do In the meantime can not
/ In lot 10 10 A.