The citizen., 1905-08-04

young man. golden muStached. blue
eyed. with skin which had been burn
ed by tropical suns. and springy step
which showed that the huge frame was
as active as it was strong He closed
the door behind him, and then he stood
with clinched hands and heaving
breast. choking down some overmaster-
ing emotion.
"Sit down. Captain Crocker. You
got my telegram"
Our visitor sank into an armchair
and looked from one to the other of us
with questioning eyes.
81 got your telegram, and I came at
the hour you said. l heard that you
had been down TO the office. There
was no getting away from you. Let's
hear the worst. What are you going to
do with me? Arrest me? Speak out.
man. You can't sit there and play
with me like Il eat with mouse"
Give him a cigar" said Holmes.
'Bite on that. Captain Crocker, and
don't let your nerves run away with
you. l should not sit here smoking
with you if | thought that you We're a
common criminal. you may be sure of
that. BE frank with me, and we may
do some good. Play tricks with me,
and I'll crush YOU"
what do you wish me to do?"
''To give me Il true account of all
that happened at the Abbey Grange
last night-a true account. mind YOU.
with nothing added and nothing taken
off. l know so much already that if
you go one inch off the straight I'll
blow this police whistle from my Win
dow, and the affair goes out of my
hands forever"
The sailor thought for little Then
he struck his leg with his great sun
burned hand.
"I'll chance it," he cried. Il believe
you are Il man of your word and Il
white man, and I'll tell you the whole
story. But one thing | will say first.
So far as | am concerned | regret
nothing and | fear nothing, and |
would do it all again and be proud Of
the job. Damn the beast, if he had as
many lives as a cat he would owe them
all TO me, But its the lady, Mary
Mary FraSer-for never will | call her
! by that accurSed name. When | think
of getting her into trouble who would
| give my life just to bring one smile to
her dear face, it's that that turns my
soul into water. And yet-and vet
what less could l do? I'll tell you my
story, gentlemen. and then I'll ask you.
as man TO man. what less could do.
Il must go back bit You seem to
know everything, so | expect that you
know that | met her when she was a
| passenger and was first officer of the
Rock of Gibraltar. From the first day
! met her she was the only woman to
me. Every day of that voyage loved
her more, and many time since have
| kneeled down in the darkness of the
night watch and kissed the deck of
| that ship because | knew her dear feet
| had trod it. She was never engaged TO
me. She treated me us fairly as ever a
woman treated a man. have no com
! plaint to make. 1t was all love on my
side and all good comradeship and
friendship on hers. When we parted
she was u free woman, but / could
never again be Il free man.
Next time | came back from sea
| heard of her marriage. Well, why
| shouldn't she marry whom she liked?
Title and money-who could carry them
| fhun chay I 1i1n'f
her marriage. l was not such selfish
hound as that. just rejoiced that
good luck had come her way and that
she had not thrown herself away on a
| penniess sailor That's how | loved
Mary Fraser.
well. | never thought to see her
again, but last voyage | was promoted,
and the new boat was not yet launch
ed, so | had to wait for Il couple of
months with my people at Sydenham.
One day out in country lane l met
Theresa Wright, her old maid. She
! told me all about her. about him, about
everything. | tell you, gentlemen, it
nearly drove me mad. This drunken
hound-that he should dare to raise his
hand to her whose boots he was not
worthy to lick, | met Theresa again.
Then | met Mary herself, and met her
again. Then she would meet me no
more But the other day | had no.
tice that was TO start on my voyage
within week, and determined that
| | would see her once before | left.
| al fIsinn6 for Ghn
loved Mary and hated this villain al
most as much as l did. From her l
learned the ways of the house. Mary
I used to sit up reading in her own little
I room downstairs. | crept round there
! last night and scratched at the win
dow. At first she would not open to
me, but i'll her heart / know that now
she loves me, and she could not leave
! me in the frosty night. She whispered
to me to come round to the big front
window, and | found it open before
me. so as to let me into the dining
room. Again l heard from her own
! lips things that made my blood boil,
and again | cursed this brute who mis-
handled the woman | loved. Well,
I gentlemen, | was standing with her
Just inside the window, in all inno-
cence, as God is my judge. when he
rushed like a madman into the room,
called her the vilest name that a man
could use to woman and welted her
across the face with the stick he had
in his hand | had sprung for the
poker, and it was a fair fight between
| us. See here ON my arm where his first