The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-05-31


ened me. Maurice l needn't stop any
longer, dear. need II
NO." says Frere. the cloud passing
pardon, but l was hasty. Take her home
at once This sort of thing is too much
for her" And so he went back again
to his place, wiping his brow, and breath
ing hard. as one who had just escaped
from some near peril.
Rufus Dawes had remained in the
same attitude until the figure of Frere.
passing through the doorway, reused
him. "Who is sheT' he said, in a low.
hoarse voice. to the constable behind
him.
Miss Vickers," said the man, shortly
Ringing the information at him as one
might fling bone to dangerous dog.
Miss Vickers" repeated the convict
still staring In a sort of bewildered
agony. "They told me she was dead"
The constable shifted CONTEMPORARY
at this preposterous conclusion, as who
should say: eff you know all about it,
animal. why did you ask?" And then.
feeling that the fixed gaze of his inter
rogator demanded some reply, added
1ca thOAt ohC w as We lO uOuDl LOU
did your best to make her SO. I've
heard"
The convict raised both his hands with
sudden action of wrathful despair, as
though he would seize the other, despite
the loaded muskets, but, checking him
self with sudden impulse, wheeled round
to the court. "Your honor! Gentle
men. l want to speak"
The change in the tone of his voice.
no less than the sudden loudness of teh
exclamation, made the faces, hitherto
bent upon the door through which Mr.
Frere had passed. turn round again. To
many there it seemed that the notorious
Dawes" was no longer in the box. for in
place of the upright and defiant villain
who stood there an instant back was
white-faced. nervous. agitated creature,
bending forward in an attitude almost of
supplication, one hand grasping the rail.
as though to save himself from falling.
the other outstretehed toward the bench.
Your honor. there has been some dread
full mistake made. / want to explain
about myself. ! explained before. when
first I was sent to Port Arthur, but the
letters were never forwarded by the com
mandant. OF course, that's the rule, and
can't complain. I've been sent there
unjustly, your honor. I made that boat.
your honor. l saved the majors wife
and daughter. / was the man: l did it
all myself, and my liberty was sworn
away by a villain who hated me.
thought until now that no one knew the
truth, for they told me that she was
dead" His rapid utterance took the
court so much by surprise that no one
interrupted him. 81 was sentenced to
death for boiling, sir. and they reprieved
me because I helped them in the boat.
Helped them. Why, made it, She
will tell you so. I nursed her, I carried
her in my arms, starved myself for
her. She was fond Of me. sir. She was.
indeed She called me Good Mr.
Dawes"
At this a coarse laugh broke out,
which was instantly checked. The Judge
bent over to ask, docs he mean Miss
vickers?' and in this interval Rufus
Dawes, looking down into the court
saw Maurice, Frere staring up at him
with terror in his eyes.
Il see you, Captain Frere, coward and
liar. Put him in the box, gentlemen,
and make him tell his story. Shell. con-
tradict him. never fear. Oh, and
thought she was dead all this whiev'
The judge had got his answer from
the clerk by this time. Miss rickers
had been seriously i'll, had tainted just
now in the court. Her only memories
of the convict who had been with her in
the boat were those of terror. The sight
of him just now had most seriously af
fected her. The convict himself was an
inveterate liar and schemer. and his
story had been already elisproved by
Captain Frere. Rufus Dawes, still en-
deavoring to speak, was clanked away
with amidst buzz of remark and sur
mise.
The trial progressed without further
incident. Ira defense set up by Rex
was most Ingenious. He was guilty of
absconding. but his moderation might
plead an excuse for that. His only OBJ
ject was his freedom, and, having gain
ed it, he had lived honestly for nearly
three years. as he could prove. He was
charged with practically seizing the Os-
prey, and he urged that the brig Osprey,
having been built by convicts at Mac
quarie Harbor. and never entered in
any shipping list, could not be said to
be "piratical!y seized" in the strict
meaning of the term The court admit
ted the force ca this objection. and. in
| fiuenced doub lcss by Captain Frere's
evidence, the act that FIVE years had
passed sine, e mutiny, and that the
two men most guilty had been executed
in England. ,sentenced Rex and his three
companions to transportation fos life to
the penal settlements of the colony.
At this happy conclusion of his la
bors, Frere went down to comfort the
girl for whose sake he had suffered Rex
to escape the gallows. He found Wick
ers in the garden, and at once begged
him not to talk about the business" to
his daughter.
you saw how bad she was to-day,
vickers. For goodness sake, don't make
her i'll again.
My dear SIR" says poor Vickers. ~
won't refer to the subject. She's been
very unwell ever since. Nervous and
unstrung- Go in and see her."
So Frere went in, and soothed the
excited girl, with real sorrow at her
suffering. Its all right now. Poppet,"
he said to her. Don't think of it any
more. Put il out of your mind. dear"
ut was foolish of me, Maurice,
know, but l could not help it. The
sound of---of-that mans voice seemed
to bring back TO me some great pity for
something o. some one. l don't explain
| what / mean. / know; but l felt that
was just on the verge of remembe ing
a story of some great wrong, just about
| to hear some dreadful revelation that
should make me turn from all the people
whom ought most to love. Do you un-
derstandY
81 think know what you mean," says
| Frere, with averted face. But that's
| all nonsense, you know"
'Of course" returned she, with a
| touch of her old childish manner of
| disposing Of questions out of hand.
Everybody knows it's all nonsense
But then we do think such things. 1t
seems to me that | am double, that
| have lived somewhere before, and have
| had another life-a dream-life."