The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-07-26
CHAPTER XxvIII.

was constrained and abrupt. His eyes
wandered uneasily, and he seemed bur-
dened with thoughts which he dared not
utter.
Il want you to thank her for me. Mr..
North said Dawes.
Thank whom?"
Mrs. Frere."
The unhappy priest shuddered at hear
ing the name.
Il do not think you owe any thanks
TO her. Your irons were removed by the
commandments order"
But by her persuasion. / feel sure
Oh IT, All, was wrong to think she had
forgotten me- Ask her for her forgive
ness
"Forgivenessw said North. RECALLING
the scene in the prison. what have
you done to need her forgivenessY
Il doubted her." said Rufus Dawes.
L thought her ungrateful and treach-
erous. l thought she delivered me again
Into the bondage from whence l had
escaped / thought she had betrayed
me-betrayed me TO the villain whose
base life l saved for her sweet sake.
What do you nean?' asked North
You never spoke to me of this"
mo, l had vowed to bury the knowl-
edge of it in my own breast; it is too
bitter to speak"
Saved his lifer'
'Ay, and hers. made the boat that
carried her to freedom. I held her in
my arms, and took the bread from my
own lips to feed herr
She cannot know this said North,
In an undertone.
"She has forgotten it. perhaps, for
she was but child But you will re-
mind her, will you not? You will do
me justice in her eyes before die? You
will get her forgiveness for r1eT'
North could not explain WHY such an
interview as the, convict desired was inn
possible, and so he promised.
she Is going away in the schooner,
said he. ii will see her before she goes,
and tell her."
God bless you. sirr' said poor Dawes.
Now, pray with me-" ard the wretched
priest mechanically repeated one of the
formulate his church prcscribes-
The days passed swiftly, and Blunt's
preparations for sea were completed. On
the morning of the 10Th of December,
he declared himself ready to set sail, and
in the afternoon.
Rufus Dawes, gazing from his win
dow upon the schooner that lay outside
the reef, thought nothing of the fact that
after the commandant's boat had taken
away the COMMANDMENTS wife. another
boat should put of with the chaplain
The hot afternoon passed away in a
sultry sunset, and it was not until the
shades OF evening had begun to fall that
Rufus Dawes distinguished boat de-
fach itself from the sides of the schoon-
er and glide through the oily water to
the jetty. The chaplain was returning.
and in a few hours, perhaps, would be
with him, to bring him the message of
comfort for which his soul thirsted. He
stretched out his unshackled limbs, and
throwing himself upon his stretcher, fell
to recalling the past-his boat building,
the news of his fortune, his love and
his self-saerifce
North, however, was not returning to
bring TO the prisoner a message of COM
fort, but he was returning on purpose to
see him, nevertheless The unhappy
man. torn ty remorss. had resolved upon
a course of action which seemed 10 him
a penarce for his crime of deceit. He
had determined to confess to Dawes that
the message he brought was wholly ficti-
tious, that he himself loved the wife of
the commandment II am no hypocrite. -
he thought, in his exaltafion. This
poor wretch, who looks up to ue as an
angel. shall know me for my true SELF
He had sngeniously extracted fsom
Blunt the fact that he didn't expect a
wind before dark. but wanted all ship
shape and aboard and then, just as
darkness fell, discovered that il was i'm
perative for him to go ashore. Blunt
said if the chaplain insisted upon going
there was no help for it.
~There'n be breeze in less than two
hours" said he. You've plenty of time
but il you're not back before the frs;
puff III sail without you. as sure as
you're born North assured him OF
his punctuality. Don't wait for me
captain, If I'm not here" seid he. with
the Hghtness Of tone which men use tc
mask anxiety SO the boat set off. Frers
observed with some establishment tina,
the chaplain wrapped himself in a boai
cloak that Lag in the stern sheets docs
the fellow want to smother himself in q
night ike this?v was the remark. The
truth was that, though his hands anG
head were burning. North's teeth chatter
ed with cold Perhaps this was tn,
reason WY, when landed nd out of ey,
shot of the crew. he produced a pocke1
flask Of rum and eagerly drank. TIL.
spirit gave him courage for the ordea
TO which he had condemned himself. and
with steadied step. he reached the doc,
of the old prison To his surprise. Gin
blett refused him admission.
But l have come direct from III,
commandment" said North.
Il can't let you in, your reverence.
said Gimblett.
Il want TO see the prisoner Dawes
l have a special message for him.
have come ashore on pur )ose."
Upon my honor, sir, daren't.v sai.
Gimblett, who was not without his goo.
points. "You know what authority i
sir. as well as I do"
North was in despair, but a brigh
thought struck him--a thought that /,
his sober moments would never have en-
tered his head-he would buy admission
He produced the rum flask from beneatl
the sheltering cloak. "Come, don't tar
nonsense to me, Gimblett. You dom
suppose / would come here without au
thority. Here, take pull at this. an,
let me through" Gimbleft's feature
relaxed into a smile. "weIl, sir, sup
pose it's all right, If you say SOL sal,
he And, cIutehing the rum bottle witt
one hand, he opened the door Of Dawes
cell with the other.
North entered, and as the door close,
behind him, the prisoner, who had BEEF
lying apparently asleep upon his bed
leaped up ard made as though to catcl
him by the throat.
North, paralyzed no less by the sud
denness of the attack, than by the word
with which it was accompanied, let fal
his cloak, and stood trembling befor
the prophetic accusation of the ma
whose curses he had come to earn
at was dreaming" said Rufus Dawes
"a terrible dream gut it has passe
now The message-you have brough
me message, have you not? Why
what ais you? You are pale-you