The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-06-21

Il was too late. come to you, as one
sinrui man TO another, to ask you to for
give me- And North suddenly flung
himself down before the convict, and
catching his blood-bespotted hands in
his own, cried, Forgive me. brother"
Rufus Dawes, too much astonished TO
speak, bent his black ewes on the man.
who crouched at his feet. and a ray of
divine pity penetrated his gloomy soul.
he seemed to atch glimpse of misery
more profound than his own. and his
stubborn heart felt human sympathy
with this erring brother. 'SThen in this
hell there is yet a man." said he: and
nand-grasp passed between these
two unhappy beings. North arose. and
with averted face, passed quickly from
the cell. Rufus Dawes looked at the
hand which his strange visitor had TAX
en-, and something slittered there. 1t was
tear. He broke down at the sight of
It, and when the guard came to fefch
the tameless convict, they found Kim on
his knees in corner. sobbing like
child.
The morning after this, the Rev. Mr..
North departed in the schooner for
Hobart Town. Between the oficious
chaplain and the commandant the events
OF the previous day had fixed a great
gulf Burgess knew that North meant to
rero.t the death of kirkland, and guess
ed that he would not be backward In
relating the story to such persons in
Hobart Town as would most readily re-
peat it.
Burgess, however, touched with sell
fish regrets, determined to balk the
parson at the outset. He would send
down an official return" of the unfor-
tunate occurrence by the same vessel
that carried his enemy, and thus get
the ear Of the Office. Meekin, walking
on the evening of the logging past the
wooden shed where the body lay. saw
Troke bearing buckets filed with dark
colorei water, and heard great splash
ing and sluicing going on inside the hut
What is the matterT' he asked.
Doctors bin post-morticing the pris-
oner what was logged this morning.
sir" said Troke. "and we're cIeanin'
up."
North. on his arrival. went straight
to the house of Major vickers. 81 have
complaint to make, sir" he said. 81
wish to lodge 1t formally with you. A
prisoner has been logged to death at
Port Arthur. I saw it done"
Vickers bent his brow. "a serious
accusation, Mr.. North. l must of
course, receive it with respect. coming
from you, but trust that you have
fully considered the circumstances of the
case. / always understood Captain Bur
CESS was most humane man.
North shook his head. He would not
accuse Burgess. He would let events
speak for themselves. "I only ask sor
an inquiry" said he.
''Yes, my dear sir, l know. Very
proper, indeed. on your part. if Won
think any injustice has been done: but
have you considered the expense. the
delay. the immense trouble and dissat-
isfaction all this will give?''
mo trouble. no expense no dissatis-
faction, should stand in the way OF; hu-
manity and Justice cried North.
"Of course not But viii justice be
done? Are you sure you can prove your
case? Mind. / admit nothing against
Captain Burgess. whom l have always
considered most worthy and Jealous
officer; but, supposing your charge TO
be true. can you prove ity'
YES If the witnesses speak the
truth"
~Who are theyy'
Myself, DR.. Macklewain, the consta-
bic and two prisoners, one of whom was
logged himself He will speak the
truth, / believe The other man / have
not much faith in
Very we'll; then there is only a pris-
oner and DIR. Macklewain; for if there
has been foul play the convict-constable
win not accuse the authorities. More
over, the doctor does not agree with
| you"
mo-" cried North, amazed.
mo. You see, then, my dear sir. how
| necessary it is not to be hasty in mat
tiers Of this kind. really think that
your goodness of heart has misled You.
| Captain Burgess sends report of the
case. He says the man was sentenced
to hundred lashes for gross insolence
and disobedience of orders; that the doe
tor was present during the punishment.
and that the man was thrown off by his
| directions after he had received fiftv-
six lashes. That, after short infer
val. he was found to be dead, and that
the doctor made a post-mortem exami-
nation of the body and found disease of
the heart"
1 North started. "A post-mortem? ]
never knew there had been one held"
Here is the medical certificate" said
Vickers, holding 1t out, accompanied
By the copies Of the evidence Of the
constable and letter from the com.
mandant"
| Poor North took the papers and read
them slowly. They were apparently
straightforward enough. Aneurism OF
| the ascending aorta was given as the
cause of death; and the doctor frankly
admitted that had he known the de-
ceased to be suffering from that com.
plant he would not have permitted him
to receive more than twenty-five lashes
North, going out with saddened spir
its, met in the passage beautiful young
girl. 1t was Sylvia, coming to visit heI
father. He lifted his hat and looked
after her. He guessed that she was the
daughter of the man he had left-ths
wife of the Captain Frere CONCERNING
whom he had heard so much. North was
man whose morbidly excited brain YVES
prone to strange fancies; and it seemed
to him that beneath the clear blue eyes
that flashed upon him for a moment las
hint of future sadness, in which, IL
some strange way, he himself was t,
bear part. He stared after her figure
until it disappeared; and long after the
dainty presence Of the young bride
trinity booted, tight-waisted and neatly
gloved-had faded, with all its sunshine
and gayety and health. from out of hi
mental vision, he still saw those blu,
eyes and that cloud of golden hair.
CHAPTER XIII.
Maurice Frere found his favorable
expectations of Sydney fully realized
His notable escape from death at Mac
quarie Harbor, his alliance with thu