The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-05-03

have no hard words. Wretch. If | am
a wretch who made me one? If l hate
you and myself and the world, who made
me hate it? l was born free--as free as
you are. Why should / be sent to herd
with beasts, and condemned to this slav-
cry, worse than death? Tell me that,
Maurice Frere-tell me thati''
Il didn't make the laws" says Frere.
why do you attack me?"
Because you are what / was. You
are free. You can do as you please.
You can love, you can work, you can
think. | can only hater.' He paused as
if astonished at himself, and then con-
tinued, with a low laugh: Zine words
for a convict, ehi But never mind, it's
all right, Mr.. Frere; we're equal now,
and | sha'n't die an hour sooner than
you, though you are a free man."
Frere began to think that he was deal
ing with another mailman. "Diei There's
no need to talk of dying" he said, as
soothingly as It was possible for him to
say it. Time enough for that by and
by"
There spoke the free man. We con-
victs have an advantage over you gentle
men. You are afraid of death; we pray
for it. 1t is the best thing that can
happen to US Die. They were go-
ing to hang me once. l wish they had"
There was such a depth of agony in
this terrible utterance that Maurice
Frese was appalled, at it. There, go
and sleep, my man." he said. You are
knocked up. Well talk in the morning."
Hold on a bitl'' cries Rufus Dawes.
with a coarseness of manner altogether
foreign to that he had just assumed.
Who's with yeT"
The wife and daughter of the COM
fandant." replied Frere, half afraid to
refuse en- answer to a question so fierce
ly put
Poor souls!" said the convict. 81 pity
chem" And then he stretched himself.
like a dog, before the blaze and went TO
sleep instantly. When mornAA Awisd
Frere awoke him.
Rufus Dawes glanced arom6 lm SIR
pldly, and then remembering what had
happened, with a great effort he stag
gered to his feet. II thought they'd got
me-" be said; but it's the other way.
l see. Come, let's have breakfast, Mr.
Frere- I'm hungry"
you must wait" said Frere. "Do
you think there is nc one here but your
self?'
The convict, stretching out his vast
ed arms, looked down upon them with
the uncertain gaze of a drunken man. II
am weak now" he said. You nave the
best of me-" and then he sunk suddenly
down upon the ground. exhausted. "Give
me drink" he moaned, feeblv m~ntioning
with his hand.
Frere got him water in the pannikin.
and having drunk it, he smiled, and lay
down to sleep again. Mrs. yickers and
Sylvia coming out while he still slept.
recognized him as the desperate of the
settlement.
He was the most desperate man we
had" said Mrs. Vickers, identifying
herself with her husband. "Oh, what
shall we dor
He won't do much HARM" returned
Frere, looking down at the notorious
rufian with curiosity. Hes As near
dead as can be-"
Sylvia looked up at him with her clear
child's glance. I'VE mustn't let him
die" said she. THAT would be muir
der"
"No. no. returned Frere, hastily; mo
one wants him to die. But what can
we doT
Ell nurse him. cried Sylvia.
Frere broke into one of his coarse
laughs, the first one that he had indulg-
ed in since the mutiny. You nurse
him! That's a good onev' The poor
little child. weak and excitable, felt the
contempt in the tone. and burst into a
passion of sobs. why do you insult
me, you wicked man? The poor fellows
i'll, and .he'll-hen die, like Mr.. Bates.
Oh, mamma, mamma, let's go away by
ourselves"
Frere walked away. He went into the
little wood under the cliff and sat down.
He was full of strange thoughts, which
he could not express, and which he had
never owned before. The dislike the
child bore to him made him miserable,
and yet he took delight in tormenting
her. He was conscious that he had act
ed the ,art of a coward the night be-
fore in endeavoring to brighten her, and
that the Devastation she bore him was
well earned; but he had fully determined
TO stake his life in her defense, should
the savage who had thus come upon
them out of the desert attempt violence,
4 ana ne was Jul ~ au6Ly TT TIC
pity she had shown When he got back
he found Dawes stretched upon the
brush wood, with Sylvia sitting near
him.
He is better" said Mrs. vickers, dis
daining to refer to the scene Of the
morning. "Sit down and haye something
to eat, Mr.. Frere."
Are you better?' asked Frere, abb
ruptly.
To his surprise. the convict answered
quite civilly, Il shall be strong again in
a day or two, and then l can help you,
SIR"
Within a week from the night on
| which he had seen the smoke of Frere's
| fire, the convict had recovered his
| strength, and had become an important
parsonage. He was skilled in all the
mysteries of the prison sheds. He knew
/ how to sustain life on as little food as
possible. He could fell trees without an
ak, bake bread without an oven, build
a weather-proof hut without bricks or
mortar. From the patient he became
the adviser; and from the adviser, the
commander.
As fhe time wore on, and the scanty
stock of provisions decreased, he found
that his authority grew more and more
powerful. Did a question arise as to the
qualities of a strange plant, it was Rufus
Dawes who could pronounce upon 1t.
Were fish to be caught, it was Rufus
Dawes who caught them. Did Mrs.
Vickers complain of the instability of her
brush wood hut. it was Rufus Dawes
who worked a wicker shield, and, plas-
tering It with clay, produced a wall that
deied the keenest wind. He made cups
out of pine knots, and plates out Of bark
strips. He worked harder than any
three men. Nothing daunted him, moth
ing discouraged him. When Mrs. Wick
Vers fell sick, from anxiety, and inspfi-
cient food, it was Rufus Dawes who
gathered fresh leaves for her couch, who
cneered her by hopeful words, who vol
UNFAIRLY gave up half his own allowance
of meat that she might grow the strong
er on 1t. The poor woman and her child
called him Mr." Dawes.
But the days stole on and no vessel
appeared. Each day they eagerly scan