Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-01-05

cIate with her. But l did not IKE Go
leave her behind, and endeavored 70
teach her myself"
.'Hum! There was a-ha-governess,
or something, was there not!' SAID
Frere, staring into his. teicup. That
maid, you know-what was her name
Miss Purfoy," said Mrs. Vickers,
little gravely. Eyes, poor thing; a sad
story, Mr.. Frere."
Indeed. l left, you know, shortly
after the trial of the mutineers, ana
never heard the full particulars lie
spoke carelessly, but he awaited the re-
ply with keen curiosity.
"a sad story! repeated Mrs. Vlck-
ers. "She was the wife of that wretch
ed man, Rex, and came out as my maid
in order to be near him. She would
never tell me her history, poor thing
though all through the dreadful accusa-
tons made by that horrid doctor, Ibes
ged her almost on my knees. You know
how she nursed Sylvia and poor john.
Really a most superior creature | thlnh
she must have been a goEerness. Her
conduct was most exemplary, and dur
ing the six months we were in Hobart
Town she taught little Sylvia a great
deal. Of course she could not help her
wretched husband, you know. Could
she?'
Certainly nctr' said Frere, heartily
81 heard something about him. too. Got
into some scrape, did he not!Y
Miss Purfoy, or Mrs. Rex, as she
really was, though l don't suppose lex
is her real name, either, came into
little legacy from an old aunt III Eng
land and left my service. She took a
little cottage on the New Town road
and Rex was assigned to her as her
servant"
II see. The old dodge!' says Frere'
flushing a little. 'Wcll?"
"Well, the wretched man tried to es-
| cape. and she helped him. He was to
| get to Launceston, and so On board a
vessel to Sydney; but they took the
| unhappy creature, and he was sent down
| here. She was only fined, but it ruined
| her. You see, only a few people know
| of her relationship to Rex, and she was
rather respected. Of course, when 1t be-
| came known, what with that dreadful
trial and the horrible assertions OF Or.
| Pine-you will not believe me, know;
| there was something about that man
I never liked-she was quite left alone.
| She wanted me to bring her down here
to teach Sylvia, but John thought that
| it was only to be near her husband, and
wouldn't allow it.
''Of course it was," said Vickers, is
ing. ''Frere, We'll go on the veranda.
| She will never be satisfied until she gets
|
''He's a bad lot, then?" says Frere,
| opening the glass window and leading
| the way to the sandy garden.
sob, very bad lot" returned WICK
ers; 'quiet and silent, but ready for any
villainy. I count him one of the Worst
men we have. With the exception OF
one or two more, [ think he IS the
| worst"
"Why don't you fog 'em?" says Frere.
| 81 cut the hides off my fellows it they
| show any nonsense.
"Well," says Vickers, Il don't care
| about too much cat myself. Barton, won
| was here before me, hogged tremend-
| ously. but [ don't thingk it did any good.
| They tried to kill him several times.
You remember those twelve fellows who
were hanged? No! All, of course you
were away"
"What do you do with emp
''Oh, fog the worst, you know; but l
| don't fog more than man week as
| a rule, and never more than fifty lashes.
| They're getting quieter now. Then we
| iron, and dumb-ells, and maroon them."
"Do what?'
"Give them solitary confinement on
| Grummet Island. When man gets
| very bad, we clap him into boat with
| a weeks provisions, and pull him over
| to Grummet. There are cells cut in the
| rock, you see, and the fellow pulls up
| his commissariat after him, and lives
| there by himself for a month or so. 1t
| tames them wonderfully"
''Does it?'' said Frere. cts capital
| notion. / wish / had a place of that
sort at Maria
'I've a fellow there now says Wick
ers, "Dawes. You remember him, of
course-the ringleader of the mutiny in
| the Malabar. A dreadful ruffian. He
| was the most violent the first year
was here. Barton used to fog a good
| DEAL and Dawes had a childish dread
| of the cat. When l came, he'd made a
| sort of petition to be sent back to the
| settlement. Said that he was innocent
of the mutiny, and that the accusation
| against him was false"
(To be continued.)