The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-06-07

ishness which deceives even itself, he
laid the little head upon his heart with
q sensible glow of virtue.
"God bless you, darling. You are my
good angel"
The girl sighed. 81 will be your good
angel, dear, if .ou will let me-"
CHAPTER Xxx.
Rex told Mr.. Meekin, who, the next
day, did him the honor to visit him,
that, under Provide ace, he owed his
escape from death to the kind manner
in which Captain Frere had spoken of
him"
Il hope your escape will be a warning
TO you, my man." said Mr.. Meekin. 'and
that you will endeavor to make the rest
of your life an atonement for your early
errors"
Indeed L win, sir" said John Rex,
who had taken Mr.. Meekin's measure
very accurately, "and it is very kind
of you to condescend to speak so to a
wretch like me. Ahl sir, / wish / had
attended to the gospels teachings when
I was younger. l might have been saved
from all this"
you might, indeed, poor man; but the
Divine Mercy is infnite-quite infinite.
and viii be extended to all of us-to
you as well as to me-" (This with the
air of saying, What do you think of
thatT1 Remember the penitent thief,
Rex-the penitept thief"
Indeed / do, SIR"
AZ win speak to the authorities about
change in your dietary SCALE" return
IL L.
meantime. just collect together in your
mind those particulars of your adven-
lures of which you spoke Such re
markable history ought not to be lost"
Thank you kindly, sir. / will, sir.
All! l little thought, when / occupied
the position Of gentleman, Mr.. Meek
N, that / should be reduced to this.
But it is only just, sir. Good morning.
and heaven bless you, sirr' said Rex,
with his tongue in his cheek for the
benefit Of his yard mates; and so Mr..
Meekin trippe6 gracefully away, CON
wheel that he was laboring most sue
cessfully in the vineyard, and that the
convict Rex was really a superior per
SON
Il win send his narrative to the
bishop said he to himself. sIt will
amuse him. There must be many strange
histories here, if one css,d but find them
out"
As the thought passed through his
brain his eye fell upon the notorious
Dawes who, while waiting for the
schooner TO take him back to Port Ar
thur. had been permitted to amuse him.
self By breaking stones.
A fanciful visitor, seeing the irregular
~ rising hammers along the line. might
have ikened the shed to the interior of
some vast piano, whose notes an unseen
hand was erratically lingering. Rufrs
Dawes was seated last of the line This
was the place nearest the watching CON.
stable. and was allotted on that account
10 the most ill-favored.
"Well, Dawes" says Mr.. Meekin
measuring with his eye the distance be.
tween the prisoner and himself, as one
might measure the chain of some Zero.
cious dog How are you this morning
Dawes? 20
Dawes, scowling in a parenthes;s no.
tween the cracking Of two stones. was
understood to say that he was verv
we'll
II am afraid, Dawes" saw. Mr.
Mees-in, reproachfully, that you have
done yourself no good by your outburs,
Ia court on Monday. I understand that
public opinion is quite incensed against
you"
Dawes, slowly arranging one Iaree
fragment of bluestone in a comfortablf
basin of smaller fragments. made NJ
reply.
Il am afraid you lack patience
Dawes. You do not repent of your of
lenses against the law, l fear.v
The only answer vouchsafed by IN.
honed man was a savage blow. which
split the stone into sudden fragments
and made the clergyman skip a steI
backward
You are hardened rufian. sir. d.
you not hear NE speak to you? / cam,
to console you, man. l wanted to Civ.
you some good advicer'
Il beg your pardon, sir. Pray q
on
Il was going to say. my good fellow
that you have done yourself a great dea
Of injury by your ill-advised accusation
Of Captain Frere, and the use you mad,
Of Miss Vickers' name"
A frown, as of pain. contracted tn.
prisoners brows, and he seemed will
aimculty to put a restraint upon hi.
speech. rs there to be no inquiry. Mr.
MeekinT lie asked, at length. "Wha
I stated was the truth Are they no
going to ask her for her story? The,
told me that she was to be asked. Sure
~ they will ask her"
81 am not, perhaps, at liberty" sal,
Meekin, Dlacidly, unconscious Of the az
ony of despair and rage that made tn
voice of the strong man before hin
culver, ito state the intentions of tn
authorities, but I can tell you that Mis-
Vickers will not be asked anything abou
you. You are t. go back TO Port Ar
thur on the oath, and to remain there.
A groan burts from Rufus Dawes:
sroan so full of torture that even tn
comfortable Meekin was thrilled by ii
Come says Meekin, "you can't com
plain. You have broken the law, an
you must suffer. Civilized society say
you sha'n't do certain things, and
you do them you must suffer the penalt
civilized society imposes You are no
wanting In intelligence, Dawes, more
The pity-and you can't deny the justic
Of that"
Rufus Dawes, al If disdaining to an
gwer in words, cast his eyes round til
yard with glance that seemed to ash
frimly, If civilized society was progress
ing quite In accordance with justice
when its civilization created such place
n that stone-walled. carbine-guarde
trison shed, and flied it with such crea
fRxaa a those forty human beasts, doom