Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-02-26
CHAPTER XIV.

ANON~
Eoubt and suspicion twinkled IN his blue
eyes. and he breathed more easily TRAD
uaIly he Strengthened himself, and with
growing confidence spoke:
you don't mean to say as it's you,
your identical self, Bernard; you dom
go for to tell me as you've got out IN
the night like a thief in the same, and
as you've come here to frighten your poor
ole grandfather into hillnessF
I'm your grandson Bernard-so much
the worse for me-and / have got out
80 much the worse for you. But l have
come to call you 20 account"
Where's the other one-her?" he ask
ed nodding toward the well.
mot down there"
Where are you took her to?'
Where you can do her no more harm"
"What'll rather say to this" exclaim-
ed the old man, in tone of consterna-
ton.
I'VE shall hear what he has to say
when he's brought to justice"
You're not going to inform on him
you won't send an old man of ninety-four
to prisonp
at depends upon you whether both
of you do not end your days in jail. You
may expect no more mercy from me than
you have shown to that helpless child,
whose life you have blasted"
sonny" he said, drawing the back of
his hand across his forehead, nov let's
hear what you've got to say. If it de-
ponds on me TO save father from going to
Jail you may depend upon me doing my
duty as a son."
NJ hot
to one of the texts with which the walls
were plentifully decorated.
Yes, l sees it fast enough, but what
it's all about dunnow. They comes here
and sticks 'em up accordian to their fan
cy, but l can't read EN-"
Honesty is til best policy'-thats
what it says; and / advise you to keep
that in mind, for if 1 have reason to
doubt the honesty of the confession you
have to make to me / shall go at once
to Bonport and bring you and your faith
err before judges who will find means to
get the truth out of you"
The old man looked at me with deep
cunning in his shifty eyes, and then he
said
''You know you can depend on my
truth, sonny, else you'd ha' gone to the
juices fust"
II have como to YOU first because
would spare myself the shame of seeing
you in the felons dock; but am prepar-
ed to meet that shame to learn the
truth"
What do you want to know?"
81 must know ali about the poor girl
you have kept in the caves from her
childhood"
fright you are, sonny. Now you look
in my face and I'll look in yourn, and
If you see me so much as wink a eye set
me down for liar Slack away"
With these words he planted his hands
firmly on his knees, bent forward, and
so fixed his eyes that they looked as if
they were of glass and several sizes too
large.
"Who is that grip
Il don't know, no more than what you
do"
"What is her name?"
Il can't tell you; on my dyin' oath, 1
don't know"
"How long have you kept her down
there?"
Twelve years last July the thir-
teenth.
Where did you take her from?"
1--WE didn't take her; she was give to
us by a man."
'Who was that man|
II don't know, I'll take my oath on it"
If honesty may be gagged by the abil-
ity of a man to look you straight in the
eyes, then my grandfather was as honest
in this declaration as anyone could de-
sire.
r..
handsg" l asked.
That's question as I can't answer
IN two words. It's longish story, but
I'll tell it you just as fair and square
as If was before judge and jury, and
look you here, sonny you think I'm
hfrd-hearted, unchristisn Philstian: but
I'm going to show you the contraries,
END then If you think I'm only fit to
rot out the rest of my days in a gaol.
YOU can go ana peacL on me-"
With this he struck the table a blow
with his fist, and then fixing his eyes
again on me he began:
at was twaive years ago, as tell YOU.
the 18th of July, tina. me and my father
was wuss off than ever we'd been in our
life. Father had just done his seven
wear; Sukey's money was all gone. Won
was at school earning nothing. and only
kent there because it was cheaper than
keepin' of you elsewhere, seeing as the
navment vas allowed to run on like in
consideration of your bein' kind of
rrpil-teacher, and the smuggling bust
ness was regular finished for good and
all. Well. just then comes this man to
father, and asks him if he'd mind taking
of chest out TO sea and droppin' of ii
in a clear five miles from land, which
this here job was to be done that night
Father smelt a rat. and said that if this
were contrabsnd job he'd have to be
psid heavy for the risk he run. The man
owned il was 9 contraband job. and the
chest must not be opened by us nor any
one else. Father he says, says he. proud
like. I've been a smuggler.' he says, man
and boy seventy-one year, and I've never
lost so much as jack of baccy and il
don't stand TO reason as I'm going to be
run down now The man answered and
said he knOwed fathers record. and that's
Why he applied to him. SO it was
agreed there and then thar father should
have boat ready waitin off Deadman's
Pint at high water, WHICH was half after
eleven. Father was for doin' the lob all
alone but he couldn't set no one TO lend
him a boat cause you see he wasn't
known like nor much respected at Bon
port, hayin' just come off his seven wear
at nartmoor. SO in this here fix he
comes to me. and l going to church reg
alar and DRAWN my bread every sun
CAY was that trusted that a Plymouth
brother lent ne his boat in the after
noon to pull 70 Towerbrdge-I maxim
out as the rheumatism didn't allow of my
walking. ! turns the boat and Laws
round the Pint out of sight till night
fell And as pretty night L was as
ever l see for harvestin' crop o tubs.
with the wind comm right ont o the
sou-west, the rain comm down a treat,
and as black as S hedge. st eleven
. clock we beaches the boat. and at half
after comes this man with ais chest.
There was not a word spoke; Iye put the
chest in. run the boat down ind the job