The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-22

dered useless all the deception with which Arthur Wardlaw had surrounded Helen during the three months since her arrival in England. but 1t turned those very deceptions into instruments for his detection. The same handwrtt- ing expert who had sworn in favor of Penfold at his trial discovered at once that the clippings were forgeries.
 Still, even with Wardlaw thus un- masked they seemed far from discover ing who had forged the note. They were at standstill. while the expert compared the fac-simile of the forged note which he had made at tho time with signature after signature with out stumbling on a clue. till one night a sunburned stranger came to him. iafd before him a letter written to Helen Rolleston and signed Arthur Ward law" and asked him to compare the two.
 That is tho forgerr' cried the sx- pert.
 The stranger was Rotsrt Penfoid.
 He had spent weeks of misery on the island after he had seen the last Of the ship that bore Helen away He had wandered from place to place where she had been wont to sit At last he found a letter in her cave Arthur wardiaw's letter to her. First he had tossed 1t out of his sight. Then. with the jealousy of a man madIy In love. he had looked at 1t again. Sud- denly the signature stood out before his eyes as If in letters of fire. There came to him the biinding realization that his false friend was the forgers
 With that conviction. tearing away the doubt and puzzle of years. there came the next realization, which might more suspicious. In that moment he felt sure that the Proserpine had been scuttied at Arthur Wardlaw's orders-- and there remained only the task Of discovering the reason.
 Robert Penfold decided on a desper- ate venture. He rushed to the cutter and fitted her out for q long voyage. He Iashed strips of bouyant cork like wood to her sides and laid in a stock of provisions.
 He also put in enough gems and gold to make him rich. During his ex- plorations he had found the wreck of a Spanish treasure ship. and from # he had taken great store of wealth fin small compass.
 Fortune favored him not only with wealth, but with weather. He saiied through seven days of perfect seas and then fell in with s Yankee trader, who not only took hinl into Valparaiso but contracted with him to work the is- had on equal shares.
 GA0 pObteu WlNn aAi hpSS1 Nb EHMAAtAu and arrived just in time. He had hardly landed before he found Wyiie. That fellow had fallen into evil ways He had tried drink to extinguish the memory of his crime. It had only broken his nerve and made his mental anguish worse. Face to face with Penfoid. who knew all, he confessed abjectly.
 This. then, cleared up the one re- maining mystery. With the knowledge that lead and copper had gone down in the Prosperine Instead of gold. the case was simple.
 Next day Arthur wardlaw appeared in old Penfold's rooms in response to a message from Helen. He turned white and staggered when he saw Pom fold, Wy1ie and the detective. He was confronted with the confessions of the mate. He collapsed and admitted everything.
 They allowed wardlaw to escape af- ter he had given up all the proofs needed to clear his victim even in the purbllnd eyes of the law. But he mind, weakened by years of secret tor TOT. gave way. and he died in a lun- atic asylum.
 As soon as Her Majeaty's Govern ment had kindly pardoned Robert f'ea- fold for that crime that he never had committed he married Helen Rolieston. Just before the wedding there came a gift for his bride. It was a draft for 1s.0O0 pounds from the Yankee trader who had sold the island for 36,000 pounds.
 And out of a silver box. incrusted with coral and sea growth. that Rob ert Penfold had found In the galleon. there came a great ruby to blaze on his wife's beautiful forehead and remind her of Godsend Island.
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 be sTsOmOla," by George Eiafott.