The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-11

1 money and he, perfect in their mutual l trust, asked no questions. He started at
 once for Edinburg to get together David Deans cash in order to conclude the
 purchase.
 While he was away she found an old
 paper that had been left at the manse by
 Archibald with other belongings which l had been thrown aside. It was the broad
 side narrating the story of Meg Murdock-
 sons execution. Jeanie read it with an l interest that made all the old past live 1 again Then she cried out with relief for
 in her confession Meg Murdockson told
 the story of Effie and confessed that the
 child had not been killed but had been l given to a strolling player. Jeanie and Butler had never believed
 that Fife had killed her child. But there
 was a darkness over the subject that
 was dreadful to think of. Now at last the
 veil was lifted. Jeanie folded the paper
 and sent it to her sister.
 few days afterward Jeanie was walk 1 ing by the seashore when a gig ap-
 preached from the mainland. A tall,
 beautiful woman, distinguished in man.
 ner and elegant in attire, was helped out
 by two footmen and a maid. The Duke i of Argyle's representative, who escorted
 the party informed Jeane that she was
 friend of the Argyles, who had come
 to the island for her health. He tried in
 vaip<to remember the ladys name, but
 J6dIle Qlu not ueeQ nlS memory 10 nolD i her She knew who 1t was, and scarcely
 had the two entered the privacy of the
 manse before they were embracing each l other with tears and laughter. ] When their first transports subsided
 Jeanie had leisure to give way to amaze | ment at the despairing girl whom she | had seen stretched on cot in a cell,
 and this well bred, beautiful and naughty
 woman before her.
 Fife told her that Sir George had de- ! termined to look for their child when he
 saw the confession, and that he was then 1 in Edinburgh. having decided, in his will | ful way, to risk recognition in his quest, which had given him an object in life,
 something that had been sadly lacking | to them both.
 1 Sir George Staunton fared better on 1 his quest than he could have expected.
 From the clergyman who obtained Meg
 Murdocksons confession he discovered
 the name of the player to whom the
 woman had given the child. He traced
 the player to Edinburgh and there by
 means of hired searchers, he learned that | this person had sold the lad a few years
 before to a notorious Highland outlaw
 known as Black Duncan, who was in the | business of selling youths to the Amer
 ican plantations. then nourishing trade. 1 The lad, known as The Whistler among his wild companions, had made such an
 impression on the savase heart of Black
 Duncan that he had Kept him in the | band.
 l The agents who wrote this to Sir George
 added that Black Duncan was then sup posed to be hiding in a glen near Rose- i meath. It fell out quite naturally that l Staunton should seek Butler who hap
 pened to be still in Edinburg and pro-
 pose that they travel together to the
 island Butler had learned of Lady
 Staunton's arrival there and took it as a | matter of course that her husband should ] wish to see her.
 | On the way Staunton asked many ques-
 tions about Black Duncan and Butler told him all that he knew of the outlaw and l his band. Like many other Highland out
 laws of that time they were tolerated by
 the people of the surrounding territory. l The minister knew little more than that | Duncan rarely had more than two | three men under him and that one of | the more desperate members of the band | was lad known as '"Fhe Whistler l When they arrived opposite the island | and took boat storm began to gather. 1 The boatman suggested that by landing | them on the shore of Roseneath, near a | little wood, their passengers could take | short cut through the copse and reach the l manse more quickly than if they rowed
 around the point to the usual landing
 place. Sir George and the minister dis | embarked accordingly and hurried up the | hill to escape the storm.
 l They walked straight into trap. Black | Duncan was lying hidden in that very l wood. He had learned that the minister
 would return with a great sum and had | planned to rob the manse. | When his prey walked into his arms, l he attacked at once as @ matter of
 course. Sir George drew his sword and
 was beating their assailants off when l "The Whistler" sprang at him and 1 stabbed him. Butler and Sir Georges
 servants were seized, but not before 1 the latter had fired few shots. The noise brought some of Argyle's l men, who happened to be but short
 distance away. Always ready for l fighting, they saw the situation at a | glance and leaped in with such drastic l success that in few moments Black | Duncan lay dead beside the corpse of | Sir George, while "The Whistler" and
 the others were thrown down and | bound.
 It required all of Jeanie's watchful
 affection to prevent Lady Staunton
 from betraying her secret in the | paroxysms of grief that overwhelmed
 her when her husbands body was | brought in. When at last silence and l exhaustion succeeded to frenzy, Jeanie | stole out and told her husband all,
 advising him to take Staunton's papers
 immediately that no others might see l tn em.
 Butler, amazed beyond words by l Jeanie's disclosure, was still more
 amazed at the contents of the papers, ] which told him the result of Staunton's | quest for his son. This amazement was followed by hRrror when he, reached
 the proof thatVohe unhappy mans son was no other than "The Whistler" and that he had killed his own father.
 The lad had been tied and locked up in ] one of the rooms in the manse by tho rough retainers of Argyle who proposed | to hang him unceremoniously on the fol- | lowing morning. The lad, little moro than a savage, managed to escape, how | ever, and gained a vessel which took him to America. He joined tribe of Indians | and thereafter was never heard from | again.
 | Jeanie and her husband never told Lady | Staunton about this last tragedy that crowned the past sins of her dead hus- | band and herself. She soon returned to her place in society but after blazing for | nearly ten years longer in the fashionable l world she suddenly departed for Europe ! and entered the convent where she had | been educated.
 She had heaped the people of the manse | with all she could think of that might | be valuable in their eyes. Jeanies oldest 1 son. David, had received a commission | through her and forged his way rapidly | in the army The second son, Reuben, fol- | lowed the law. The daughter, Euphemia, | whose own little fortune was augmented by her aunt's generosity, and whose