Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-29

help look after YOU, too. Neither OF us would have
been here without the other. dear old man. and we
shall not be separated Whoever you are, you are
gentleman, and you might have been my father or
hers-or hers"
his mind thought which stunned him, which passed
like powerful current through his VEINS, shocked
him, then gave him palpltating lie It was WIG
thought but yet why not-why not? There was the
chance the faint, far-of chance. He caught the old
man by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes,
scanned his features pushed back the hair from the
rugged forehead.
SDear old man." he said, his voice shaking "do you
know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that you may
John Frankin-with Sir John Franklin, you under
stand Did you know Sir John Frankn--is it true
Gear old boy is it true2 Are you one that has lived
to tell the tale? Did you know Sir John franklin
is it true-oh, is it true?'
He let go the old mans shoulders for the face
of the other there had passed changet was strained
and tense the hands outstretched, the eyes
staring straight into the west and the coming night
Dear God 1t is-it is-thats it" cried Bcker-
steth. That's it-oh, love of Christ, that's it Sir
John Franklin-Sr John Franklin, and all the brave
lads that died up there-you remember the ship-the
Arctic Seattle ce-heds, and Franklin-you remember
him! Dear old man, say you remember Franklin!
The thing had seized him. Conviction was upon him.
and he watched the others angushed face with anguish
and excitement in his "But-but it might bet
are like hers the hands, the long hands the pointed
fingers, the eyes-if it should be SO, if am not mad
and it is only so-Dear old man, did you have wife
and child and were they both called Alice-do you
remember? Alice and they both had faces like angels!
Frankin-Alice Do you remember?"
The old man got slowly to his feet, his arms out
stretched the look in his face changing understanding
struggling for its place, memory fighting for its own,
the soul contendng for its mastery
'Franldin-Alice-the snow" he said, confusedly,
God have nercyp cried Bickersteth, as he caught
the swaying body and laid it upon the ground HE
there-almost."
and chafed his hands Man. dear man, if you belong
to her. if you do, can't see what it will mean to
me-she can't say to me then. But if it's true,
you'll belong England and all the world too, and
you'll have fame everlasting. I'll have gold for her
and for you and for your Alice, too, dear old man.
Wake up now you're coming home, and remember
you must remember everything, it will be awful
if you DYKE AIingham who went with Franklin
to the silent of the Pole If it's you, really you,
what wonder you lost your memory You saw things
that other has see1saw them all die but you,
Franklin and ALL die there in the snow, with an the
white world round them II you were there, dear old
man. what travel you have had what strange things
you have seen Where the world is lonelest-there,
suppose, God is most and you got near the heart of
it all If you did if you have seen things closer than
the rest of lis, it's marvel you forgot what you
were, where you from, because it didn't matter
you knew that you were only one of thousands OF
millions who have come and gone that make up the
soul of things, that make the pulses OF the universe
beat That's it, dear old traveller the universe would
die if it weren't for the souls that leave this world and
fill it with life. Wake upi Wake up, dillingham; and
tell us where you've been and what you've seem.
He did not labor in vain Slowly consciousness
came back and the gray eyes opened wide the lips
DiNNSiotS'ii
saw that the look i'll the face was much the as
it had been before. The struggle had been too great
mind and body, and only deep oblquity and great
WEAKNESS filled the countenance. He had come back
to the verge he had almost again discovered himself
but the door which opening had shut fast again
suddenly and he was back again in the night the in
companionabe night of forgetfulness.
Bickersteth that the travail and strife had
drained life and energy, and that he press the
mind and vitality of this exile OF time and the unknown
far He felt that when the next test the old
would either break completely, and sink down
into another and everlasting forgetfulness, tear
away forever the veil between himself and his past,
and emerge into long-lost life. He must shepherd
they came to the town yonder in the valley over which
the night was slowly settling down, and where two
women waited The two Aices, from both of whom had