The Holly chieftain., 1914-04-24
The TRAGEDY OF
THOMAS HEARNE
(Continued.)

hired a stout horse and two-wheel-
ed cart for month from the landlord
to whom | talked neolithic man Of an
evening. impressing him with learn
ing. acquired from the reports of that
worthy society the Devonshire asso-
citation. i preferred to drive myself,
declining the boy offered for that pur-
pose. There were no other prepara-
tons to make: and SO, on the day fol-
lowing. that earnest student, Mr..
Abel Kingsley. might have been seen
smoking his pipe on the cairn hill
I'm a white macintosh. for was there
not threat of rain In the air? while
Mr. Thomas Hearne lay hid amongst
the stones watching the effect of the
signal through his pocket telescope.
He reported all well; julius Craig had
undoubtedly noticed the white water
proof. and understood that we were
waiting for him.
| could talk to you for an hour OF
our doings in the next three weeks.
We lived on the edge of powder
barrel in which we had set the fuse.
Never morning but we were up
with the sun, staring to windward for
signs of the weather. Would 1t be
today, tomorrow = not at all? A
nervous man would not have stood
that strain; but we were not neu-
rotic couple, the old chap and I.
AS hard and keen and clever as a
lad of 81 was Thomas Hearne. 1t
was he who spent the day in Ply
mouth, returning with wig and long
overcoat that might temporarily con-
.ceal the convict's identity until he
could change his yellow prison uni
form for the clothes | had already
bought: it was he who gathered to
himself all the weather lore of the
village until he had become a better
prophet than the wisest veteran of the
moors. Two fogs we had but dur
ing the first the convicts were kept
within the walls: while before the
other caught them the warders had
time to rush the gangs back to their
cells. Yet Hearne never lost temper
at these delays. cheering me back into
patience with the strength of his own
certainty.
Don't you worry, Kingsley" he
would say; what is fated to happen
cannot be prevented, and Providence
will See to it that Julius Craig comes
to us soon"
His affection for the convict seem
ed to fill his life. No risk, no labor
was too heavy; no storm would drive
him from his post. Often when I
smoked by the inn fire he was crouch
ing patiently amongst the rocks on
the cairn hill, as Ii It were his only
son for whom he waited There was
something inhuman IN his nerciless
self-sacrifice; but | had no reason to
complain. for it ligktened the burden
on my shoulders.
II was at three o'clock on Tuesday,
May 9. that Julius Craig escaped.
Poor devil! If he had but known!
Hearne and I had quarreled that
morning over the fog question. Per-
naps both our tempers were wearing
thin, but that was no excuse for his
dropping from argument to insults. /
dare say he thought my language just
as bad: but that didn't make the trou-
bic any lighter. There was fog In
the air, he said, though even the land.
l
the question to him. Finally the old
man walked off in hun, though had
so far given way as to promise that
| would bring the cart to the ruins
by lunch time.
| sulked about the inn until the pa.
pers came from Plymouth, When l
had finished reading them it was nigh
one O'clock. A leg of lamb was cook.
ing in the kitchen. Just because
Hearne preferred cold ham sand
~iches or draughty hill there was
no reason why | should not have my
meal in comfort. | would lunch be.
fore | started. and he could walt for
his sandwiches 81
It was n selfish thing to do, but he
had irritated me that morning more
than l. now can understand. l was
finishing of with cheese when the
landlord thrust his head through the
door OF my sitting room. 'ap.
81 gave FOOLS wisdom this morn.
ing. sir" he said. "The fog be blow
ing up proper from the eastward. Pm
feared that Mr.. Hearne--''
lie got no further, for | was past
him like flash and out into the
open.
The moors had gone; utterly vanish
ed away. In their place there lay a
blanket Of blllowy white that sent
wild s;raamers upwards to the flying