The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-13
That will be valuable

the bottom. That will be valuable service"
 ''What will you do?"
 "Rig up the sail the best I can in the dark. There is breeze enough to give us some headway and ship the rudder.''
 sDo you know which direction to steerT'
 'sNot now, but have a compass in my pocket. A northeast course would be sure to bring us to the coast, and towns are scattered along. I found that out from Broussard yesterday"
 God pity us if we ever fell into Hen ley's clutches again. There was in my mind, now I had leisure to con slider, no doubt as to what those on board that vessel would do after they discovered him. They would realize we were somewhat astern, and, in the hope of sighting up at daylight, would cruise back and forth in those imme- diate waters. Any moment the Sea Gulps sharp brow might loom up out of the black wall. As she carried no lights there would be no warning. It occurred to me that they would be more apt to take course well in to- ward shore, anticipating I would en- deavor to reach the protection of the coast under cover of darkness. Some one would discover the loss of the tell tale compass, which would naturally confirm that suspicion. Convinced of this I steered more to the eastward, feeling of the face of the compass again to assure myself of the direction. brought tin of biscuit from the bow locker, more as an excuse Tor opening conversation than from any feeling of hunger.
 'It must be pretty close to mid night I said finally. ''Are you hun gryT'
 The shapeless form in the oilskins strengthened slightly, and knew she had turned her face toward me.
 Hungry Oh, no; I had not thought of that''
 You have been cryingF' "Yes; it is so foolish, but am so frightened out here in. this little boat. The darkness and that awful water haIR get upon my nerves. You-you mustn't scold me-"
 ''Of course not feel the weight myself, ? I replied kindly. .'This expe rfence is almost as new to me as to yourself You must remember T am no sailor"
 Then I described the change in my plans. She listened quietly, asking question now and then.
 ''What papers did you find in the desk7''
 ~Letters mostly, establishing the Identity of the captain
 stWho is he-really ?''
 ssCharIes Henley x Philip Henley's half brother by negro mother. Did you ever hear of him P,
 NO; was never told there was such man"
 1T doubt if any one outside those 1mm edfately interested eyer knew the circumstances. Of course the family kept it close secret. This is where the man, had all the advantage As soon as the judge died he determined to represent himself as Philip and claim tie property.
 .tAs Philip had been absent so long, no one could dispute successfully his claim to be that individual. He pos sessed ample evidence that he was the son of Judge Henley
 eBut surely he would anticipate that my hus hilip-would hear of his fa- ther's death q''
 seHe took the chance of getting the property into his hands first As I Understand the matter, he possessed no knowledge that the judge was in communication with Philip. He be- Heved the latter had disappeared ut iterly and would only learn of. his in- heritance through accident. To pre- vent this he dispatched a man north to discover him, if possible, and keep him under surveillance. He thought he had every avenue guarded
 "How did you learn all this"
 From Broussard first. He talked more freely than he intended to do, and later I verified all he said by the letters found.'
 'Then. strange as it sounds, it is rue?"
 Without doubt. Moreover Tand I lowered my voice in sudden embarrass- ment- within the last two weeks the captain had received news from his agent in the north which gave him fresh confidence The man reported that he had found trace of Philip Hen ley; he told of the life the man was leading and where he lived I think all this must have been immediately after your separation, as he mentioned no wife. However. he described some thing even more important
 "You must tell mel'' she burst forth as I hesitated. Don't be afraid to trust me with all you know
 t'I am not afraid I returned stout ly enough, mot in the sense you mean at least, yet it is never easy to be the bearer of evil news.''
 ''Is it evil2''
 e.Misfortune. certainly. The man re- ported the death of your husband.''
 ssHis death! You are sure? Tell me now what he said; how it happened
 s'The report was specific and would seem to be true. He says that Philip Henley while intoxicated was struck and killed by an automobile. The date given was after you left him. His body was found by the police, but his pockets had been rifed, and there were no marks of Identification on his clothes. He was buried unknown, but