Year: 1878

Five years went by:


Five years bring many changes to young
and old. They slight no one. These years
brought many added burrows to John Ever
sleighs brow.


"How fast he grows old" everybody said;


And he had aged wonderfully fast in the
last five years. His form was bent and his
step had lost its elasticity, He was an old
man, and man upon whom care seemed
to weigh heavily. Looking at him you
would have said that he was not happy
man with all his wealth.


The years brought Echanges to Alice
Eversleigh. They stole the youthful anima-
ton her face had held, and gave her,instead
a thoughtful look, and a quiet, subdued
manner that told you she had thoughts of
her own to busy her. She seemed to be
waiting. do not think she realized it ex-
actly, but for all that there was a vague
sense of expectancy in her heart. M%sTime
would work other changes in years to
come. Who knewwhat they would be?


One day swift change came. Her
father was stricken down in n moment, and
the physician said he would never rally
from the sudden blow. 1t meant-death.


The may linger for days, and he may die
in an hour" they told her.


And she watched and waited, and hope.
One night he woke up from troubled sleep,
and called to her. She was at his side ina
stantly.


"What can do for yod?" she asked


"eit down." he said, 81 want to make d
confession to you before die, want you to
write it down, and when l am dead, you
must promise me that you will do this?"


"Yes, promise" She answered, wonder
ing his mind was wandering.


"Basil Sherwood did not steal that money"
he said slowly.


81 knew itl', she'cried, with lily repressed
excitement. "He could not have become a
thief"


4" stole it!" John Eversleigh said, husk-
lily. "Listenl had been engaged in heavy
speculations, and they had been losing ones.
| must have money or become a Ibeggar. l
knew that Sherwood was going away, But
/ knew that the robbery would be discover
ed before his vessel sailed, and l did not
know how could obtain the money, throw
the suspicion upon him in such way that
it would seem we'll founded. But that night
he got a telegram from a man in Boston who
was connected with the firm for which he
was to work in India, ordering him to that
city Immediately, and saying that he could
sail from there the next day. The message
was imperative, and must be obeyed at once,
as no time could be lost. BY some means
the message was sent to him in my care and
so found out about the change of plan. l
sent it to him, and no one but us knew that
he left for Boston that night. This afforded
me a chance TO work on. | stole the money,
and everybody suspected Sherwood at once.
1t was found that he did not sail on the yes
sci he had said he intended to, and it was
taken for granted that he had gone in some
other direction. hushed the matter up, or
rather part Of the money had stolen did,
and nothing was dome to trace him. | have
kept my secret all these years, but cannot
die with it on my soul lie is in India, but
he knows nothing Of the stain upon his
name. When / am dead you must write 10
him and tell him all, and say that / begged
for his forgiveness, but you will let the
world, who deemed him the guilty person,
know that he was innocent and that was
the thief! You may think it hard thing to
do Of your father, who is dead, but wish it