Year: 1870




he was believed; che wasthe one who led
me into evil, if it had not been for him
should never have broken my mothers
heart, nor brought disgrace upon poor little
Phebe And it is so strange that | should
not have known him. But we parted com
pany that night when we got out of iail to-
gether, and had never seen him since. How
was l to think that Mr.. Gerald Bayne, the
richest and most respectable man in Rock
port, was Bill Eckley? l should never have
known him-a wig and false wbislers
changed him even more than thew did me-
ii l hadn't met John Harrison. He was
another Of my old comrades in Havana and
he told me where Bill was and what n fine
show he made. And now l shall never ret
there to tell poor little Phebe. and if Won
should be too late! Promise me thatnothinc
shall hinder you, that you'll see her as soon
as possible;' and he caught Gilbert's hand
gasping painfully in his eagemess.


'What is she, what is Phebe to YOU o''
cried Gilbert, almost fiercely.


''To me ? she is my sister. BETTER for
her, poor child, if she never had been,' he
said.


Gilbert remembered vaguely that he had
heard stories from the village gossips ofJoe
Hanson, who had been black sheen n thorn
in his mothers side, but he thought he was
dead long ago.


"They thinkin RoclSport that am dead"
he said, seeing Gilbert's bewildeyment
"1 ou have heard So suppose The TAILOR
got up the story that we had committed su.
lclde, because he was to blame forus oettipr
OH so easily, and we were willing enouob
never to contradict it. I had a chance to
begin the world anew if I could disguise
myself SO that nobody would recognise me.
and broke away from my old comrade and
trleo hard to live better life. l never
meant to go back to Rockport at all after
my mother died. / had bpoupbt disoroc.
on my 1amlly. But chance or fate, or Pro
Vidence whateyeryou please, sent Inc there,
and couldn't resist the temptation TO tell
little Phebe who was and see if she wou1d
turn against me. Nobody knew me there.
unless Bill Eckley did. think sometimes
that he did, from glances that he gave me.
thlnk, too, that he may have persuaded
Fhebe to marry him by threatening to oive
me up. She acted SO strangely; she seemed
to think so much of you at first and she
would not tell me why she threw you over


light broke upon Gilbert's bewiIdercd
mind-a light by which all the dark past
was made clear.


81 understand now, and / know Won, ara
right. l know she loved me-" he said
but l-l-yo don't know how much have
wronged you! And to think that it is to Won
that | owe my lifer'


THAT was nothing. l should have done
1t for anybody. When that first boat reach
ed the vessel, and the men said they had
left their captain on board the sinking shin
resolved to save him or die in tbe at
tempt, for, very likely, said to myself he
Is an honest man, whose life is worth much
more than mine. But when / heard that
the vessel was the Lapwing, and knew that
1t must be you, was more eager to 90 for
Phebe's sake, for thought if what | fan
cled was true, my saving her lovers life
might atone in some measure for the trouble
had brought upon her. If you are only
IN time to save her if she is not married to
that man p


but you may live to tell her, yourself"
said Gilbert hopefully


lie shook his head, slowly.


.'No, no, l shall never see her again. And
it is just as WE'LL should only bring dis.
grace upon her. Something or somebody
would be sure to betray me, sooner or later
My life has not been so pleasant that |
should prize it highly 1t is hard to know
that You have no right to breathe the
air, and that every man you meet may
be spy sent to watch you. And it hard
too.get to going right when you have begun
all wrong. But God knows I've tried and
-ltll be all right where I'm going" he
said wearily


Gilbert watched over him INCREASINGLY, but
all efforts to save his life were unavailing
lie had piVen il to save Phehe's lovar