Year: 1870

YOU VIII Sii "t tAAO pi1SCh al
time to-day you will not be too late
Tomorrow will be Friday, and he is
to suffer execution at dawn. Present
this, if you please, and | implore you
to ask no questions now.


Before they could say much he was
gone, afraid, think, to be first to tell
the story, and our gentlemen called
cab and took me with them at my re-
quest. They seemed to expect US at
the prison, and we were admitted.
But in the narrow corridor Morris stop
ped:


Gentlemen, you must nerve your
selves. Have you reflected that you
may see Benjamin Wade when yonder
door is opened ?''


Young Grinby put his hand upon
his heart, and seemed turning faint
again. 1t was the first time the thought
entered my mind, and it was blow.
1t staggered me.


The next minute the turnkey flung
the door open, and We were in the cell.
On the floor lay d mana broad shoul-
dered fellow, in rough garments-who
seemed to have cast himself down in
grief or terror. 1t was not Ben Wade.
At first l thought [ had never seen
the face he lifted as he rose. In a
moment it came to me.


1t was the leader of the gang who
had been arrested for that old attempt
at robbery, when we found little Ben
in the stone vault.


''You'ye come, have you?" said he,
sitting down on the stone seat, "and |
see you know me. They have caught
me again and it's murder this time,
and I've got to swing. If it wasn't
for that, no person would have got this
out of me. But I've promised, and l
always keep my word, l do. You re-
member young man called Ben Made?


"What of him p. we cried in a
breath.


Not much-he didn't rob your
place, that's all. We done it--Dick
Burch, and Slippery Tom and me.
Tell you how it was. You know that
boy informed on US, and l was locked
up for hard labor for more years than
most men live. l didn't stay, though
i cut off and came home. And the
first thing 1 did was to vow vengeance
Oh that boy. Why, there he was, a
gay young buck, in fine togs, with the
handling of money, and thought of,
and trusted just for having done for
US. Proud too-wouldn't speak to us
in the street. Threatened to give in
formation if he ever saw one Of Us
proving about. l heard it all. l
swore I'd fix him; and it seemed to
como to me.


cone night I was going to Slapper
Shades to have a drink Burch was
with me; and in quiet sort of street
we came up to Ben, in a mighty hurry.


I'D have knocked him on the head
but Burch stopped me.


See what he's up to, says he. And
we followed. He went down to your
place and went in. He left the door
ajar, and we made the best of it. He
was coming out, with a book or some
thing in his hand, and we met him.
He was plucky, l tell you. One of Us
would not have got off easy, but We were
two to one. We gagged and tied him
and made clean sweep of the place
that night.


"And Benny God, did Ben thinA
we would not believe him ?'' cried Mr..
Grinby. ''He had but to come to us
to tell the truth. Where is he? Dc
you know? SPEAK !''


The robber was turning to the hue
of ashes. His words came slowly
His eye glanced over his shoulder, and
he backed up against the wall.


"We locked him in the stone vault
and took the key with us. If you looL
you'll find him there"


And Mr.. Grinby tainted outright il
my arms.


Well sir, the robbers words were
true, The stonev vault was opened that
day, and there-no matter. 1t was
easier to know the ring he wore, and
the keys and purse in his pocket, than
poor Ben Wade.


The first thing Mrs. Humphries said
was: "Thank Heaven, Lucy cannot
know it." And the next she sobbed,
sOh. but for the certainty would have
been better for her after all. And then
to know his name was clear