CHAPTER XXVI. A THRILLING STORY.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 314, 7 November 1888, Page 6

CHAPTER XXVI. A THRILLING STORY.

(ii.oriKKY started to his feet .i.s it eluctii'kd a? these unexpscted woicls? ii c L I upon hi* ears, and found himself fac < to face with a man of perhaps titty year;-, hi* face seamed and browned by hardships and oKpo^are. rough in appearance, uncouth in dre^s. and with an anxious, alert air about him \\ Inch conveyed the impression chat he feared being; identified and apprehended toi bomo reason or other. 'Who aie you V' Geoflrey sternly demanded, for he knew that countiy was not the safest place in the woild, and it flashed upon his mind that the man might be a robber, and had iol lowed him there wilh some evil intent. ' I'm all right. I've no wish to harm je, sir,' was the rea°suiing lesponse, as the new-comer appeared to read his thought, ' and I gue-18 it don t matter much who I be, provided 1 can tell ye what ye seem to want to know about this heie grave ' ' No, 1 replied Geodrey, his suspicions instantly vanishing. 'If 3 on can give me the history of the poor lady who liefe here, and tpll me where I can find the man who brought her here, I'll pay you well, and ask no further questions about yourself. But how came vow to follow me to this place ?' 'I didn't foller ye. I was settin' yonder, behind that clump of spruce^, when ye hove in sight. I didn't mean to show up, but when 1 s?aw ye so eayrer by thib here tombstone I was kind o' curious to know what yer game was, and so crept on ye unawares*. But, I say, youngster,' the man added, suddenly taking a step forward, and peering eagerly into Geoffrey's face, ' who are you ?> The rough fellow had actually grown pale, and his breath came in gasps through his tightly-locked teeth. ' I am an Eastern man,' answeied Geoflrey, evasively. 1 Is— is your name Geoffrey "' he man demanded, in a hoarse whiepei. 'Ye?.' 'Ha ! Geoffrey Dale <•' 'Yes' 'Gieat Chr -topher ! ii — thought &o. Something about yer sent a chilJ over mo the minute ] laid eyes on ye," said the man, trembling and terribly agitated. ' Boyboy,' he continued, in a tone of fear, ' how on eaith came ye and me to turn up together here of all places in tho wot Id "'' Geotlrey was n mazed at his words.. Evidently the man knew something about him, and with that knowledge, tlieie whs connected ;-oine incident that caused him p.-r-onal fe ir. Instantly the young man's mind reverted to the condition in which Air Huntic-p had iii.st found him a poor abandoned mibi-oile. Had this lough creature known oi that, or had anything to do with it r His next words enlightened him somewhat ' You're nl! ii<jhl, too, in the upper *tory, and ye can talk,' he muttered. " Whcio \ c ben all these yeai s ">' 'All these years." How many years queried Geoffrey, with a lapidly-beating heart. ' It's eight years ago. last bpring, since I last set eyes on ye, and 1 little bhoughc I should ever -ee you again ; hcicc with lhat look on yer face. Where ye ben, I nay ?" ' Eight years ago, last spring,' began GeofJrey, gravely, while he closely watched every expression on his companion-, countenance, 'I wab one clay wand^iing, a poor, demented boy, in the streets of New York city. My strange appearance and actions attracted a mob of urchins, who began to make sport of me. They weie in the midst of their cruelty when a carriage stopped near me, and a beautiful little girl beckoned to me, at the same time opening the door of the carriage. f darted away fiom my tormentors, sprang in beside her, and the next moment was driven away in safety, much to the lago of r the boy&. The ; girl's father took an interest in me. consulted a physician, who made an examination of my case, and reported my demented state had been caused by a heavy blow on the head several years before." Geoffrey saw the man shudder as he •made this statement, while a low exclamation of pain or fear escaped him, and a dim suspicion began to dawn on his mind. 'It was found,' he resumed, &till watching the man, ' that my skull had been fractured, and that a portion of tho bone was pressing on my brain, which caused tempo' ary paralysis, and made me an im becile.' Another shudder more violent than the other, strengthened his suspicion. ' The physician and another,' he went on, ' believed that an operation might be performed which would improve my condition, it it did not fully restore me to my right mind. Mr Huntress, the man who had taken me under his protection, authorised tho doctors to undertake the operation. They did so — it was successful, and I was restored.' - Heaven be praised !' ejaculate-i his listener, heartily but tremulously. 'I haven't thai quite so heavy on my conscience any longer.' Geoffrey started, and his face brightened. He was gaining light, little by little. 'The first words that I altered on coming to myself,' he continued, ' were something about a woman named — Margery ' At the wound of that name the man before him bounded to his feet as if he had been shot. . -' ' ' ' Mari/ery 1' he repeated, in an agonised voice, his face twitching, his- hands- clutch-

ing themselves convulsively, while his eyes rolled in every .direction, a look ot wildest fear in them. 'Do you remember Margery 9> He leaned breathlessly toward the young man, while ho awaited his answer with trembling eagerness. 1 1 remember only this — and it is only a confused remembrance, too,' Geoffrey replied, ' that someone by that n«mo was kind and good to me — that she was called Margery, and I loved her. I have a dim recollection that something happened to her — that she was hurt or struck ' On hearing this, the man stretched out his hand with a quick, appealing gesture. 'Don't — don't,' ho pleaded, hoarsely. ' Do — do you remember anything — anyone else V ' Yes, f recollect that there was a man nauied Jack,—a nother violent -start confirmed Geoffrey's suspicions — ' who was not al« ays good to me, and whom 1 ferued, and — you. are Jack !' This was something? of a shot at tandom, but it told instantly. The man sank to the ground, trembling 1 and unncned, his iace blanched with leai, while great beads of perspiration started out upon his forehead. ' Good Heaven ! 1 am lost-. ! Have 1 come back alter all these years, just to got caught like a rat in a tiap''' ho cried, brokenly. 'Bui/ he went on, crouching lower among tlit tall grasb and weeds, ' I never meant yo any harm, Master Geoflrtfy. ft wa£ the drink that did it- ; it crnzerJ my brain, and 1 never leally knew 1 done ye such iniury, or that Fd. killed ihe girl I loved fill hours afrcr 'twas all o\er ' j Geofiioy grew pale now at this levela- ' tion. It was far mot e than he riicwned ol o\tortintr when he had chained the man with ] hi-5 identity. lie 'iiii. mi evcitud that it w;<> wilh dilliculty lie could (.ompose him&clr iiiJiioicntly to s»peak. But after a moment or two lie said : ' Weil, Jack, since it is you. and wo have recognised O.IIJI other, yi>u may a- well make a clean Ivert-t ot Che v. 313 1 o 11?1 1? -loi\ Owing to liv kmdne*— which I have ieeohed, tlic injury which you did inu hanot ic-ulted so seiioiT-ly a& it might iiaxc done ; bet poor Maigcry !' ' Boy — bo\ --ye will diivc me em/v if ye talk like that.' Jack cried, in a voice ot horror "T tell ye. 1 loved the girl, and I'd never 'uuc lifted my bund ayin her I'd have cat it oil li -t. though we didn't always ngiee -but for the drink; and if 1 could only look into her good fare once more, and hear hei say, ".Jack, 1 foigivc ye !' I'd be irtllni' to ]ay down m the gr.'i\e beside her, though Heaven knows l'\ c ne\ cr even seen tho spot where she's buried/ Great ;-obs choked the man's utteianco, while teais i oiled o\ei his wcathei -beaten cheeks and dropped down upon the giound. Gtolhey pitied him sincerely, while «'»t the same time a feeling ot horror ciept ovei him a* he began to realise that the man had been making a confession of murder. Had he killed Maigery and attempted his life also ? And was that the sect tit ot his having been abandoned in the great city of New York ? He was burning with eagerness. t'> learn all the n uth. 'I do not wish to pain you, Jack.' he said, ' but 1 want you to tell me .-ill theio is to tell. Begin at the beginning, here in this peaceful -pot where no one will come to distiu b us, and ease your conscience of itt bmderi. 1 ' Jack looked up quickly as he lefei red to that sacied inclor-ure. "How came ye to know whereto find 3'er mothei's erra\e' > ' he asked. Geoffrey's heait bounded within him at this question. 'Annie' had boon hi=; mothei then. It was *v groat thinu-to ha\o that point .-efci led, and he telt sure now that the re-f would all be explained. ' Never mind that in^t now, Jack," he tcplied, with what calmness he could assume; * when you ha\o lola me all your 1 will answer any question you ma^ a^k.' ' Yc'll not give me o\er to the ufficei •>, lad "'' the man pleaded pititnllv. ' No, .hick, you need have no fear of mo : as f ir a- 1 am concerned you may be fiee ioi the ie u t of your life ; if \ 011 haw v iongi/1 anyone elt-e yon will ha\ c to coti If- that wit tyour own conscience \ll i ask oi you i-> to tell me the hhstoiy of my eail> life, and what \ou know legaidiny my rifhei and motho . 'Thank \e. Mattel Geolhe\.' returned I Jack huvjibly. ' I don ( de-iM\e thafQ >'c should be so eoiwdeiate. l\o li.vi to skulk and hido foi iiioiu'n twenty ,> ear.-, and though there ain't nnch in tlio wotld that I earo to livo for, yet a fcllei don 1 ex a^tly like the idee ot bcin put out of it afore In- time. I'll tell ye all I know about yerse 1 and your folks? and welcome.' 'Come o\er to yondej log and let us sit down,' Geotlrey bmd, indicatin<j a fallen tree, but he was white and telt weak and trembling as ho moved towaid it. At L^t he believed the mysteiy of his life was to be revealed. ' 1 came heie to work in the mines about a year afore, Captain Dale — that's your dad- -bought this claim,' Jack began after they "vveie seated. 'He bought out old Water* all of a sudden, and, about a fortnight after, he brought the prettiest little woman that I ever .-et eyes? on to live in tliut house yonder— -' * Bis wife ?' eagerly queried Geoffrey. *Of course, ltd — leastwise he said she was, and she was called Mrs 'Dale ; and if evei a man set his lite by a woman, the captain was that pne. He dressed her like a doll and wouldn't let her do a thing except make little fancy knickknDcks, and i'wns'ioVevei !]sbtun' and inakin' of her as if she was a cmld Wai, they ken' two maids — at leash after a -while — one in the kitchen and one to wait on Mrs Dale, who was kind of fiilm'. Margery Brown was the waitin' maid, and she and me had been keepin' company for quite awhile, and it was agreed between us that we'd marry afore long and try our luck together in California, for I' 1 scraped together a snug little bum and was tired of the mines. But after she went to the cap's house she began to put me off — she giew so fond of his wife that she wouldn't hear a word about marryin' and leavin' her. At the end of a year ye were born — a cute little nine-pounder ye was, too, arid a prouder man ye never see than •the captain was after ye came. But it didn't last long, for yer mother began to fail afore ye were a month old, and in another week or two &he was dead. 'It just broke the captain's heart. He seemed half crazed, didn't pay any heed to his business, and finally said he couldn't stay here where everything kept his mind stii red up with the past. He told Margery he was yoin' to break up, only he didn't know what 'he should do with you, for be hadn't any place or any, folks to take you to. ' I thought my time to speak up had come then, and I told Margery she must take me then or never, and if the captain were willin' we'd take the baby along with us until he could do better by it. This pleased her and she said she'd speak to the master about it. He was glad enough to let ye come with us, for he knew any girl loved ye and would take better , care of ye 'than ' any stranger. He said he'd ' pay well for it until were old enough to ! go to school

when hod take you to some good one to begin yer edicafcion. ' Well, Margery and I were married, and went to California to live on ,a small farm I'd leased, out of 'Frisco, which 1 worked part of the time and let out the rest, at odd jobs, to get a little ready money. The cap shipped all his fine furniture off somowhere to be sold, shut up the house yonder, and left lor parts unknown, though for the first two years he came every six months to see how his boy was gottin' on. After that he didn't come so often though ho pent money regular. ' Ye were the smartest littlo chap I ever did see. Margery couldn't have loved yo any better it ye'd been her own, and she made more on ye than I lelished, and 1 got jealous sometimes. We got on finely for three years, then hard, times came, the crops didn't turn out good, odd jobs cave out, and 1 Jay idle tor week.'.- at a time. 1 wasn't lono gottin' into bad company those ' times, and 1 came home wild with drink I sometimes, and Margery would cry and beg me to mend my ways. But I didn't; and at last sho got rilon", and threatened to jiive mo the slip, which only made me wicked and .sullen. > ' One ni^hC J came homo woise than e^er Heaven foigive mo ! J'd been at tr-e bottle all day loni?, and the very Old "Boy tut'l o-ob into m<». J staggered into thw houcO ugly onough for anything. Margei y had the tabled all laid, the keltic wjs ste.'uniii 1 on the stove, and sho was setiJn' with y< j ii self in her aims — ye weie about live then — laugliin' and plnyin' with ye as happ\ as a can with one kitten. The sijjiit angered me somehow ; J couldn't got iccon ciled that we'd no tots of our own, and I iriivo a cuf on the car with an oath. ' j\l ii"j,cry sprang it[> as mad ms a hornet, and .sho\cd ye behind li^r. ' "Let the child alone you sot '' she said. 1 'I'll sol ye I' I yelled, and pushed hei roiijLrhl V inlo a chair b\' the sto\e. 'Thin roused all ycr bad blood, small t\b )o wcte, Ye flew an me pelting me with yei hftlo lists that couldn't ha\c hurt a Hea. i . called mo ' a bad wicUed man,' ouicred me to let ij>'r Mai^eiy alone, oi \f'(l toll— 'Ye nevoi iini-^hed that sentence, lor c\c!v \ioid had put me in a woiso raye, and f yiabbud a stick of weed irom the heart h, {Inner it at yo, and ye dropped without a word, foi it hit jou square in the head. ' Aly girl gave a ?lniek I'll never foiget. ''Oh, ye drunken wieteh, 1 .she ciied. ' I'll hate ye all my life if \c\e killed m\ 'lailin'.' ' Bhe gave me a pu^h and spring toward ye, but she ncvei i cached no, toi 1 grabbed her by the throat - - fright at what I'd aheadv douu and the heat of the 100 m had made a madman of me— and choked her till .she grew pui pie in the face, and then <hiew her fiom me. She stumbled, caught her foot in a nit', and fell 1 laughed as she went over Uer head hit on the sharp cci ncr of the stove with abound ['11 never foiget till 1 die, and then she, boo, lay still and white on the floor atoie me. {To be Continued.)