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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Jess of the Rebel Trail, by H. A. Cody
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Jess of the Rebel Trail
+
+Author: H. A. Cody
+
+Release Date: March 16, 2005 [EBook #15382]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JESS OF THE REBEL TRAIL ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+
+
+
+
+JESS OF THE REBEL TRAIL
+
+
+
+BY
+
+H. A. CODY
+
+
+
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE FRONTIERSMAN," "THE LONG PATROL," "THE CHIEF OF THE
+RANGES," "THE FOURTH WATCH," "GLEN OF THE HIGH NORTH," ETC.
+
+
+
+
+McCLELLAND AND STEWART
+
+PUBLISHERS : : TORONTO
+
+
+
+
+1921,
+
+BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
+
+
+
+
+PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
+
+
+
+
+To
+
+MY UNCLE AND NAMESAKE
+
+HIRAM CODY
+
+
+Long Since Passed Within the Vail
+
+
+This Book is Dedicated
+
+In Grateful and Loving Remembrance
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER
+
+      I  THE HOLD-UP
+     II  REBELLION
+    III  THE "EB AN' FLO"
+     IV  UNDER COVER
+      V  CAPTAIN SAMUEL GOES SHOPPING
+     VI  EBEN MAKES A DISCOVERY
+    VII  GIVING MARTHA THE GO-BY
+   VIII  WHAT THE COW DID
+     IX  MARTHA TAKES A HAND
+      X  UNWELCOME VISITORS
+     XI  IN PERIL OF DEATH
+    XII  CORNERED
+   XIII  A TRICKY PASSENGER
+    XIV  ANOTHER VICTIM
+     XV  TWO WOMEN'S TROUBLES
+    XVI  MORE THAN A DREAM
+   XVII  CAPTAIN SAM'L GOES HOME
+  XVIII  HARD LUCK
+    XIX  THE CAPTAIN GIVES ADVICE
+     XX  MRS. GRIMSBY'S MISSION
+    XXI  EBEN COMES ASHORE
+   XXII  ON THE REBEL TRAIL
+  XXIII  STRAIGHT TALK
+   XXIV  EBEN ATTENDS TO GRIMSBY
+    XXV  THE FOREST FIRE
+   XXVI  IN THE RING OF DEATH
+  XXVII  IN THE NICK OF TIME
+ XXVIII  IN URGENT NEED
+   XXIX  CONFESSION
+    XXX  JOY AT EVENTIDE
+
+
+
+
+  "I have no other but a woman's reason;
+  I think him so, because I think him so."
+
+    SHAKESPEARE
+
+
+
+  "When all other rights are taken away,
+  the right of rebellion is made perfect."
+
+    THOMAS PAINE
+
+
+
+  "Women are never stronger than when they
+  arm themselves with their weakness."
+
+    MADAME DU DEFFAND
+
+
+
+
+JESS OF THE REBEL TRAIL
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE HOLD-UP
+
+The glowing coals in the spacious grate seemed to fascinate the woman
+as she sat huddled in a big luxurious chair.  The book she had been
+reading was lying open and unheeded on her lap.  Her surroundings were
+by no means in keeping with her dejected manner.  The room was cosy and
+lavishly furnished, while the shaded electric reading-lamp cast its
+gentle radiance upon the woman's white hair and soft evening-gown.  It
+was a rough night, and the wind howling outside beat furiously against
+the closely-blinded windows.
+
+It was a night such as this, nearly twenty years before, of which the
+woman was thinking.  She was once again in a room in a private
+hospital, lying weak and helpless from the ordeal through which she had
+passed.  It all came back to her now with a stinging intensity, causing
+her white hands to clench hard, and her eyes to widen with a nameless
+fear.
+
+A maid entered and announced a visitor.
+
+"I can't see anyone to-night," the woman before the fire declared,
+without even turning her head.
+
+"But----" the maid began.
+
+"That is all, Maggie.  You need not say anything more.  I wish to be
+left entirely alone."
+
+The maid hesitated a few seconds before obeying the imperious command.
+Then she slowly turned, and had almost reached the door when it was
+suddenly pushed open and a man entered.  Without a word, he stepped
+past her and glided across the room toward the fire.  His unexpected
+appearance startled the woman crouching there.  She straightened
+quickly up and stared at the intruder in amazement.
+
+"Who are you?" she demanded.  "How dare you come here?  Maggie, put
+this man out."
+
+But Maggie had disappeared, so the woman was left to face the man alone.
+
+"I won't harm you, madame," he smilingly informed her, as he moved
+closer to the fire and stretched put his hands.  "I'm as harmless as a
+kitten."
+
+"Keep back," the woman ordered.  "Don't come so close."
+
+"Oh, I'm all right.  Don't you worry about me."
+
+Again the man smiled as he rubbed his hands together.
+
+"I wasn't worrying about you," the woman retorted.  "I would like to
+see you burn yourself for your impudence."
+
+Her fear had now vanished, and she was angry.  She carefully noted the
+man's slight figure, and threadbare clothes.  But his face was what
+attracted her most of all.  It was somewhat chubby, and when the mouth
+was expanded by the almost incessant smile the cheeks were wrinkled
+like corrugated iron.  His head was bald, save for a few tufts of hair
+above the ears.  His bulging eyes twinkled with good humour, causing an
+observer to feel that their owner was well satisfied with himself and
+the entire world.
+
+"Who are you?" the woman again demanded.  "How dare you come uninvited
+into my room?"
+
+The man straightened, himself up, and standing with his back to the
+fire brought forth a package of cigarettes, selected one, and
+deliberately lighted it.
+
+"You don't mind if I have a smoke, do you?" he asked.  "It's good for
+the nerves."
+
+"Indeed I do," the woman replied.  "I hate smoking.  I never allow it
+in this room."
+
+"I'm sorry, madame, but you'll soon forget all about it.  I have come
+to see you to-night on very important business, and when I tell you
+what it is you won't think any more about the smoke."
+
+"Important business!  With me?  Why, I never saw you before, and I have
+not the slightest idea who you are.  What do you want, anyway?"
+
+"Yes, it's important business, as I have just said, and when I learned
+that you would see no one to-night I was compelled to force myself upon
+your presence."
+
+"How did you know that I would see no one to-night?  Were you listening
+at the door?"
+
+"Madame, when you get to know me better you will learn that I am able
+to read people's thoughts, though doors may intervene.  Words are
+unnecessary to me.  I know all."
+
+The man blew a cloud of smoke into the air, and smiled.  "Yes," he
+continued, "I even read your thoughts to-night as you sat before this
+fire."
+
+"You did!" The woman's eyes grew wide with fear and amazement.  "Who
+are you, anyway?"
+
+"I am merely a stand-between; that has been my business for years."
+
+"A stand-between?"
+
+"Yes, I stand between people and ignorance.  I supply them with mental
+food, books of the first-water.  They all know me, and look upon me as
+a public benefactor."
+
+"So you are a book-agent, then?  And you want to sell me some books, I
+suppose?  Is that your business here to-night?"
+
+The man waved his hand haughtily, and flicked the ashes from his
+cigarette into the fire.
+
+"No, madame, it is not.  Business is somewhat dull these days, I must
+confess.  People are not as anxious as formerly for pure literature.
+There are too many counter attractions.  This being so, I find it is
+becoming more difficult to stand between my family and poverty.
+Therefore, I am here to-night."
+
+"So you want me to give you some money; is that it?"
+
+"Ah, now I see you understand," and the man's face beamed.  "But
+remember, I come not as a beggar, neither as a suppliant, but merely to
+receive payment for a favor."
+
+"Payment for a favor!" the woman exclaimed.  "What do you mean?  I owe
+you nothing.  I never saw you before.  What favor?"
+
+"The favor of silence.  I know what you were thinking about to-night as
+you sat here.  Your thoughts were in the past, to another night such as
+this.  You were in a private hospital, and----"
+
+He was interrupted by a startled cry from the woman.  She was sitting
+bolt upright, her hands gripping hard the arms of the chair, and her
+face ghastly white.
+
+"W-what do you know?" she gasped.
+
+"Calm yourself, madame.  Although I know all, you have no need to fear."
+
+For a few seconds the woman stared at the man before her.  Then she
+gave an hysterical laugh and sank back in her chair.  What did this
+stranger know? she wondered.  Perhaps nothing, and she had made a fool
+of herself by showing her agitation.
+
+"My nerves are somewhat shaken to-night," she confessed.  "I have not
+been well of late, so your sudden appearance and strange words have
+rather unsettled me.  What do you mean by referring to another night
+such as this, and to a private hospital?  What have they to do with me?"
+
+"A great deal, I should say, madame.  If you doubt my knowledge, it is
+only necessary to mention the name of Hettie Rawlins, now my wife, Mrs.
+Gabriel Grimsby."
+
+"Hettie Rawlins!" the woman's face showed her perplexity.
+
+"Yes, Hettie Rawlins, the girl who exchanged the babies.  Don't you
+remember her?"
+
+But the woman did not reply.  She sat staring at the man before her.
+
+"There is no doubt now about my knowledge is there?" the stranger asked
+with a smile.
+
+"Heavens, no!" the unhappy woman groaned.  "And to think that after all
+these years I should be thus confronted in my own house, and by a
+complete stranger.  And so your wife told you all?"
+
+"Everything, although she kept the secret for a long time.  She told me
+how you bribed her to exchange your little baby boy for a girl which
+was born in the hospital on the same day, and the amount you gave the
+baby's mother for making the exchange."
+
+"Stop, stop," the woman pleaded.  "You will kill me."
+
+"But you know it all, madame.  You were thinking about it to-night,
+were you not?"
+
+"I was, I was," and the woman buried her face in her hands.
+
+Presently she lifted her head.
+
+"Where is the boy?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.  "Is he alive?"
+
+"And so you are interested in him, madame?"
+
+"Interested?  Why, he is with me night and day.  Though he must be a
+young man now, yet I always see him as the little babe I held to my
+breast.  If you know where he is, tell me.  I must see him somehow,
+though he must never know who I am."
+
+"What about the girl, your daughter?" the man questioned.  "She must be
+a comfort to you now, and well takes the place of--of your son."
+
+"Nothing can ever take his place," the woman vehemently declared.  I
+thought so once, fool that I was.  But I know better now when it is too
+late.  Where is he?  For God's sake, tell me!"
+
+"And you have had no word from him?" the man asked.
+
+"Nothing.  I do not even know the woman's name who took him.  I thought
+I would never want to know."
+
+"Then, madame, it is better for you to remain in ignorance.  It would
+do you no good now to learn anything about him.  I, at any rate, shall
+not enlighten you."
+
+"You won't?"
+
+"No, not now."
+
+"Then why have you come here to-night to inflict this torture upon me?
+What good can it do to increase the agony of my tormented soul?  Surely
+I have endured enough already."
+
+"I come, madame, merely as a stand-between.  Business with me has been
+dull of late, as I have just told you.  Therefore, when one door closes
+another opens.  I am not a man to let a good opportunity of earning a
+few honest dollars slip.  I know your story, and, accordingly, am here
+to receive payment."
+
+"Payment!  For what?" the woman asked in amazement.
+
+"For silence.  I suppose you don't want this matter known?"
+
+"Good heavens, no!  What would my husband and daughter think?  Why, I
+could never face the world again."
+
+"Very well, madame.  I am pleased to know that you realise the
+situation," and the man smiled blandly upon his victim.  He was
+succeeding much better than he had expected.  "I shall see that this
+matter is kept a profound secret."
+
+"Oh, will you?" and the woman looked her relief.
+
+"Indeed I will, providing you make it worth while.  I am always open
+for business."
+
+The woman looked keenly at the man.
+
+"Do I understand that you want to be paid for keeping silent?" she at
+length found voice to ask.
+
+"Certainly.  That's what I'm here for.  Business is business, remember,
+and if I cannot make a living at my regular profession, I must turn to
+the next best thing that offers."
+
+"But this is a hold-up.  Are you not afraid to do such a thing?"
+
+"Afraid!  Of what?"
+
+The sudden flush that mantled the woman's face plainly showed that she
+understood.  The man noted it, and smiled.
+
+"You realise the situation, madame, I see.  That is very fortunate.  I
+have nothing to fear, as you would do almost anything rather than let
+your secret be known."
+
+"But suppose I do not accede to your demand, what then?"
+
+"That would remain for you to find out, madame.  Are you willing to run
+the risk?"
+
+"Heavens, no!  It must not be.  What is your price?  Tell me quick, and
+let us get through with this painful interview."
+
+"Willingly, madame.  I am as anxious to get through as you are.  My
+price is very moderate, considering the favor I am bestowing upon you.
+I want five hundred dollars."
+
+"Five hundred dollars!"  The woman gasped as she stared at her visitor.
+"Why, you are a scoundrel, and nothing less."
+
+Grimsby smiled, and rubbed his hands.  He felt sure of his quarry, and
+it mattered little to him what he was called.  It was all in the way of
+business, so he told himself.  Then he picked up his hat from the floor
+where he had deposited it, and made as though he was about to leave.
+
+"Very well, then," he casually remarked.  "If you think it is too much
+I am sorry.  Next week, perhaps, you will consider it very cheap, and
+would be willing to give far more.  But it may be too late then.
+However, if you are unwilling to meet my moderate demand, it is no use
+for me to remain longer."
+
+He started to leave the fire-place, but the woman detained him.
+
+"Don't go just yet," she ordered.  "I realise that I must give you
+something.  But isn't your price exorbitant?"
+
+"It might be for some, but not for you, Mrs. Randall.  I understand
+that you are one of the largest tax-payers in this city, and in your
+own name at that.  Why, I am astonished at myself for my moderation in
+asking for so little from such a rich woman.  I might have made it a
+thousand at least."
+
+For a few minutes the woman remained in deep thought.  Grimsby never
+took his eyes from her face.  He was quite elated with himself, for he
+felt sure of success.
+
+At length the woman gave a weary sigh, rose slowly from her chair, and
+crossing the room, sat down before a handsome writing-table.  When she
+at last came back to the fire-place she was holding a cheque in her
+hand.  Eagerly the man reached out to receive it.  But the woman waved
+him back.
+
+"Just a minute," she told him.  "Before I give you this I want you to
+promise upon your word of honour that you will never ask me for any
+more money."
+
+"I promise, madame," Grimsby replied, bowing, and placing his right
+hand upon his heart in a dramatic manner.  "I shall make myself as
+scarce as I always do when my creditors are after me.  What more can I
+say?"
+
+"And you will never breathe a word of this to anyone?"
+
+"Trust me to keep the secret, madame, I shall not even tell my wife."
+
+The woman was about to say something more, but a startled look came
+into her eyes, as she turned apprehensively toward the door.  Nervously
+she thrust the cheque into the man's hand.
+
+"Here, take this," she ordered, "and leave the house at once.  Somebody
+is coming."
+
+Without a word Grimsby seized his hat, sped across the room, opened the
+door and disappeared.  Trembling violently, the woman sank down in the
+chair and buried her face in her hands, a veritable picture of abject
+misery and despair.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+REBELLION
+
+The man had been gone but a few minutes when the door was again opened
+and a girl entered.  She was a vision fair to behold as she paused for
+an instant while her eyes rested upon the woman crouched before the
+fire.  She evidently had just come in out of the night, for she wore
+her out-of-door cloak, and her hair was somewhat tossed by the violence
+of the wind.  The rich colour of her cheeks betokened the healthy
+exercise of one who had walked some distance.  An expression of anxiety
+came into her dark-brown eyes as she crossed the room, and bent over
+the woman in the chair.
+
+"Mother, mother, what is the matter?" she demanded.  "Are you ill?"
+
+"Oh, it's you, Jess, is it?" the woman languidly asked as she lifted
+her head.  "I thought it was Maggie.  I was not expecting you so soon.
+What brought you home so early?"
+
+"It must have been my guiding angel," the girl smilingly replied.  "So
+you were lonely without me?  Was that the trouble?"
+
+"Yes, I suppose that had something to do with it.  But I am not feeling
+well to-night.  This room seems very oppressive."
+
+"You are too warm," and the girl glanced down at the fire.  Her eyes at
+once rested upon the stub of the cigarette lying upon the grate where
+Grimsby had thrown it.  She also smelled the smoke of tobacco and
+instantly surmised that something out of the ordinary had happened to
+agitate her usually self-possessed mother.
+
+"Somebody has been here annoying you," she cried, turning impulsively
+to the woman.  "Was it Tom asking for more money?"
+
+Again the woman bowed her head, and made no immediate answer.  Her
+thoughts were active, and she was glad of any excuse.
+
+"How did you know he was here?" she at length asked, without looking up.
+
+"I met a man hurrying from the door as I came in.  It was too dark to
+see who he was, and he did not seem to notice me at all.  Tom knows my
+opinion of him, and so he is not anxious to meet me.  I did not think
+of Tom, though, until I found you so upset.  And he was smoking too,
+for there is the stub of his cigarette.  Why can't he leave you alone?"
+
+"He never will, Jess.  He is just like Will and Dick.  They are always
+bothering me about money, as if I haven't been giving to them for
+years.  They are just like helpless children."
+
+"Worse, mother.  They are three useless men.  It is well that I am a
+girl, for I might be tempted to follow their miserable example.  Are
+you not glad that you have only three sons instead of four?"
+
+Receiving no reply, the girl took off her hat, laid aside her wraps,
+and rang for the maid.  Then she drew up a chair and sat down by her
+mother's side.
+
+"My, this fire is pleasant," she remarked, as she leaned back and gazed
+into the glowing coals.  "I am glad after all that I came home."
+
+"Why didn't Mr. Donaster come in, Jess?  I have not seen him for some
+time."
+
+"Neither have I, mother."  The girl's face flushed, and there was a
+challenge in her voice.
+
+"You haven't!  Why, I thought you were with him to-night."
+
+"Indeed I was not.  You know as well as I do that I wish to have
+nothing to do with that man.  I have told you so over and over again."
+
+This sudden outburst aroused the woman from her crouching position.
+She sat upright, and the expression in her eyes told how deeply she was
+offended.
+
+"Now, look here, Jess," she began, "I want no more of this nonsense.  I
+have made up my mind that you are to marry Mr. Donaster, and marry him
+you shall."
+
+"Would you force me to marry such a man as that?" the girl asked.
+
+"And why not?"
+
+"Because I detest him, and hate the very sight of him."
+
+"But he is of a fine family, and his father, Lord Donaster, is
+immensely rich.  Burton is his only son, and he will inherit the
+estate, so you will be Lady Donaster.  It is very seldom a girl meets
+with such an opportunity in this province."
+
+The girl gave her head a slight toss, and her face flushed more than
+ever.
+
+"I can hardly believe it possible that you are willing to barter your
+only daughter for such baubles," she indignantly replied.  "It is
+unnatural."
+
+The presence of the maid with tea and toast interrupted the
+conversation for a few minutes.  Jess poured the tea for her mother,
+but took none herself.
+
+"Are you not going to have any tea?" her mother asked.
+
+"No, I do not care for any now, as I had some at Mrs. Merton's."
+
+"So that's where you were, eh?  Why didn't you go to the play?"
+
+"I didn't want to.  I preferred to spend a quiet hour or two with Mrs.
+Merton.  She is a woman who does things of some importance instead of
+spending her time upon a giddy butterfly-life.  She is a regular tonic,
+and always inspires me to be up and doing."
+
+"You are silly, Jess."  Her mother was visibly annoyed.  "Why should
+you talk about being up and doing?  Haven't you everything that you
+desire, with the prospect of a brilliant career before you?"
+
+"What career?"
+
+"As Lady Donaster, of course.  To what else should I refer?"
+
+"And you call that a career, mother?  Slavery is the right word to use.
+I wish to be of some benefit to the world and not to drift through life
+like a wretched puppet."
+
+"If this is what you have learned from Mrs. Merton you must not go
+there any more.  I have always known that she held peculiar views, but
+I had no idea that she would try to unsettle the minds of young girls."
+
+"But I am not a young girl, remember, mother.  I am nearly twenty now,
+and should be able to think somewhat for myself.  Mrs. Merton's views
+were mine even before I met her.  For several years I have been
+dissatisfied with a life that held out little or no promise of anything
+definite.  I want to make my own way in the world."
+
+"But you have not been trained for that, so what can you expect to do?"
+
+"I know it only too well, mother," was the bitter reply.  "You brought
+me up to shine in society and nothing else.  But I have youth on my
+side, with an abundance of health, and strength, so I am not afraid."
+
+"This is all nonsense, Jess.  You are talking like an irresponsible
+child.  You know not what it means to earn your own living.  And think
+what a disgrace it would be to have our only daughter working as a
+common girl.  Imagine Jess Randall as a clerk in a drygoods store or in
+an office.  The idea is preposterous!  You must give it up at once."
+
+"I can't see anything disgraceful about it, mother.  I am sure it is
+far better to earn one's own living than to be always depending upon
+others.  But I shall not disgrace you, so you need not worry about
+that."
+
+"What do you intend to do?"
+
+"I have several things in view, and I know that daddy will provide me
+with money to carry them out."
+
+"He will do nothing of the sort.  His mind is as fully made up as mine
+that you are to marry Mr. Donaster.  Don't you think that we are more
+capable of judging for your good than you?"
+
+"I have very serious doubts about that.  I know you will consider me
+ungrateful for saying so, but you ask me, and so I am forced to tell
+the truth."
+
+"Well, I declare!" and Mrs. Randall looked her astonishment.  "What has
+come over you, Jess?  I never knew you to talk like this before.  You
+seem to have lost all confidence in your parents' judgment."
+
+"Not all, mother.  But I know how you interfered with the boys'
+welfare, and look how they have turned out.  There was a time when they
+wished to go to work and win their own way in the world.  But you would
+not let them, and spoiled their lives by giving them too much money to
+spend, and telling them that it was not dignified to work.  And look
+what they are now; helpless to do anything for themselves, and a burden
+to you.  Daddy agreed with everything you said, and see what has
+happened.  You made a sad mistake with them, and I am determined that
+it shall not be so with me."
+
+The girl was trembling violently as she finished, and she had risen to
+her feet.  The colour had fled from her face, and her hands were firmly
+clasped before her.  Her mother also rose, and confronted her daughter.
+
+"You are a rebellious and an ungrateful girl," she charged.  "To think
+of your saying such things after all we have done for you.  What do you
+mean?"
+
+"Just what I have said, as you will find out.  It is about time for me
+to assert myself when you are determined to shackle me to a creature I
+detest."
+
+"Mr. Donaster is a gentleman, and the son of a gentleman, so you must
+not refer to him in such an offensive manner.  I absolutely forbid it."
+
+"He may be a gentleman according to the standard of some, but not
+according to mine.  He is nothing but an unbearable cad, and with no
+more character than a jelly-fish.  And to think of my having to put up
+with a thing like that for the rest of my life.  Why, I would rather be
+dead."
+
+"It would be almost a relief to me if you were," and Mrs. Randall gave
+a deep sigh of despair.  "A daughter as wilful as you will only bring
+disgrace upon her parents."
+
+"I am surprised at your saying such a thing," the girl replied.  "One
+would almost imagine you are not my mother at all, you are so
+heartless.  Would a real mother be willing to sacrifice her only
+daughter?"
+
+Mrs. Randall gave a sudden start, and looked keenly into the eyes of
+the girl standing so defiantly before her.  "Does she suspect
+anything?" she asked herself.  Then she gave a nervous laugh, and
+resumed her seat.
+
+"Leave me alone now," she ordered.  "I see it is no use talking to you
+any more to-night, you are so unreasonable and headstrong.  Your father
+will have to take you in hand.  He will soon knock this nonsense out of
+your head.  He is determined that you shall marry Mr. Donaster, and you
+might as well make up your mind to that first as last."
+
+"Mother, I shall go now.  But let me tell you, as I shall tell daddy,
+that nothing on earth can make me marry the man I do not love."
+
+"Tut, tut.  Love has nothing to do with marriages these days," Mrs.
+Randall impatiently replied.  "There is no such a thing as love in
+marriage, it is merely a matter of convenience."
+
+"If I believed that, I should never marry, mother."
+
+"And don't you?"
+
+"Indeed I do not."
+
+"What do you know about love?"
+
+"I know, perhaps, more than you think."  The girl's face was now deeply
+flushed, and this her mother noted.
+
+"Jess, what is the meaning of this?  Is there someone else in whom you
+are interested besides Mr. Donaster?  Tell me.  I must know the truth
+at once.  It is no use trying to conceal it from me."
+
+The girl's eyes dropped, and she turned her face partly away to hide
+her emotion.
+
+"In Mr. Donaster I am not even interested," she confessed.  "But in
+another, I am more than interested, for I love him with my whole heart.
+There, you now know the truth, and so you can say and do what you like.
+Goodnight."
+
+Without another word, the girl turned and hurried out of the room,
+leaving her mother speechless with anger and amazement.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE "EB AN' FLO"
+
+Just how it happened Samuel Tobin, owner and captain of the "Eb and
+Flo," was never able to explain with any degree of clearness.  He knew
+that he was on his knees, scrubbing the floor of the little cabin and
+humming
+
+    "Here I'll raise my Ebenezer,
+    Hither by Thy grace I'll come,"
+
+when a form darkened the narrow doorway overhead.
+
+Then followed a scream of fright, and before he had hardly time to look
+around she was lying by his side, a confused heap of silk, lace, and
+flowing dark-brown hair.
+
+"Well, I'll be jiggered!" Samuel exclaimed, scrambling to his feet.
+"What in time----?"
+
+A merry laugh interrupted him, as the girl sprang lightly to her feet,
+arranged her disordered dress, and brushed back her hair.
+
+"My! that was a surprise," she remarked, glancing at the steps down
+which she had just tumbled.  "I didn't know they were there."
+
+"Ye didn't, eh?" and Samuel looked curiously at his unexpected visitor.
+"Thought ye was walkin' into a parlour, I s'pose."
+
+"Do you own this boat?" the girl suddenly and somewhat anxiously asked.
+
+"Well, I thought I did, Miss, until you arrived, but now I ain't quite
+sartin.  I feel somethin' like Bill Slocum said he did when a bear
+dropped in on him one night when he was campin' out on his back medder."
+
+"What did he do?"
+
+"Oh, Bill, jist lit out an' left the bear in charge, the same as any
+sensible man would do."
+
+"I hope you do not compare me to a bear," and the girl smiled.
+
+"No, I wouldn't like to do that, Miss.  But ye must have had some
+mighty good reason fer comin' down them steps the way ye did.  It's a
+wonder to me yer neck wasn't broken."
+
+"I have a good reason," was the emphatic reply.  "I am running away."
+
+"Runnin' away!"  Samuel's eyes opened wide in amazement, and he stared
+hard at the girl.  He would have been less than human if his pulse had
+not quickened, and his heart beat faster, for she was truly possessed
+of more than ordinary beauty and grace of figure.  Her large dark
+expressive eyes betrayed anxiety, and her cheeks were flushed.  Once
+she gave a slight start and glanced nervously up the steps as if
+expecting to see someone following her.
+
+"Yes, I am running away," she repeated, "and I want you to hide me on
+this boat."
+
+"Runnin' away, an' want me to hide ye!"  Samuel ran his fingers through
+his hair, a sure sign of his perplexity.  "Ye ain't been stealin' or
+murderin' anybody, have ye?"
+
+"No, no; it's not so bad as that.  But it might be suicide, though, if
+you don't help me.  And you will, won't you?" she pleaded, turning her
+eyes full upon the captain's face.
+
+The latter made no immediate reply.  He picked up his pail and set it
+carefully aside.  He then unrolled the turned-up sleeves of his coarse
+shirt, and deliberately buttoned them about his thick hairy wrists,
+
+"Set down, Miss," he at length ordered, motioning to the only chair the
+cabin contained.  "Thar, that's better," he said as the girl
+immediately obeyed.  "Sorry me accommodations are so poor, but then
+this ain't no ocean liner.  She's nuthin' but an old woodboat, an' not
+much of a place fer receivin' the likes of you."
+
+"But I think it's fine," the girl replied, "and I know you will let me
+stay here for a while.  You need a woman to look after this cabin, and
+I will wash and cook for you."
+
+"Ye will!"
+
+"Certainly.  If you will only let me stay, I think you will find me
+quite useful."
+
+"H'm, queer work you'd do in them dandy togs.  An' besides, this craft
+can't afford to keep up much style.  I s'pose ye'd want clean linen on
+the table every day, to say nuthin' of napkins, an' sich gear.  No, I'm
+afraid ye'd prove too expensive fer the 'Eb an' Flo.'  I've been cook
+here fer so long that I wouldn't know what to do with a woman around.
+Martha tried it once, but a week was enough fer her, so she got out.
+Said she couldn't stand me housekeepin' methods."
+
+"Who is Martha?" the girl asked.
+
+"Oh, she's me wife, an' runs things ashore.  Her an' Flo do all right
+thar, but me an' Eb feel more at home on the water, with no women
+buttin' in."
+
+"Is Flo your daughter?"
+
+"Sure.  An' Eb's me son.  Jist the two, so I named this craft after
+'em, ye see, Eb an' Flo sounds about right to my way of thinkin'.  When
+yer boatin' on this river ye have to be allus considerin' the ebb an'
+flow of the tide, so the name is quite handy."
+
+"It certainly is," and the girl smiled.  "I am sure I shall like it.
+Where is your son now?"
+
+"Oh, he's ashore gittin' some molasses an' other stuff from the store.
+He should be back soon, Miss, so I think ye'd better leave before he
+comes.  Thar might be trouble.  He's dead set aginst strange women,
+Eben is."
+
+"Will you start as soon as your son returns?" the girl asked, unheeding
+the captain's warning.
+
+"Start!  Start where?"
+
+"Sailing, of course."
+
+"Not until the wind springs up.  Thar's a dead calm now, an' the tide's
+aginst us."
+
+"Oh, I wish it would blow a gale," and the girl looked anxiously
+around.  "I want to get away from this place as soon as possible."
+
+"Well, I think the best thing then fer you to do is to go ashore an'
+light out.  Ye kin do it quicker thar than here."
+
+"But I can't get ashore, Captain."
+
+"Ye can't!  An' why not, I'd like to know?"
+
+"Because my boat has gone adrift.  I let it go on purpose."
+
+"Good Lord!"  Samuel sat down upon a biscuit box and eyed his visitor
+curiously.  "Say, are you crazy, or a fool, or what are ye, anyway?" he
+asked.
+
+"I'm just a poor unfortunate girl, that's who I am," was the decided
+reply.
+
+"An' ye ain't done nuthin' bad; nuthin' that yer ashamed of, Miss?"
+
+"No, no," and the girl's face crimsoned.  "I'm proud of what I have
+done," and she lifted her head haughtily, while her eyes flashed.  "Any
+girl with the least self-respect would do the same, so there."
+
+"That's all right, Miss, that's all right," Samuel hurriedly assured
+her.  "I wasn't castin' any reflection upon yer character.  I was only
+wonderin', that's all.  Ye see, Flo's about your age, from what I
+judge, an' I wouldn't like her to be actin' this way."
+
+"I know you wouldn't.  But my case is different.  Oh, I wish I could
+tell you all, but I can't.  You will trust me, anyway, won't you, and
+let me stay here for a while?"
+
+The captain sighed and looked helplessly around.
+
+"Well, I'll be jiggered!" he growled.  "This is sartinly some fix an' I
+don't know what to do.  The accommodation isn't much here fer the likes
+of you, though it ain't too bad fer me an' Eb.  If you occupy this
+cabin, we'll have to camp out on deck, an' I know what Eb'll say about
+that.  He's more'n fond of sleep, that boy is, the greatest I ever saw.
+Why he'd sooner sleep than eat any day, an' he likes a good soft bed at
+that.  I had to buy a special spring an' mattress before I could git
+him to come with me this year.  He doesn't take much to boatin', an' I
+have to make things as smooth as possible."
+
+"But can't you put his cot on deck?" the girl suggested.  "I am very
+sorry that I am giving you so much trouble, but I shall pay you well.
+Money is no object if you will only help me out of my trouble.  I am
+sure you will never regret it."
+
+"I hope not, Miss, fer I don't want to git into any fix.  It wouldn't
+look very nice if the papers got hold of this affair.  Jist imagine a
+big write-up about Capt. Sam'l Tobin keepin' a fine lookin' runaway gal
+on the 'Eb an' Flo.'  Why, I'd never be able to hold up me head agin,
+an' I guess it 'ud about break Martha's heart, to say nuthin' about
+Flo.  They're mighty pertic'ler about sich things, they surely are."
+
+"This must never get into the papers," the girl declared, "for you must
+promise that you will keep it a dead secret, and not tell anyone, not
+even your own family."
+
+"I don't see how I kin do that, Miss.  I guess ye don't know Martha as
+well as I do.  If ye did, ye wouldn't talk about keepin' this racket a
+secret from me family.  An' besides, thar's Eben, who'll be here in a
+jiffy now.  How am I to explain matters to him?  No, Miss, I reckon
+ye'd better light out while the coast is clear.  I'll git the boy to
+take ye ashore, an' tell him that ye hit the wrong craft."
+
+But the girl was not to be baffled in her purpose.  She rose to her
+feet and stood before the captain.  Her eyes were wide with a nameless
+fear, and her face showed very white where the light of the
+bracket-lamp fell upon it.
+
+"Don't, don't send me away," she pleaded.  "Let me stay here until you
+go from this place.  Then you can put me ashore in the woods, or throw
+me overboard, I don't care which, but for the love of heaven let me
+stay now!"
+
+Captain Samuel's big right hand dove suddenly into his pocket and
+clawed forth a clay pipe, a plug of tobacco, and a large jack-knife.
+He examined them carefully for a few seconds, the girl all the time
+watching him most intently.
+
+"You will let me stay, won't you?" she coaxed.  "Don't send me away."
+
+"I don't see how I kin, Miss.  Yer here, an' that's all thar is about
+it.  Ye won't go of yer own accord, an' I've never yit laid hands on a
+woman.  Now, if you was a man I'd show ye a thing or two in a jiffy,
+but what kin one do with a woman when she once makes up her mind?"
+
+"Oh, thank you so much," and the girl's face brightened.  "You will
+never regret your kindness to me.  And look, I'm going to pay you well
+for letting me stay."
+
+"Pay!"  The captain's eyes bulged with astonishment.
+
+"Yes, pay," and the girl smiled.  "I'm a passenger, you see, so I'm
+going to pay my fare.  There, you must not object, for I have made up
+my mind, so it's no use for you to say a word.  I'm going to give you
+fifty dollars now and more later."
+
+The pipe fell from the captain's hand and broke in two upon the floor.
+
+"Blame it all!" he growled, as he stood staring upon the wreck.  "I
+wonder what's comin' over me, anyway?  Guess I'm losin' me senses."
+
+"No you're not; you are just getting them, Captain.  It's better to
+break a pipe than a girl's heart, isn't it?"
+
+"I s'pose so, Miss.  But a pipe means a good smoke, while a woman
+means----"
+
+He paused, and looked helplessly around.
+
+"What?"  The girl's eyes twinkled.
+
+"Trouble; that's what."
+
+"But isn't she worth it?"
+
+"That all depends upon what an' who she is."
+
+"Certainly.  Now you are talking sense.  Isn't your daughter worth all
+the trouble she has been to you?"
+
+"Sure, sure; yer sartinly right thar, Miss.  Flo's given me a heap of
+trouble, but not half as much as Eben.  That boy's a caution, an' he's
+given me an' Martha no end of worry."
+
+"In what way?"
+
+The captain scratched his head in perplexity, and shifted uneasily from
+one foot to another.
+
+"I kin hardly explain," he at length replied.  "He don't drink, nor
+swear, nor do nuthin' bad.  But the trouble is, he don't do nuthin',
+an' don't want to do nuthin' but sleep an' eat."
+
+"Perhaps you have not brought him up right, Captain."
+
+"Not brought him up right!"  Samuel's amazement was intense.  "Why,
+Miss, we've done nuthin' but bring that boy up.  Me an' Martha have
+slaved fer the raisin' of Eben.  We started when he was a baby to raise
+him, right, an' the very next Sunday after he was born didn't they sing
+in church--
+
+    "'Here I'll raise my Ebenezer'."
+
+"And so you've been singing it ever since, even when scrubbing the
+cabin?"  The girl smiled at the recollection of the suddenly
+discontinued tune.
+
+"Sure, why shouldn't I?  It's a great hymn, it sartinly is, an' it's
+inspired me many a time.  It has kept before me my duty, an' if Eben
+doesn't amount to somethin', it won't be my fault, nor Martha's,
+either, fer that matter."
+
+"Have you taken the same care with your daughter?" the girl asked.
+
+"No, not as much," was the reluctant confession.  "Gals don't need sich
+special care.  They ginerally grow up all right, an' git along somehow.
+But it's different with boys.  They're a problem, they sartinly are."
+
+"And so you have given most of your attention to your son, and let your
+daughter grow up any way.  Is that it, Captain?"
+
+"That's about it, Miss."
+
+"And how is your daughter getting along?"
+
+"Fust rate.  We've no trouble with her.  She's a good worker, happy an'
+cheerful as a bird, an' does what she's told.  She's a fine gal, Flo
+is, an' thar's no mistake about that.  I wish to goodness Eben was like
+her."
+
+"It seems to me, Captain, that you tried too hard to raise your son,
+and spoiled him.  Isn't that it?"
+
+"D'ye think so?"
+
+"I am sure of it.  You are not the only ones who have spent all their
+care upon their sons and let their daughters grow up as they please.  I
+know too much about it."
+
+"Ye do!" Samuel's eyes opened wide in wonder.  "An' you only a young
+gal, too."
+
+"But I am old in experience, and know what I say is true.  But what is
+that?"  A startled look leaped into her eyes.  "Do you suppose it is
+someone after me?"
+
+With a bound the captain sprang up the stairs.  He paused for an
+instant, however, and glanced back.
+
+"Don't be scared, Miss," he encouraged.  "It's only Eben.  He's bumped
+hard aginst the boat.  You keep close under cover, an' I'll do what I
+kin with the boy."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+UNDER COVER
+
+By the time the captain reached the side of the boat, Eben had his
+small skiff tied to the deck-rail.  He was standing up, a tall, gaunt,
+ungainly youth, freckled faced, and sandy haired.  He wore a dark-brown
+sweater, and a pair of overalls, baggy at the knees.  He did not speak
+as his father approached, but mechanically handed up to him a jug of
+molasses, and several paper parcels.  He then leaped lightly upon deck,
+and headed for the cabin.  But the captain detained him by laying a
+firm and heavy hand upon his shoulder.
+
+"Keep out of thar," he ordered.  "I've jist been scrubbin' an' don't
+want ye to dirty the place up."
+
+The tone of his father's voice caused Eben to swing suddenly around.
+
+"Me feet ain't dirty," he drawled.  "An' s'pose they are, what's the
+difference?  The cabin ain't no parler.  Let me go; I'm most starved."
+
+But the captain's grip increased as he yanked his son a few feet back.
+
+"I'm in charge of this craft," he reminded, "an' what I say goes.  Yer
+not goin' down into that cabin to-night, so jist make up yer mind to
+that fust as last."
+
+The boy now stared in speechless amazement.  Never before had he seen
+his father so agitated, nor heard him speak to him in such a manner.
+
+"D'ye understand?" the captain asked.
+
+"Understand what?"
+
+"That yer not goin' down in that cabin.  Isn't that what I jist said?
+Where are yer ears?"
+
+A sullen look leaped into the boy's eyes, and with an effort he shook
+himself free from his father's grasp.
+
+"D'ye mean it?" he growled.
+
+"Sartinly I mean it.  An' what's more, I don't want ye to ask any fool
+questions.  We'll eat an' sleep on deck to-night, up forrad.  I'll
+bring the grub an' clothes from the cabin, but you stay out."
+
+Eben was about to reply in an angry manner, when the form of his
+countenance instantly changed, and a peculiar expression,
+half-humorous, appeared in his eyes.  He stood looking at his father
+for a few seconds in an absent-minded manner.  Then, without a word, he
+picked up the jug of molasses and strode up forward.  The captain gazed
+after him in astonishment, greatly wondering what had come over his son
+to make him so obedient all of a sudden.  He said nothing, however, but
+went at once down into the cabin where he found the girl making herself
+perfectly at home tidying up the place.
+
+"Eben's come," the captain laconically remarked,
+
+"So I understand," and the girl smiled.
+
+"Ye heard what was said, eh?"
+
+"Certainly.  I'm not deaf."
+
+"Sure, sure.  Me temper got the best of me to-night.  But I couldn't
+help it, fer that boy did more'n stir me up.  Guess he's cooled down
+now, though I'm mighty surprised that he knuckled under so soon.  It's
+not a bit like Eb's way, let me tell ye that."
+
+"I am very sorry to give all this trouble," the girl acknowledged.  "I
+feel ashamed of myself."
+
+"Most likely ye do, Miss.  We all feel that way at times.  But I must
+git a hustle on, an' tote up some clothes fer the night, an' a snack of
+grub fer Eben.  He's mighty fond of his stummick, that boy is.  He'd
+eat every hour of the day, jist the same as a chicken, an' then
+wouldn't be satisfied."
+
+Captain Tobin was much surprised that his son asked him no questions
+that night.  He did not even refer to the cabin, but after he had eaten
+two large slices of bread, well soaked in molasses, he stretched
+himself out upon the deck, drew a heavy quilt over his body, and was
+soon fast asleep.  The captain, however, did not sleep for some time.
+He sat upon the cover of the hatchway and puffed at an old corn-cob,
+which had been brought into service after the ruin of his favourite
+clay pipe.  It was a beautiful night, and not a breath of wind ruffled
+the surface of the river.  The captain was thinking seriously, as he
+was greatly puzzled what to do with the girl who had thrust herself so
+unceremoniously upon him.  He could not put her ashore, that was quite
+evident, and he knew that he could not keep her presence a secret from
+Eben for any length of time.  And then there was Martha.  What would
+she and Flo say when they heard of it?  This thought brought the
+perspiration to his forehead, causing him to shift uneasily.  And the
+neighbours!  What a rare bit of gossip it would be when they heard of
+it.  And hear of it they certainly would, and he would be disgraced.
+It was somewhat late when he at length rolled himself up in his blanket
+by his son's side.  Silence reigned near the cabin, and he fell asleep
+feeling that he had done the best that he could under the circumstances.
+
+He awoke early, and scrambled to his feet.  Eben was still asleep, so
+he moved about as quietly as possible so as not to disturb him.  Far
+off in the east the dawn of a new day was breaking, and the sky was
+resplendent with the soft rosy tints of the virgin morn.  From the
+shore came faint twitterings of birds just awaking from slumber.
+Presently the raucous honks of autos some distance down the road fell
+upon his ears.  In a few minutes the cars appeared, and drew up at the
+wharf not far away.  Several men alighted, and from their actions the
+captain could tell that they were very much excited.  Then more autos
+arrived, until about twenty men were standing upon the wharf and the
+road.  He wondered what they wanted, and what had brought them there at
+such an early hour.  When, however, he saw them rowing from the shore
+in several flat-bottom boats, the meaning of the commotion flashed upon
+his mind.  They were searching for the missing girl, believing that she
+had been drowned the night before.  The captain was in a quandary.  His
+first impulse was to hail the men, and tell them that the missing one
+was safe.  But what would the girl think of him if he betrayed her?
+No, he would not do such a thing without speaking to her first.  He
+glanced toward the cabin, and to his surprise saw smoke coming from the
+stove-pipe protruding through the roof of the cabin.  The girl, he
+knew, must be awake, so he might as well inform her at once.
+
+He hurried away aft, and paused at the cabin door.  It was open, and
+glancing down he saw the girl busily engaged in preparing breakfast.
+The appetising odour of coffee greeted his nostrils, and he heard
+something sizzling in the frying-pan.  Just then the girl glanced up,
+and a bright smile of welcome illumined her face.  Her cheeks were
+flushed with the heat and exercise, and the captain thought he had
+never beheld a more charming face.
+
+"Good morning," she greeted.  "Come in; breakfast is almost ready."
+
+"Well, I'll be hanged!" the captain ejaculated as he descended the
+stairs.  "What in time are ye up so early fer?"
+
+"Isn't the cook always supposed to be up early?" the girl questioned,
+while her eyes sparkled with merriment.
+
+"S'pose so," and the captain scratched his head in a dubious manner.
+"But I wasn't lookin' upon you as a cook, fer I had no idea that ye
+understood anything about a kitchen."
+
+"Well, then, you were much mistaken.  Just sit down, and try this
+egg-on-toast, and this coffee.  I have learned a few things, so am not
+altogether useless.  Cooking is one of my accomplishments, though,
+perhaps, I may not suit such an expert as you."
+
+After the captain had washed himself in the granite-iron basin, and
+carefully brushed his hair, he sat down at the little side-table.  His
+breakfast was already before him, but he would not touch it until the
+girl was ready for hers.  He noted with appreciation that the oil-cloth
+on the table was especially clean, and how neatly the few dishes were
+arranged.
+
+"Well, this is some breakfast," he complimented.  "I never expected to
+find this awaitin' me."
+
+"Are you satisfied with your cook now?" the girl smilingly asked.
+
+"Satisfied!"  The captain paused in the act of lifting his cup of
+coffee to his lips.  "Did I ever say I wasn't satisfied?"
+
+"Not exactly, though you acted that way last night."
+
+"I know I did, an' I'm of the same opinion still.  I'm not satisfied
+while them fellers are out draggin' the river fer yer body."
+
+At these words a startled look came into the girl's eyes, and she
+dropped her fork upon her plate.
+
+"Dragging the river for my body!" she gasped.
+
+"Sure, thar are several boats not fer from here now, an' the men in 'em
+seem mighty excited.  It does seem a pity fer 'em to be doin' sich a
+thing while you are safe an' sound in this cabin.  Thar's something
+uncanny about it, which is not at all to my likin'.  Don't ye think I'd
+better holler out, an' tell 'em that you're all right?"
+
+"No, no," the girl protested, rising to her feet.  "Don't say a word.
+If they think I'm drowned, all the better.  That's just what I want
+them to think."
+
+"Good Lord!" The captain stared in amazement at the agitated girl.
+"What am I to do, then?  I can't stay here an' see them poor fellers
+doin' sich a useless job.  An' besides, they must be about
+heart-broken."
+
+"Indeed they're not," the girl emphatically declared.  "If they are the
+ones I believe they are, you needn't worry about them, for they have no
+hearts to break.  I must have a peek at them."
+
+"Be careful, if ye don't want to be seen, Miss," the captain warned, as
+the girl stood, on one of the steps and cautiously peered out.  She was
+instantly down again, her face very white.
+
+"There's a boat coming straight for us!" she excitedly explained.
+"It's only a short distance off.  Go on deck quick and send the men
+away.  Don't let them come on board."
+
+With a bound the captain was up out of the cabin.  He was determined to
+protect the girl, although he felt that he was making a fool of
+himself.  But while she was on his boat, and under his care, no one was
+going to molest her.  He stood silently watching the row-boat as it
+drew near.  It contained three men, two at the oars, and one seated
+astern.
+
+"Say," the latter called out, "did you see a young woman drifting about
+here in a boat last night?"
+
+"Did I see what?" the captain asked, apparently surprised.
+
+"A young woman, Miss Randall, in a boat last night?  She has
+disappeared, and we're afraid she's drowned."
+
+"No, I didn't see any young woman driftin' around here in a boat last
+night," the captain replied.  "What makes ye think she's drowned
+herself?"
+
+"Because a boat was found adrift in South Bay last night, containing
+one oar and a woman's hat.  The hat belonged to Miss Randall, and as
+she is missing, it is feared that she either drowned herself or met
+with an accident."
+
+"Dear me, that's serious.  Why would she want to drown herself?"
+
+"Oh, some family trouble, I guess.  Her folks wanted her to marry a man
+she had no use for.  That's him standing there on the wharf now."
+
+"Ye don't tell!"  The captain turned his head and looked shoreward.
+"Wonder why he isn't helpin' to search fer his sweetheart.  He seems to
+be mighty cool about the affair."
+
+"Oh, he's afraid of soiling his hands and clothes."  The man spoke in a
+low voice, for he was now close alongside.  "He's Lord
+Something-or-Other's son, an' wouldn't think of associating with such
+common cusses as us.  He belongs to the upper-crust, doncher-know." The
+man smiled, and his companions grinned.  It was quite evident that they
+were all familiar with the story.
+
+"An' so ye say the gal yer lookin' fer is Miss Randall, daughter of
+Henry Randall, the big lumber merchant?" the captain asked.
+
+"That's who she is; his only daughter."
+
+"An' he wants her to marry _that_?" and the captain motioned toward the
+wharf.
+
+"Sure.  Is it any wonder she'd want to commit suicide?  She'd be a fool
+if she wouldn't.  But, there, we must get back to work.  We just
+dropped alongside, thinking ye might have seen her drifting around,
+last night, and heard a scream or a splash."
+
+"What makes ye think it was around here she done the deed?" the captain
+asked.
+
+"Because her folks have their summer house a short distance below the
+wharf, and the boat which was found drifting in South Bay belongs to
+Bill Sanson up on the hill.  Aren't they reasons enough?"
+
+"It does look reasonable," the captain acknowledged.  "I s'pose her pa
+an' ma are about crazy over her disappearance.  I know I should be
+about Flo."
+
+"Her father isn't home," the man explained.  "He's away somewhere on a
+business trip.  As for her mother, well----"  He paused, pulled a plug
+of tobacco out of his pocket, and bit off a chew.  Then he turned to
+his companions.  "Come, boys, suppose we get back?  We've wasted too
+much time already."
+
+The captain watched them as they rowed away, and his eyes twinkled with
+merriment.  He was smiling when he returned to the cabin.  The girl
+there was smiling, too, although it was easy to tell that she had been
+greatly agitated.
+
+"Have they gone?" she asked in a low voice.
+
+"Oh, yes, they've gone back to look fer you.  Say, Miss, I don't like
+this bizness one bit.  It's a mighty spooky affair, an' gits on me
+nerves.  Don't ye feel a bit shaky yerself?"
+
+"I suppose I should," the girl thoughtfully replied.  "But under the
+circumstances I can't.  Don't you remember what that man told you?"
+
+"About you marryin' that Lord Fiddlesticks?"
+
+"Yes, though that is not his name."
+
+"I know it isn't, but it doesn't matter.  But, thar, I must take some
+grub to Eben.  He'll be down here soon, I'm sartin, if I don't head him
+off.  Thar's nuthin' like grub to hold that boy in check.  I've got to
+go ashore this mornin' to git some tea.  Eben fergot all about it last
+night."
+
+"Will you get a few things for me?" the girl asked.  "I will make out a
+list at once."
+
+"I was expectin' something like that, Miss.  I knew ye wouldn't be
+satisfied with what this cabin contains, but would want many things
+extry.  I s'pose ye'll order a hull outfit of table linen, a set of
+chiny dishes, a new coffee pot, an' dear knows what all.  I'd have to
+go to the city fer them things."
+
+"No, not at all," the girl laughingly replied.  "I can get along nicely
+with what you have here.  I only need something for myself, as I came
+away without anything, not even a comb.  I hope you don't mind."
+
+"Oh, I don't mind, as fer as I'm consarned.  But I'm wonderin' what
+Martha an' Flo'll think if they ever hear of it."
+
+"I am sure they will be pleased, Captain, when they know how kind you
+have been to an unfortunate girl.  When I see them I shall explain, so
+everything will be all right."
+
+"I hope so, Miss.  But if ye knew Martha as well as I do mebbe ye
+wouldn't feel so sure.  Anyway, I s'pose it can't be helped now.  Jist
+have yer list ready when I come back from feedin' Eben, an' I'll do the
+best I kin."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+CAPTAIN SAMUEL GOES SHOPPING
+
+Captain Tobin rowed toward the shore with long steady strokes.  He was
+in no hurry as he had all the morning on his hands.  He did not expect
+the wind to rise until the turn of the tide, which would be about noon.
+He was thinking of Eben, and wondering what had come over the boy to
+make him so docile in such a short time.  He had seemed more animated
+than usual, and had eaten his breakfast without making any embarrassing
+enquiries.  He had not even referred to the men searching the river for
+the missing girl, neither did he speak of the conversation that had
+taken place between his father and the man in the small boat.  All this
+was puzzling to the captain, for it was very unlike Eben's usual
+manner.  Was it possible that the boy knew anything about the matter,
+or had a hand in the affair himself? he wondered.  He banished the
+idea, however, as too absurd to be entertained even for a moment.
+
+Reaching the wharf, he tied the boat, and was making his way to the
+store when he was suddenly hailed.
+
+"Hi, there," someone called, "let me have your boat, will you?"
+
+Looking around, he saw the immaculately-dressed young man coming toward
+him from the lower side of the wharf.  He knew that this must be the
+missing girl's lover, and he had no desire to meet him.  There seemed
+to be no escape, however, so he was forced to stop and wait until the
+man sauntered up to where he was standing.
+
+"Was ye callin' me?" the captain asked.
+
+"I was," the man replied.  "I want your boat."
+
+"Ye do, eh?  Well, I guess I want it meself more'n you do, by the look
+of things."
+
+"But I want to help with the search."
+
+"Oh, so you're Lord Fiddlesticks' son, are ye?  Glad to meet ye," and
+the captain held out his hand.  "I'm Sam'l Tobin, captain an' owner of
+the 'Eb an' Flo,' layin' jist out yonder."
+
+"So I supposed," was the drawling response.  "But it makes no
+difference to me who or what you are.  You might be the devil for all I
+care.  All I want is your small boat."
+
+"Come, come, Mr. Lord Fiddlesticks, don't talk in sich a high an'
+mighty manner; it might not be good fer yer health.  A young chap about
+your make-up tried it once upon me, but it didn't work out to his
+satisfaction.  He acknowledged it when he got out of the hospital.
+See?"
+
+"Oh, I didn't mean to offend you," and the young man retreated a few
+steps.  "I'm all upset this morning over Miss Randall's disappearance,
+and so am hardly responsible for what I say.  Let me have your boat,
+will you?  I'll pay you well for it."
+
+The captain eyed the young man critically from head to foot, especially
+his soft white hands.  Then he shook his head in a doubtful manner.
+
+"What's the matter?" the young man impatiently asked.  "Is there
+anything wrong with me ?"
+
+"That's what I'm jist tryin' to figger out.  I s'pose it's really me
+duty to take ye home to yer ma, but I ain't got time this mornin'.
+Does she knew where ye are?"
+
+"What do you mean, you ignorant clodhopper?  Do you take me for a baby?"
+
+"Not exactly, as yer too big fer one.  But accordin' to yer togs one
+would imagine that ye've jist come from the nursery.  No, it wouldn't
+be right to let ye have me boat, fer ye'd be sure to spile yer pretty
+white hands an' soil yer bib an' pinny.  An' besides, if anything
+happened to ye, I'd be held responsible.  No, ye'd better trot along
+home to yer mamma before she comes after ye with a strap."
+
+The young man was now very angry, and he was about to give vent to his
+feelings in a furious outburst.  But the stopping of an auto on the
+road near by suddenly arrested his attention, causing him to stare hard
+at the driver who had just alighted.  Glad of this timely diversion,
+the captain moved away and made toward the store.  In passing the car,
+he did not recognise the driver, who, with his back toward him, was
+examining the engine, and seemed to be heeding nothing else.  But no
+sooner had the captain passed than he straightened himself up, cast one
+swift glance toward the man down on the wharf, and at once followed the
+captain into the store, where he stood quietly at one side without
+speaking to anybody.
+
+The captain was already at the counter, fumbling with the list which
+had been given him.  He was well acquainted with the storekeeper, a
+middle-aged man of genial countenance.
+
+"Here's a list of things I want, Ezry," he explained, as he handed over
+the paper.  "Guess ye kin make out the writin'."
+
+The storekeeper adjusted his spectacles and studied the paper for a few
+minutes.  Then he looked keenly at his customer, while his eyes
+twinkled.
+
+"Are yer wife an' daughter with ye on this trip, Captain?" he asked.
+"They seem to be out of 'most everything women need.  It's a wonder ye
+didn't get them outfitted in the city.  D'ye think this is a department
+store?  Guess they must have been studying Eaton's catalogue."
+
+Captain Samuel coughed and shuffled uneasily.
+
+"Why, what's on the list, Ezry?"
+
+"Didn't ye read it?"
+
+"No, never looked at it.  I thought it was all right, an' that ye kept
+'most everything here."
+
+"Well, I don't, and never expect to.  Now, look at this, for instance,"
+and the storekeeper touched the paper with the forefinger of his right
+hand.  "A kimona, just think of that!  I never had a call for such a
+thing before."
+
+"Is that down thar?" the captain enquired, reaching for the list.
+
+"Sure, ye can see for yourself.  But that isn't all.  A pair of pyjamas
+is wanted, bedroom slippers, table-cloth, and napkins.  Say, Captain,
+your wife an' daughter must be getting some new fandangled notions all
+of a sudden.  Going to use them on the boat, eh?"
+
+The captain made no reply.  His face was very red, and he was mopping
+his forehead with a big pocket-handkerchief.
+
+"It does work ye up, doesn't it?" the storekeeper chuckled.
+
+"Work me up!  Why, I'm bilin' hot.  But fer the love of heaven, isn't
+there anything on that list ye do keep?  Guess we'll have to send to
+Eaton's after all, only them things are wanted right away."
+
+The storekeeper again studied the list, and with a pencil scored out
+the articles he did not have.
+
+"I haven't that, nor that, nor that," he commented.
+
+"Well, fer goodness' sakes what have ye got, Ezry?  Tell me quick, fer
+I can't stay here all the mornin'."
+
+"Nor that, nor that, nor that," the storekeeper continued.  "Ah, I have
+that," and his face brightened.  "Yes, I've got a tooth-brush, or I did
+have one a year ago.  Let me see."  He turned and began to rummage in a
+dilapidated show-case, and at length brought forth with triumph the
+required article.  He laid it carefully on the counter, and resumed his
+study of the list.  A brush and comb were the next requisites, and
+these, after considerable searching, were produced.
+
+"Yer doin' fine, Ezry," the captain encouraged.  "Don't work too hard,
+though I would like to git back to me boat before the river freezes.  I
+don't want to lay out thar all winter.  What's next on the program?"
+
+"A box of choc'lates, hard-centres.  I don't keep 'em, Captain.  I've
+only mixed-candy an' conversation lozenges.  Maybe they 'd like some of
+them."
+
+"All right, put 'em in; it's all the same to me.  I never eat sich
+things.  Is that all?"
+
+"Yes, I guess that's all I can supply," the storekeeper replied as he
+finally viewed the list.  "If ye wanted molasses, sugar, or anything in
+the hardware line I could accommodate ye.  But kimonas, pyjamas,
+bedroom slippers, and such things, I don't carry."
+
+During this conversation the auto driver had been an attentive
+listener.  At times it was difficult for him to refrain from laughing
+outright, especially at the captain's embarrassment.  It was not for
+amusement, however, that he was there, but for something far more
+important.  What he learned seemed to please him, so with the light of
+satisfaction in his eyes, he left the store and returned to his car.
+When the captain came out a few minutes later he greeted him in a
+friendly manner.
+
+"Fine morning, Captain," he accosted.
+
+"Hello, John!" the captain replied.  "I didn't know it was you.  Where
+did ye drop from?"
+
+"Oh, just on my way from the city.  I didn't expect to meet you here."
+
+"An' I didn't expect to be here, John.  I've been hung up fer hours,
+an' can't git a breath of wind.  I should be loadin' at Spoon Island by
+this time."
+
+"Perhaps a rest will do you good, Captain.  A trip ashore once in a
+while will do you no harm.  You have been shopping, I see?  I didn't
+know your wife and Flo were with you on this trip.  They were home when
+I left."
+
+"What makes ye think they're with me?" the captain somewhat sharply
+asked.
+
+"Oh, it was merely a surmise on my part," and the young man smiled.  "I
+happened to overhear the conversation between you and the storekeeper;
+that was all."
+
+"Well, s'pose I was buyin' things fer me wife an' daughter, what of it?
+Why should ye think they're on the boat when I buy things they want?"
+
+"It was just a notion on my part.  I happened to hear what they wanted,
+and naturally wondered why you should go to a store like that when you
+could have got all the articles in the city to far better advantage.
+It's none of my business, of course, only it made me somewhat curious."
+
+The captain made no reply but turned and looked out upon the river,
+where the men were searching for the missing girl.  The young man, too,
+looked, and there was an amused expression in his eyes as he at length
+turned them upon the captain's face.
+
+"They don't seem to be meeting with much success, do they?" he casually
+remarked.
+
+"Seems not," was the quiet reply.
+
+"Perhaps they are not searching in the right place.  They may be all
+astray, and the girl is not drowned after all."
+
+"What makes ye think that?" the captain somewhat anxiously asked.
+
+"Oh, certain things have made me come to the conclusion that the girl
+did not drown herself.  It would be a most unlikely thing for Miss
+Randall to do.  She is not that kind."
+
+"H'm, that's no reason," the captain retorted.  "Ye never know these
+days what notions gals'll take."
+
+"I believe you are right," and the young man smiled.  "They do take
+queer notions at times, as was proven by the list of articles you tried
+to buy in the store just a few minutes ago."
+
+"Hey, what's that yer sayin'?" the captain demanded, swinging swiftly
+around.  "What d'ye mean by them words?"
+
+"Don't you know, sir?  I think you understand my meaning.  Look well
+after Miss Randall, and tell her to keep out of sight.  So long.  I
+hope to see you later."
+
+The young man sprang into his car, and in another minute was speeding
+up the road, leaving the captain staring after him, dumb with
+astonishment.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+EBEN MAKES A DISCOVERY
+
+After Eben had eaten his breakfast he sat for a few minutes watching
+his father as he rowed ashore.  He next turned his eyes upon the boats
+searching for the missing girl.  He even smiled, a somewhat unusual
+thing for him, especially at such an early morning hour.  He was
+sitting upon deck, leaning against the mast full in the glare of the
+slowly-strengthening sun.  Presently his left hand was run through his
+mass of tousled hair, while his right came down with a resounding whack
+upon his knee.  Something out of the ordinary was amusing this tall
+ungainly youth which would have surprised his father had he been
+present.
+
+At length he rose slowly to his feet, yawned, stretched himself, and
+moved cautiously along the deck toward the cabin.  He walked around it
+once without deigning to look at the open door.  The second time he
+shot a swift furtive glance, and caught a fleeting glimpse of someone
+in the cabin.  His heart gave a great leap and he was about to hurry on
+his way, when a merry laugh arrested his steps, causing him to turn and
+peer down into the cabin.  Then his cheeks crimsoned as he saw the girl
+standing at the foot of the steps, her face wreathed with a sunny smile.
+
+"Don't be afraid; I won't hurt you," she told him.  "I'm as harmless as
+a kitten."
+
+Instantly Eben's mouth expanded into a grin, and he looked sheepishly
+around.  He knew that he was on forbidden ground, and this added to his
+embarrassment.  At the same time it gave him a certain degree of
+pleasure, as forbidden sweets are always the most delectable.
+
+"Come on down," the girl invited.  "I want someone to talk to, for it
+is rather lonesome here."
+
+"You'd better come up," Eben found voice to reply.  "It's nicer here in
+the sun."
+
+"I know it is," and the girl's face became sober in an instant.  "But I
+am afraid."
+
+"What are ye afraid of?"
+
+"Those men in the boats, of course."
+
+"That they'll git ye?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"But they won't out there, though," and again Eben grinned.  "I knew ye
+didn't drown yerself.  Ye'd be a fool to do it, wouldn't ye?"
+
+"How did you know?"
+
+"Oh, I saw ye last night headin' fer the 'Eb an' Flo.'"
+
+"Did you see me come on board?"
+
+"No, it was too dark.  But when dad wouldn't let me go into the cabin,
+I guessed what was up.  It was nicer down there than floatin' in the
+river, wasn't it?  Wonder where ye'd be now, an' how ye'd feel if ye
+had drowned yerself."
+
+The girl shivered, and her face turned white.
+
+"Are you hungry?" she unexpectedly asked.
+
+"Why, I jist had me breakfast."
+
+"I know you did, but your father said you are always hungry.  Suppose
+you come down and I'll give you something more.  You didn't have much
+to eat."
+
+To his own surprise Eben at once obeyed, lumbered down the steps, and
+seated himself by the little table.  The girl placed a boiled egg
+before him, cut a slice of bread, and poured out a cup of coffee.
+
+"I cooked one egg too many," she explained.
+
+"Lucky ye did," Eben replied, as he broke the shell.  "Say, it's great
+havin' you here.  What's yer name!"
+
+"Only Jess.  I hope you will like it."
+
+"I like it already.  I think it's nice.  An' say, I won't let anyone
+git ye."
+
+"That's kind of you.  But I thought you hated girls."
+
+"Who told ye that?"
+
+"Your father, of course.  Isn't it true?"
+
+"Mebbe it is, an' mebbe it isn't.  An' mebbe after all it is.  I never
+did take much stock in girls."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Dunno, 'cept it's me make-up.  Girls are too fussy fer me, so I like
+to keep out of their way."
+
+"But you came my way this morning, though," the girl smilingly reminded.
+
+"Oh, you're different.  I like what you did.  You came here to be
+protected, an' I'm goin' to see that ye are.  I won't let them men git
+ye."
+
+"What will you do if they come on board?"
+
+Eben dropped his knife and fork suddenly upon the table, while his
+hands clenched hard.
+
+"They won't come on board," he declared.  "They'll do well to git close
+to this boat.  Look," and he pointed to a rifle standing in one corner
+of the cabin.
+
+"Oh, you mustn't shoot," the girl protested.  "You might kill someone,
+and then you would be hung for murder."
+
+"No, it's not likely I'll shoot, though I'll feel like doin' it if them
+men come snookin' 'round here.  I'll jist keep the gun in me hands,
+that's all.  Guess that'll be hint enough fer them fellers."
+
+"Oh, I wish a strong wind would blow," the girl fervently exclaimed.
+"I want to get away from here, and out of sight of those men searching
+for me over there."
+
+"It does give one a kind of creepy feelin', doesn't it?" Eben replied.
+"But I think we'll git a breeze when the tide comes up, an' then we'll
+show ye what this old tub kin do."
+
+"Won't that be great!  I have often longed for a sail on the river in a
+boat such as this.  How you must enjoy this life.  I know I should."
+
+"Would ye?" Eben asked.  "Well, I guess ye'd soon git tired of it if ye
+had to do it all the time.  It makes a mighty big difference whether ye
+do a thing fer pleasure or fer business.  I don't like it, anyway, an'
+I'm goin' to git clear of it as soon as I kin.  Mebbe I'll follow your
+example, an' run away."
+
+"Where do you want to go to, and what do you want to do?"
+
+"I want to go to college an' learn to be an engineer."
+
+"An engineer!  What, to run an engine on the railroad?"
+
+"No, not that.  I want to be a civil engineer, to build bridges, an' do
+sich things.  I'd like it better'n anything else."
+
+"Why don't you, then?  Won't your father let you?"
+
+"No.  He thinks it's all nonsense.  He says he's raisin' me to take
+charge of this boat some day.  But, gee whiz, he's countin' on the
+wrong chicken.  Anyway, by the time dad's done sailin' this boat, it'll
+be fit fer the scrap heap."
+
+"Why do you want to be a civil engineer?" the girl asked.  "Do you know
+anything about the work?"
+
+"Y' bet I do," and Eben smacked his lips.  "I've been studyin' bridges
+fer years, 'specially the one across the falls.  I've a lot of drawin's
+of it.  Would ye like to see 'em?"
+
+"Indeed I should," was the interested reply.  "I used to draw some
+myself."
+
+"Ye did!"  Eben looked at the girl in admiration.  "I never met anyone
+before who could draw.  Hope ye won't make fun of my scrawls."
+
+"Certainly not.  You don't think I would do such a thing, do you?"
+
+Eben made no reply as he was already on his feet, groping with his
+right hand upon a shelf over his bunk.  In a few minutes he brought
+down a well worn scribbler, opened it, and laid it with pride upon the
+table.
+
+"There's my drawin's," he began.  "No one but meself ever sot eyes upon
+'em before."
+
+"You didn't even show them to your parents or sister?" the girl asked
+in surprise, as she looked upon the first drawing presented to view.
+
+"Indeed I didn't.  They'd only make fun of me if I did.  I hate to be
+laughed at, don't you?  It riles one all up."
+
+"It does sometimes," the girl acknowledged.  "But, then, it is better
+not to mind what people say or do, but just go on with our work.  Why,
+what nice drawings you have here.  I can hardly believe you did them
+yourself without anyone to teach you."
+
+Eben made no reply, but his eyes shone with complete satisfaction.  The
+girl was seated at the table and he was standing by her side.  A thrill
+of joy possessed him such as he had never experienced before.  This
+beautiful girl appreciated his drawings, and that was enough.
+
+The sketches were crude, but they showed considerable signs of promise,
+and this Jess realised as she carefully examined them.  One bridge,
+especially, arrested her attention, the one which spanned the falls.
+
+"You must have made a long study of this," she remarked, "I recognised
+it at once."
+
+"I did, Miss.  I spent a whole day there once, an' every time we go
+under it I see something new.  I ain't got it quite right yit."
+
+For a few minutes the girl examined the drawings without speaking.
+There was a far-away look in her eyes when at length she pushed the
+book a little from her.
+
+"Your drawings are remarkably good, considering everything," she told
+him.  "But how would you like for me to give you some lessons?"
+
+"How would I like it?" Eben gasped in amazement.  "You give me lessons
+in drawin'!"
+
+"And why not?  We shall have time, I am sure, and I have not yet
+forgotten all I learned."
+
+"Oh, it would be great!  But what about dad?  I'm afraid he won't let
+ye.  He might think it will spoil me from bein' a captain some day.  He
+wants me to study navigation, or something like that, which I hate."
+
+Before any reply could be made, a slight shock was heard against the
+side of the boat which startled them both.  The girl sprang to her
+feet, and looked up the stairway.  Then the sound of footsteps was
+heard upon the deck above.
+
+"They are after me!" she gasped.  "Oh, where can I hide?"
+
+"Stay right here," Eben ordered, as he leaped toward the stairs.  "I'll
+fix 'em."
+
+His foot had barely touched the first step when his father's body
+bulked large in the doorway above.  Instinctively Eben drew back, and
+stood on the defensive, with every nerve strung to the highest tension.
+
+Slowly the captain descended, and when he had reached the bottom of the
+stairway he stopped and looked around.  In an instant he comprehended
+the situation, and a twinkle appeared in his eyes as he turned them
+upon his son.
+
+"Is this the way ye obey orders?" he demanded.  "Didn't I tell ye not
+to come near this cabin?"
+
+"I know ye did, but that was last night," was the surly reply.  "Ye
+didn't tell me to stay away this mornin'."
+
+The captain stared at his son for a few seconds as if he had not heard
+aright.
+
+"Well, I declare!" he exclaimed.  "I gave ye credit fer some brains,
+but I guess I was mistaken."
+
+"Don't blame your son, Captain," the girl interposed.  "It was not his
+fault that he is here, but mine.  I asked him to come."
+
+"Ye did!  Why, I thought ye didn't want anybody 'cept me to know of yer
+whereabouts."
+
+"But it's different with your son here.  He had to find out, anyway,
+you see, so it was just as well for him to do so this morning."
+
+"So ye waited until I got on shore, eh?  H'm, I guess all gals are
+alike, as sly as a weasel.  As soon as the old man was out of the way,
+you two became very chummy.  Fergot everything else most likely.  It's
+a wonder ye weren't paradin' up an' down the deck."
+
+"Oh, we took good care to keep out of sight," the girl laughingly
+replied.  "We had enough sense left for that.  This is certainly a
+great hiding place."
+
+"D'ye think so, Miss?  But mebbe it isn't so good as ye imagine."
+
+A startled expression came into the girl's eyes, as she turned them
+full upon the captain's face.
+
+"Thar, thar, don't be alarmed," the latter comforted.  "I didn't mean
+to frighten ye.  I only wanted to warn ye, that's all."
+
+"Did you hear anything about me while ashore?" the girl asked.  "Has
+anyone any suspicion that I am here?"
+
+"It seems that way."
+
+"Oh!"
+
+"Yes," the captain continued, "I was talkin' to a young feller on
+shore, an' he sent ye his kind regards."
+
+"Not Mr. Donaster!  Oh, say it wasn't that man."
+
+"No, it wasn't that critter, but another, an' a fine chap, too.  Mebbe
+ye kin guess his name.  He seemed mighty interested, an' asked me a
+number of questions."
+
+"Did he?"  The sigh  of relief which the girl gave was more expressive
+than words.  The captain chuckled as he watched her, and his eyes
+twinkled.
+
+"Yes, Miss, he came along in a car an' tried to pump me dry with his
+queer questions.  An' he was a mighty nice feller, too, good-natured,
+an' handsome enough fer any gal, no matter how pertic'ler she might be.
+He told me to take good care of ye.  Hello! what's the matter?"
+
+The cause of the captain's exclamation was the expression of confusion
+which suddenly overspread the girl's face.  Eben also noticed it, and
+for the first time in his life a strange feeling began to agitate his
+heart.  He could not account for it, but intuitively he felt a spirit
+of resentment against the man with the car.  This beautiful girl had
+come into his lonely, misunderstood life like the sweet invigorating
+breath of spring, and he could not bear the thought that anyone else
+should have the slightest claim upon her.  It was the jealous
+unreasoning throb of a first great love.  The cabin seemed to be
+unusually close.  He must have fresh air, and he wanted to be by
+himself that he might think.  With a bound he was up the stairs to the
+deck above.
+
+"Well, I declare!" the captain ejaculated, as he stared after his son.
+"What's the matter with that boy, anyway?  Ye'd think a hull pack of
+wolves was chasin' him by the way he left this cabin.  I can't
+understand him nohow."
+
+The captain had barely finished speaking when a gust of wind struck the
+boat, causing the cabin door to close with a bang.
+
+"Guess the breeze has come at last," he remarked.  "It should be a big
+blow after this long calm.  You jist keep close here while I go on
+deck.  By the look of things we should be out of this in a few minutes.
+How'll that suit ye?"
+
+"Oh, I shall be so thankful," the girl declared.  "I cannot feel safe
+while we are so near that search-party.  Please get away as soon as you
+can."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+GIVING MARTHA THE GO-BY
+
+The wind which had come up with the tide was steadily increasing in
+strength, causing the "Eb and Flo" to scud rapidly forward with every
+inch of her one big sail stretched to its full capacity.  There had
+been considerable work before the boat was well under way, and as the
+captain now stood at the wheel he was breathing heavily from his
+strenuous exertions.  But the light of satisfaction glowed in his eyes
+as he looked straight ahead, and gave a few final orders to his son.
+
+Jess Randall stood by his side, her face aglow with animation, and her
+heart lighter than at any time since she had first come on board.  It
+was a great relief to be out of the cabin and once more in the open
+with the fresh breeze whipping about her, and tossing her hair over
+cheeks and brow.  The searching party was left behind, and the small
+boats seemed like mere vanishing specks in the distance.  She had no
+fear now, for she believed that the "Eb and Flo" would carry her safely
+away from her pursuers, whither she did not know.  The strain through
+which she had recently passed, and the want of sleep the night before
+were telling upon her now, causing her to feel very tired.  She leaned
+against the cabin for support, and this the captain at once noted.
+
+"Here, take this wheel fer a minute," he ordered.  "I want to go below.
+Jist keep her at that," he continued, when the girl with uncertain
+hands laid hold of the wheel.  "Ye kin do it all right."
+
+For the first time in her life, Jess was in command of a vessel, and a
+delightful thrill swept through, her as she watched, the full-swelled
+sail, and listened to the ripple of the boat as it cut through the
+water.  What an easy thing it was to control such a craft, and cause it
+to do one's slightest bidding.  And what a sense of freedom possessed
+her.  It was a life for which she had so often longed, and she thought
+with amusement of her various social activities in the city.  She had
+always been fond of life in the open, and she was never happier than
+when wandering through the fields or along some secluded woodland way.
+But such opportunities had been rare, for the barriers which surrounded
+her had been too firm and high.
+
+In another minute the captain came from the cabin, carrying a
+three-legged stool, which he placed upon the deck.
+
+"Thar, Miss," he said, "I think that'll be more comfortable than
+standin'.  Ye kin lean aginst the cabin, providin' ye don't go to sleep
+an' push it over."
+
+The girl smiled as she resigned the wheel and sat down upon the stool.
+It was certainly a relief to sit there leaning against the cabin for
+she felt unusually tired.
+
+"You are very good to me, Captain," she remarked, turning her face to
+his.  "I do not know how I can ever thank you."
+
+"Don't try, Miss.  I don't like to be thanked, anyway.  It takes all
+the pleasure out of doin' anything, accordin' to my way of thinkin'."
+
+The girl made no immediate reply, but sat looking out upon the river
+and away to the road winding along the shore.  She could see an
+occasional auto speeding on its way, and she wondered what had become
+of the one which had been at the store when the captain was there.  She
+was quite certain who the young driver was, and her heart beat somewhat
+faster when she thought of him.  She longed to know how he had surmised
+where she was, and what he had said to the captain.  She did not like
+to ask any questions lest she should betray her feelings, so she
+preferred to remain silent.  She was aroused from her reverie by the
+captain shouting to his son.
+
+"Hi, thar, Eben," he called, "hustle up an' split some wood.  It's
+dinner time, an' thar isn't a stick cut.  Guess ye must have burned it
+all up this mornin', Miss," he added, turning to his fair companion.
+"Anyway, that boy never keeps enough on hand.  I wish to goodness he'd
+take some interest in things instead of mopin' around all the time."
+
+"Perhaps he does take an interest in things he likes," the girl
+suggested.
+
+"Then I'd like to find out what they are, Miss.  I know he's mighty
+fond of eatin' an' sleeping but I guess that's about as fer as it goes."
+
+"I made a discovery this morning, Captain," was the quiet reply.
+
+"Ye did!  In what way?"
+
+"I discovered that your son has a great fondness for drawing."
+
+"Humph!" the captain grunted, as he gave the wheel a quick, savage turn
+to the right.  "Say, I nearly ran through that salmon net.  It's too
+fer out, blamed if it isn't.  Yes, I know Eben's fond of drawin', an'
+that's the trouble.  He'd fiddle around all day with a paper an' pencil
+if I'd let him, an' not do a hand's turn."
+
+"But suppose he should make a success of his drawing, though?"
+
+"In what way?  Wouldn't it be better fer him to learn boatin' so he kin
+take charge of this craft some day?"
+
+"He never will do that, Captain.  His mind is set upon being an
+engineer, and you should encourage him all you can."
+
+"An engineer!"  The captain stared at the girl in amazement.
+
+"Yes, an engineer.  He has a great liking for that, and the drawings he
+has made are remarkably good, considering that he has had no one to
+teach him."
+
+"Ye don't tell!  But what has drawin's to do with engineering I'd like
+to know.  Ye don't have to make drawin's to run an engine, do ye ?"
+
+"To be a civil engineer you do, and that is what your son wants to be.
+His mind is set upon bridge building, and you should see the drawings
+he has made of the bridge across the falls.  I suppose you have never
+seen them?"
+
+"No.  Eben never showed 'em to me.  Guess he was too scart."
+
+"That's just the trouble, Captain.  You have misunderstood the boy, and
+he has been doing this work on the sly.  He showed them to me, though,
+and I have promised to give him some lessons."
+
+"Ye have!"
+
+"Yes, providing you will let me.  And you will, won't you?  It would be
+a great pity not to help and encourage him.  If you do, you may be
+proud of him some day."
+
+The captain gripped the wheel with firm hands, and looked straight
+before him.  His face was a study, and the girl watched him somewhat
+curiously.  She knew how his heart was set upon fitting Eben to take
+his place, and to relinquish that hope would be a great hardship.
+
+"Guess I'll have to talk this over with Martha," he at length
+announced.  "She an' Flo are so dead set upon Eben bein' a captain that
+I don't believe they'll listen to me fer a minute."
+
+"But suppose Eben should take matters into his own hands?" Jess
+queried.  "You may think you can control him, but you cannot tell how
+soon he may slip from your grasp.  Would it not be better to hold his
+affections by helping him in every way you can?  I wish I could see
+your wife and daughter.  I feel quite sure that I could make them see
+the matter in a different light.  Perhaps I could change their minds."
+
+"Mebbe ye could, Miss," and the captain gave a deep sigh.  "But I can't
+hold out much hope.  If ye knew 'em as well as I do, ye wouldn't feel
+very sure, let me tell ye that.  An' besides, Miss, I don't think ye'll
+ever see 'em, anyway, not on this craft."
+
+"I won't!"  The expression in the girl's eyes showed her surprise.
+"Why, I thought we would be at your home to-day, and that I would
+surely meet them."
+
+"Yes, we'll be at me home, all right," and the captain's face grew
+serious.  "We'll see it, but we won't stop.  Oh, no, it would be all up
+with me if Martha an' Flo should catch you here.  We'll jist give 'em
+the go-by to-day, an' it'll be the fust time I've ever done sich a
+thing.  I've been allus mighty glad to git home, even fer a few
+minutes."
+
+"Captain, are you really afraid of your wife and daughter?" the girl
+asked.  "Wouldn't it be very easy to explain how I came on this boat,
+and that it wasn't your fault at all?"
+
+"I wouldn't git a chance to explain, Miss.  Ye see, Martha an' Flo are
+fine women when it comes to cookin', lookin' after the house, an' sich
+things.  But when it comes to the question of other women, an'
+'specially one who has run away from home, an' can't give a reasonable
+account of herself, well, that's different."
+
+"Oh, I see!"  The girl caught her breath, and her face flushed.  "They
+might think I'm not exactly straight; is that it?"
+
+"Mebbe they might, an' that would make it hard fer me an' Eben."
+
+"But won't they listen to reason, Captain?  Surely they will believe
+you and your son."
+
+"They might, Miss, but I don't like to face 'em.  I'm no coward when it
+comes to runnin' this craft in a nasty gale, or doin' something extry
+risky; but I do wilt right down before Martha an' Flo when their
+ginger's up.  Why, a man hasn't a ghost of a chance with them women.
+They're a wonder, an' no mistake."
+
+"Then what do you intend to do?"
+
+"Do!  Why, thar's only one thing to do in sich a case, an' that is to
+give 'em the go-by, an' then git clear of you.  As soon as we reach the
+quarry you'll have to light out.  I hate to say it, Miss, but thar's
+too much at stake fer me to keep ye on board any longer.  I should have
+sent ye away before this, but ye wouldn't go, so what was I to do?"
+
+"I am really sorry that I have given you so much trouble," the girl
+apologised.  "I am very grateful for what you have already done, and as
+soon as I reach the quarry I shall leave you at once.  I know I have
+placed you in a most embarrassing position."
+
+"An' what do ye intend to do after ye leave this boat?" the captain
+somewhat anxiously enquired.
+
+"I have not the slightest idea.  But I am not going to worry about that
+now.  I shall be free, and that will be worth a great deal to me."
+
+When dinner was at last over, they were again upon deck.  Jess had
+prepared a tempting meal, and while she and the captain dined, Eben
+took his turn at the wheel.  The boy had hardly spoken a word after his
+father's return from the store, but a new light shone in his eyes, and
+his step was more buoyant than before.  The furtive look that he at
+times cast upon the fair passenger was one of profound admiration.  To
+him she was the most beautiful and wonderful person he had ever met,
+and her words of encouragement and appreciation had fallen upon his
+lonely soul like a refreshing rain upon a thirsty land.
+
+The wind was stronger now, and running through the wide stretch of
+water, known as the "Long Reach," the boat encountered heavy swells,
+through which she surged, dashing the spray from her bow at each
+plunge.  The captain was unusually silent, and Jess noticed that he was
+becoming somewhat nervous.  This became more apparent the farther up
+the river they moved, and it was not until they had passed one of the
+three islands, which here studded the river, did she comprehend the
+meaning of the captain's uneasiness.  With hands firmly grasping the
+wheel, he often cast his eyes shoreward, as if searching for some
+special object.  Presently he emitted an exclamation of annoyance, and
+turned suddenly to the girl by his side.
+
+"Git into the cabin," he ordered.  "Martha's got the glass on us.  I
+kin see her at the front door.  Hustle.  I don't want her to see ye.
+But ye needn't go all the way down, Miss.  Jist set within the door, so
+she can't see ye."
+
+Jess quickly obeyed, and perched upon the second step from the top, she
+waited to see what would happen.
+
+"Does your wife always use the glass?" she at length asked.
+
+"Allus, Miss.  Guess she's had it turned on us ever since we hove in
+sight.  Hope to goodness she hasn't spied you out."
+
+The house toward which the captain's attention was directed, stood upon
+a gentle elevation, with a well-kept garden, sloping to the river.  It
+was a cosy-looking place, and the surrounding trees protected the house
+from the storms of winter.  The building was painted white, with dark
+trimmings, and owing to its situation, could be seen for miles from the
+river.  The captain was naturally proud of his home, and was always
+glad when it appeared in sight.  But this day was the first exception
+during his long years of boating.  His face became stern, and his hands
+gripped the wheel harder than ever as he set his mind upon the task of
+running by that snug cottage on the hill side.  Why had he been such a
+fool, he asked himself, as to let this strange runaway girl remain on
+board?  He should have notified the search party at once as to her
+whereabouts, and delivered her into their hands.  His heart, however,
+softened as he glanced down and saw the girl's wistful eyes fixed full
+upon his face.
+
+"I am very sorry, Captain, that I am causing you so much worry," she
+remarked.  "But for me you would soon be home with your wife and
+daughter."
+
+"Tut, tut, Miss, don't ye bother about that," the old man replied, as
+he gave the wheel a vigorous yank to the right.  "This boat was headin'
+straight fer the shore.  She's run in thar so often that she does it of
+her own accord.  She's almost human, this boat is.  My! won't Martha
+git the surprise of her life when she sees us go by.  She's wavin' now,
+blamed if she ain't! an' runnin' down to the shore.  An' that's Flo
+behind her!  Mebbe Flo'll try to swim out to us, fer she's great in the
+water, almost like a fish."
+
+The "Eb and Flo" was now almost abreast of the captain's home, and
+scudding so fast that in a few minutes she would be by.  It was
+possible for Jess to see the two women standing upon the shore,
+frantically waving their arms and shouting across the water.  What they
+said she could not distinguish, though she guessed the purport of the
+words they were uttering.  She pitied the captain, for she was well
+aware that when he did go home his reception would be far from
+pleasant.  She kept her eyes riveted upon the women until they became
+mere specks in the distance.  Then she turned to the captain.  He was
+mopping his face with a big red handkerchief, and his hands were
+trembling.
+
+"Dam it!" he growled.  "I'm all het up.  It must be ninety in the
+shade.  Git me a drink of water, will ye?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+WHAT THE COW DID
+
+"If she won't take ye in, yer welcome to stay here all night."
+
+The "Eb and Flo" was lying securely fastened to the wharf at the Spoon
+Island stone quarry.  She had made a good run up the river, and had
+reached her destination late in the afternoon.  Captain Tobin was
+standing upon deck looking upon Jess and Eben as they started up the
+track toward the quarry.
+
+"Eben'll show ye Mrs. Ricksteen's house," he told the girl.  "I guess
+she needs extry help with the crowd of men she allus has.  But she
+might want a recommendation, fer she's mighty pertic'ler, Mrs.
+Ricksteen is.  Anyway, if she won't take ye in, yer welcome to come
+back here."
+
+Jess thanked the captain, and told him that she was sure she could make
+out all right.  She would return in the morning to tell him of her
+success, and get her belongings.
+
+"See that Eben behaves himself," the captain reminded.  "An' don't let
+him stay too long.  Thar's a lot of work to do on board to-night."
+
+"You needn't worry," was the girl's smiling reply.  "Eben can return
+just as soon as he shows me the way.  I won't run off with him."
+
+The captain stood and watched them as they walked slowly up the track.
+"My, my, she's a fine gal, an' no mistake," he mused.  "I never saw
+Eben so taken up with anyone as he is with her.  Why, his face
+brightens the instant she speaks to him.  Seems to me he's head over
+heels in love with her.  It's only nat'ral, I s'pose.  If I was young
+meself I'd lose me head an' heart over a gal like that.  It'd be great
+to have her fer a daughter-in-law.  Wonder what Martha an' Flo 'd say."
+
+While the captain was thus musing, the young couple made their way
+slowly along the track which led across a wide stretch of interval.
+Eben was somewhat embarrassed at first when he found himself alone with
+the beautiful girl, so his words were few.  But as they advanced, he
+felt more at ease, and readily answered all of her questions.  He
+explained how the truck, carrying the granite blocks, was impelled
+across the interval to the river by the impetus given on the steep hill
+ahead.  Two men were always in charge, who handled the brakes, and
+stopped the truck just at the right place on the wharf.
+
+"But isn't it very dangerous coming down that steep hill?" Jess asked,
+as she looked up the track which ran through a forest of small trees.
+
+"Y' bet," was the emphatic reply.  "I came down once, an' me hair was
+standin' straight on end, an' I didn't have any breath left when we got
+to the bottom.  It was great!"
+
+"It certainly must have been," the girl enthusiastically declared.  "I
+would like to try it myself."
+
+"Ye would!" Eben stopped and stared at his companion in amazement.
+
+"Yes, and why not?  I like a little excitement once in a while."
+
+"I guess ye must, Miss."
+
+"Don't call me 'Miss,' say 'Jess,' I like it better.  We are chums, you
+know, and chums must not put on any airs."
+
+Eben's face coloured, and his heart beat fast.  It was great to have
+her talk in such a friendly way.  He believed that she liked him, too,
+and that meant a great deal to him.  The world seemed a much brighter
+place since this runaway girl entered his life.
+
+They had crossed the interval and were almost at the base of the hill,
+when a rumbling sound fell upon their ears.
+
+"It's the truck comin'," Eben explained, at the same time laying his
+hand upon the girl's arm and drawing her off the track.  "Now ye'll see
+something worth while."
+
+And truly indeed they were both destined to behold something of a most
+unexpected and terrible nature during the next few minutes.  They saw
+the truck far up the hill, and almost held their breath as it took the
+wild plunge in its mad career to the valley below.  Just at this
+exciting instant, however, the bushes close to the line were suddenly
+parted, and a large cow appeared.  She stepped upon the track, stopped,
+and looked up.  Before a word could be said or a hand lifted, the truck
+swept upon her like a catapult.  A sickening crash ensued, and men,
+cow, truck and granite blocks were hurled from the track, and tossed in
+a confused heap among the bushes several rods away.
+
+When the crash took place, Jess gave a cry of dismay and buried her
+face in her hands to shut out the terrible sight.  This was but for an
+instant, however, for she realised, that something must be done to help
+the unfortunate men should they be alive.  Eben was staring as if
+rooted to the spot, his body trembling with excitement.
+
+"Isn't it awful!" he groaned.  "Oh, what kin we do?"
+
+"Let us go and see," was the reply.  "Come on."
+
+Together they made their way up the track as fast as possible, and as
+they approached the spot where the accident had taken place, an
+indescribable feeling came over the girl.  Suppose the men were dead!
+And if not dead, they surely must be fearfully mangled.  How could she
+endure the sight?  But struggle on she did, and at length saw one of
+the men limping painfully toward her.  His clothes were torn, and his
+face and hands were bleeding.  He staggered as he walked, and when he
+reached the track he sank down upon the ground.
+
+"Are you much hurt?" Jess asked, hurrying to his side.  Her fears had
+all vanished, and she thought not of herself, but only of the injured
+man.
+
+"Never mind me," the man replied.  "I'll be all right shortly.  But for
+God's sake do something for Bill.  He's over there among the stones all
+smashed up.  I was pitched clear."
+
+With a bound Eben left the track, and leaped among the bushes down
+where Bill was lying, half buried beneath a tangle of stones, trees and
+truck.  The man was very still, and to all appearance dead.  But, as
+Eben began to free his body, he opened his eyes and moaned.
+Fortunately none of the monster stones rested upon him, but only a
+small bent tree held his legs as in a vice.  With considerable
+difficulty Eben was able to free the man, and then lifting him in his
+arms staggered out of the ruins, and laid his burden gently upon the
+ground a short distance away.  In another minute Jess was kneeling by
+the injured man's side, wiping the blood which flowed down his face
+with her small white handkerchief.
+
+"We must have help at once," she exclaimed, turning to Eben.  "Is there
+a doctor anywhere near?  Go for him, quick."
+
+Scarcely had she ceased speaking ere the sound of hurrying footsteps
+fell upon their ears.  In another minute several excited men were by
+their side, examining the wounded man and asking numerous questions.
+Jess rose to her feet and stepped back.  As she did so someone touched
+her lightly on the arm, and whispered her name.  Turning swiftly
+around, she came face to face with the driver of the car who had
+interviewed Captain Tobin outside the store that very morning.
+
+"John!"  It was all that she said, but the flush upon her face, and the
+light of joy which leaped into her eyes were more expressive than many
+words.
+
+"How did you get here so soon?" the young man asked.  "This is no place
+for you, Jess.  Let me take you back to the boat."
+
+"No, no," was the low reply.  "We must look after this poor man first.
+Oh, do what you can for him at once."
+
+For a few seconds the young man looked into the eyes of the girl before
+him.  The great longing of his heart was expressed in that look, and
+the girl understood.  She turned toward the injured man, and absently
+watched his companions doing what they could for his welfare.  Into her
+heart stole a peace such as she had not known for days.  The one she
+loved was with her, and she knew that he loved her with all the
+strength of his true manly nature.  Forgotten for a time were Donaster
+and her other persecutors.  In this rough wilderness spot she felt
+secure from their grasp, and with John Hampton near she was ready and
+willing to defy the whole world.
+
+The brief scene enacted between the young lovers was not noticed by the
+men earnestly discussing what should be done with their battered
+comrade.  The accident alone so arrested and held their attention that
+the thought of love-making at such a critical situation never once
+occurred to them.
+
+With Eben, however, it was different.  He saw and understood far too
+much for his peace of mind.  In an instant he grasped the meaning of
+the whispered words and the expression upon the faces of the lovers.  A
+feeling such as he had never before known leaped into his heart.  He
+forgot all about the injured man, and paid no attention to what was
+being done with him.  He could think only of himself, and how another
+had come between him and the girl he loved.  He knew John Hampton well,
+and it came as a great surprise that he should be on such friendly
+terms with Jess Randall.
+
+In a few minutes the helpless man was lifted carefully from the ground,
+and borne gently away on a rude stretcher which had been speedily
+improvised by his comrades.  Jess and John followed, talking with each
+other, though so low that Eben could not understand what they were
+saying.  As they moved forward, he skulked a short distance behind.
+The girl paid no attention to him now.  In fact, she did not seem to be
+even aware of his presence.  She was taken up entirely with the young
+man by her side, so the idea that she meant anything to the awkward
+youth to the rear never once crossed her mind.
+
+In about fifteen minutes the injured man's house was reached, and all
+entered except Eben.  It was merely a shack, almost surrounded by
+trees, and situated a short distance from the main highway.  Here Bill
+Dobbins and his wife lived during the summer months while work was
+being carried on in the granite quarry.  Their real home was elsewhere,
+so this rude structure was all that they required during their
+temporary stay at the quarry.
+
+Eben waited for a few minutes outside, uncertain what to do.  At length
+he turned and made his way slowly back to the road, and down the track
+to the river.  He said nothing to his father about the accident, and
+turned into his bunk at an unusually early hour.  When the captain
+asked him about the girl, and if Mrs. Ricksteen had taken her in, Eben
+was curt in his reply, saying that he did not know.  Not until the next
+morning did Captain Tobin hear about the accident, for he had been in
+the cabin when it had occurred.  He then questioned his son as to the
+details, but received no satisfactory information.  Later he learned of
+the whole affair from two men from the quarry, when they ran their
+first morning load of granite down to the river.  The injured man was
+still unconscious, so they told him.  The doctor had arrived during the
+night, and did what he could for his welfare.  The men were loud in
+their praises of the young woman who had sat up all night with Mrs.
+Dobbins, and had made herself so agreeable and helpful.
+
+"I guess she's there to stay," one of them remarked.  "Wonder where in
+the world she dropped from.  Ye don't see the likes of her every day,
+'specially in a place like this."
+
+"She and young Hampton seem to be very thick," the other volunteered.
+"They must have known each other before by the look of things."
+
+"Hampton, did ye say?" the captain asked.  "D'ye mean Widder Hampton's
+son, of Beech Cove?"
+
+"I don't know whose son he is," was the reply.  "He arrived at the
+quarry yesterday afternoon, and has been hanging around ever since.
+Mebbe he planned to meet the girl here."
+
+The captain made no reply but went on with his work.  He thought,
+however, of the interview he had with Hampton down the river the day
+before, and he smiled to himself, He understood now why the young
+fellow was so interested in the fair passenger on board the "Eb and
+Flo," and for his sake, no doubt, the girl had run away from home.
+
+Eben worked so hard all the morning that his father was greatly
+surprised.  He had heard what the men said about Hampton and the girl,
+and it was necessary for him to do something to give vent to his
+intensely wrought-up feelings.  He worked with a feverish energy, and
+seemed to possess the strength of two men as he helped at the derrick
+as the big blocks of granite were swung on board.  He hardly touched
+his noon-day meal, and this caused his father considerable anxiety, for
+the boy had been always blessed with an excellent appetite.
+
+All through the afternoon the work of loading the boat was continued,
+and such excellent progress was made that the captain was looking
+forward to sailing early the next morning.  To all outward appearance
+Eben's mind was entirely upon the big stones which were being hoisted
+on board.  But anyone watching closely might have noticed that
+occasionally he gave a keen, furtive glance up toward the quarry.
+
+The day was fast wearing to its close, and the last block of stone was
+about to be moved, when Eben gave one of his quick looks up the hill.
+As he did so he suddenly straightened himself up and stared as if he
+had seen a ghost.  His face became suddenly pale, and his hands
+trembled as he watched two people walking slowly down the track.  He
+recognised them at once, and it was their appearance he had been
+expecting all the afternoon.  He knew that they were coming to the
+boat, and he did not wish to meet the girl when Hampton was present.
+He felt that he could not trust himself, so great was his agitation.
+
+Without a word to anyone Eben left the wharf, walked a few yards along
+the river, and disappeared among some bushes.  He soon stopped when he
+was sure that he could not be seen, crouched low upon the ground, and
+watched all that was taking place near the "Eb and Flo."  He could see
+John and the girl talking with the captain for a few minutes, after
+which the three went on board and entered the cabin.  When they
+reappeared about fifteen minutes later, Hampton was carrying a small
+parcel in his hand, which Eben surmised contained the articles his
+father had purchased for Jess at the store.  When once again upon the
+wharf, they stood and talked for a few minutes.  What they said Eben
+could not make out, but presently he heard his father calling his name.
+This caused him to crouch lower upon the ground, fearful lest he should
+be observed.  One of the quarrymen then spoke and motioned his hand in
+the direction the boy had gone.  Eben heard the amused laughter which
+followed, and he fully comprehended its meaning.  They were laughing at
+him for running away!  It was almost more than he could endure, and his
+first impulse was to rush from his hiding place, challenge John Hampton
+for a fight, and show Jess that he was no coward.  But a natural
+diffidence restrained him, which caused him to remain silent and
+unseen.  It was only when he was certain that the visitors were well
+out of sight, did he venture back to the wharf.  His father looked at
+him somewhat curiously, but was wise enough to ask no questions.
+
+When darkness had settled over the land, Eben left the boat and made
+his way slowly up the track.  Reaching the main highway, he moved
+forward with a long jerky stride until he came to the little clearing
+where the Dobbins' shack was situated.  He stopped and peered
+cautiously around.  A light shone from the one window facing the road,
+and toward this Eben stealthily moved.  There was no blind to the
+window, so when near enough he could easily see all that was taking
+place within.  The sight that met his first glance stirred him to a
+high pitch of angry jealousy.  He saw the two sitting close to each
+other but a short distance from the injured man, who was lying upon a
+cot.  John was talking to Jess in a most earnest manner, and the look
+upon the girl's face was one of intense happiness.  She was evidently
+pleased at what her lover was saying, for occasionally her lips parted
+in a smile.
+
+All this Eben saw in the few minutes that he stood there.  His hands
+were clenched hard, and his eyes were filled with the fire of hatred.
+There was the man who had come between him and the girl he loved.  He
+was but a short distance away, so acting upon the wild impulse of the
+instant he stooped down, and finding a stone lying right at his feet,
+he took careful aim, and hurled it with his full force through the
+window, straight at the head of his enemy.  The sudden crash was
+followed instantly by a cry of pain, and then all was still.  With
+fast-beating heart Eben looked, expecting to see Hampton stretched upon
+the floor.  Great was his horror to behold the girl lying there
+instead, her deathly-white face stained with blood.  With a startled
+cry as of a wild beast in agony, he turned and fled along the road,
+down the track, and back to the refuge of the "Eb and Flo."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+MARTHA TAKES A HAND
+
+Throughout the entire night the horror of a great dread drove all sleep
+from Eben's eyes.  As he lay in his bunk every sound seemed to be
+magnified, and he imagined that men would come for him and lead him
+away to trial.  He felt quite sure that he had killed Jess and that he
+would be hung for murder.  The girl's white face with the bloodstain
+upon it was ever before him, and he could not shut it from his mind.
+And he had murdered her, the one who had meant so much to him.  The
+thought of John Hampton filled his soul with bitterness.  He was the
+cause of all his misery, so he reasoned.  Why had not the stone hit him
+instead of the girl?
+
+Some time before daylight he went out on deck.  The cabin was stifling,
+and he felt that he would smother if he stayed there any longer.  He
+sauntered up forward, and looked out over the water.  It was a
+beautiful night, with a gentle wind drifting in from the west.  The
+accustomed sounds of darkness fell upon his ears, but he paid no
+attention to them now.  His mind was not in tune with nature's sweet
+harmonies, so she brought no restful peace to his tumultuous brain.  He
+longed to know what was taking place in the little shack in the forest.
+Was the girl lying there still in death?  Would people know who did the
+deed?  How would they find out?  He had read about detectives searching
+for criminals, and following most unexpected clues.  Had he left any
+trace behind? he wondered.  No twinge of conscience troubled his soul.
+It was only regret that the stone had hit the wrong person.  He was
+sorry for the girl, and for himself.  His nature was as clay, full of
+many possibilities, and capable of being moulded by right methods into
+a choice vessel.  But hitherto no one had understood his peculiar
+nature.  Then when love for a noble woman did at length enter his soul,
+its influence was quenched by the spirit of hatred and revenge.
+
+Great excitement reigned at the quarry when the men learned of the
+accident which had befallen Miss Randall.  Feeling ran high and had
+they known the one who committed the deed, it would have gone hard with
+him.  Captain Tobin heard the story when he visited the quarry during
+the morning.  He had been more surprised than ever at Eben's silent and
+strange manner, especially when he had found him at daybreak at the bow
+of the boat.  He could get nothing from the boy, and in disgust he had
+left him and ate his breakfast alone.  He believed that his son was
+deeply in love with Jess Randall, and that the presence of John Hampton
+was the cause of his depression.  He imagined that it was but a
+temporary affection, and nothing would come of it, until he heard of
+what had happened to the girl.  Then a great fear forced itself upon
+his mind.  He banished it at first as improbable.  But the more he
+thought of it, and the more he considered Eben's strange manner, the
+more he was led to the painful conclusion that his son was the one who
+had thrown the stone through the window.  He was well aware of Eben's
+impulsive nature, and the extent to which he would go when roused to
+anger.  He overheard two men talking about the affair.
+
+"I'd like to lay my hands on the skunk who threw that stone," declared
+one, "I'd show him a thing or two.  The idea of hitting such a girl as
+that, an' her watching by Bill."
+
+"Is she badly hurt, d'ye think?" the other asked.  "Can't say.  Mrs.
+Dobbins said she was able to sit up in the car when young Hampton took
+her away."
+
+"Where did he take her to?"
+
+"To the hospital, I guess.  But maybe he took her to his own home.  His
+mother lives down the river somewhere, so I understand."
+
+The captain breathed more freely when he learned that the girl was able
+to travel in the car.  At first he feared that she had been so badly
+injured that she might die.  Then the guilty one would surely be found,
+and if it proved to be his own son how terrible it would be.  Even now
+should suspicion rest upon Eben the quarrymen might prove very
+troublesome.  He, therefore, decided to get away as soon as possible.
+He did not wish to shield his son if he were in the wrong.  But he
+wanted him to receive a fair trial, if the matter went that far, and
+not have him dealt with by a number of excited men who might let their
+passions get the upper hand.
+
+Shortly after noon the "Eb and Flo" slipped from her wharf, and headed
+downstream.  The tide was fair, and the light breeze was favourable for
+a long tack out of the narrow channel into the main river below Spoon
+Island.  The captain was at the wheel, with Eben by his side, ready for
+any orders which might be given.  Very few words had passed between
+father and son during the day, and to all outward appearance they
+seemed like complete strangers.  But the captain's mind had been busy
+upon more than his boat.  He felt it was his duty to speak to Eben and
+find out if he did really throw the stone which hit the girl.  Several
+times he was on the point of mentioning the subject, but always
+hesitated.  It was a delicate matter, he well knew, and for the first
+time in his life he was at a loss for words.  At length, however, he
+brought his courage to what he thought was the sticking point.
+
+"Say, Eben," he began.  Then he paused, and looked helplessly around.
+
+"What is it, dad?"
+
+"D'ye think it's goin' to blow hard to-day?"
+
+"Mebbe it will, an' mebbe it won't."
+
+The captain gave the wheel a slight turn, and ran a little closer to
+the island.
+
+"Eben."
+
+The boy looked curiously at his father.
+
+"D'ye s'pose yer mother'll be waitin' fer us?"
+
+"Most likely."
+
+The captain shifted uneasily, and clutched the wheel with a firmer grip.
+
+"Say, Eben, it was too bad that gal got hurt last night, wasn't it?"
+
+The boy started, and gave his father a quick look.  Then his eyes
+dropped.
+
+"What girl, dad?  Ye never told me about it."
+
+"But don't ye know, Eben?"
+
+"Know what?"
+
+"Quit yer nonsense.  Didn't ye hear about that gal who came up river
+with us gittin' hurt?"
+
+"Naw, never heard a word."
+
+"Ye didn't!"  The captain stared at his son.  Surely, he thought, the
+boy is not adding a lie to his misdeed.
+
+"I ain't seen anybody this mornin' but you, dad," Eben explained.  "How
+could I hear anything?"
+
+"Sure, sure, I guess yer right.  But I did think mebbe ye'd thrown that
+stone.  I'm mighty glad to learn that ye know nuthin' about it."
+
+"I didn't say I know nuthin'.  Ye didn't ask me that."
+
+"Didn't I?  Why, I thought I spoke plain enough."
+
+"Oh, shucks!  Ye jist asked me if I had heard about it, which I didn't.
+Nobody told me, but I know jist the same.  I threw that stone."
+
+There was an expression of defiance upon the boy's face, and his eyes
+were blazing.  He partly expected his father to swing upon him with
+strong words of reproof.  In this, however, he was mistaken.  The
+captain remained very quiet for a few minutes, which seemed, to Eben
+much longer.  At last he turned and looked at his son.  His rough,
+knotted hands trembled on the wheel, and his eyes were misty.  Eben
+never saw him look at him in such a way before.  Had he stormed and
+raged it would have but increased his defiance.  But that look of
+silent reproach smote his very soul, causing him to cower conscience
+stricken.  Without a word, he left his father's side and went forward.
+And there he stood with his hands behind his back, staring straight
+before him.  The captain watched him anxiously.  His mind was greatly
+confused over the confession he had just heard.  What would Martha and
+Flo say when they heard of it?  The family would be disgraced, for the
+neighbours up and down the river would learn the truth sooner or later.
+What should he do?  Would it be right to shield his son?  The
+perspiration stood out in beads upon his forehead, and a groan escaped
+his lips.  Then almost unconsciously he began to sing his old favourite
+verse:
+
+  "Here I'll raise my Ebenezer,
+  Hither by Thy grace I'll come,
+  And I trust in Thy good pleasure,
+  Safely to arrive at home."
+
+"Seems to me," he mused, "that I've been tryin' to raise Eben without
+considerin' enough the great Stone of help.  I've heard the parson say
+that's the meanin' of Ebenezer, and that the stone refers to the Lord.
+Yes, I guess I need His help more'n ever jist now."
+
+The "Eb and Flow" made slow progress down river, for the wind was
+light, and it was necessary to beat most of the way.  It was,
+accordingly, evening when at last she ran slowly into Beech Cove and
+dropped anchor.  The captain's mind was worried about the reception he
+would receive, for he knew how angry his wife would be over his strange
+action on the up trip.  He was at a loss to explain, for he could not
+bring himself to the extremity of telling a falsehood.  He was thinking
+seriously of this when his wife appeared on the shore.  She immediately
+launched a small row-boat and headed for the "Eb and Flo."  The captain
+received her as graciously as possible, although he knew at the first
+glance that his entire stock of affableness could not dispel the
+threatening clouds.
+
+"Well, Sam'l," Mrs. Tobin began, the instant she stepped upon the deck,
+"what have you got to say for yourself?"
+
+"Nuthin', Martha, nuthin', 'cept I'm mighty glad to see ye."
+
+"H'm, don't ye lie to me, Sam'l.  Ye must be mighty glad to see me.
+Why did ye go by on your up trip without stopping?"
+
+"I was in a great hurry, Martha, an' had to git the wind when it
+served.  We was hung up a long time down river."
+
+"But ye never did such a thing before.  Was there any special reason
+why ye didn't call just for a few minutes?"
+
+Mrs. Tobin was a buxom, matronly-looking woman, with a usually bright,
+pleasant face.  But now it was stern, and her dark eyes were filled
+with anger as she noted her husband's silence and confusion.  Presently
+she turned to her son who was standing near.
+
+"What have you to say, Eben?  Your father seems to have lost his tongue
+all of a sudden.  What have you two been doing?"
+
+If his mother had asked him such a question that morning he would not
+have hesitated about telling the truth.  But the thought of the
+expression upon his father's face when he had told about throwing the
+stone, deterred him.  He looked at his mother uncertain what to say.
+
+"Have you lost your tongue, too?" she impatiently demanded.  "Dear me,
+there must be something wrong when you too are afraid or ashamed to
+speak.  Things have come to a pretty pass, Sam'l, when you an' Eben
+conspire against me.  Haven't I cooked for you, washed and mended your
+clothes all these years, and been a good wife to you, Sam'l?"
+
+"Indeed ye have, Martha.  Ye've done yer duty, all right."
+
+"An' haven't I been a good mother to your children?"
+
+"Sure, sure, ye have, Martha.  Ye done yer duty to them, too."
+
+"Well, then, Sam'l, why is it that you've treated me in such a manner?
+Why have you set my only son against me?"
+
+"I haven't set him aginst ye, Martha.  Eben's got a tongue which he's
+at liberty to use.  I s'pose he knows it's no use to speak, fer if ye
+won't believe me ye won't believe him, so thar.  Ye needn't git on yer
+high-horse about nuthin'."
+
+Mrs. Tobin looked at her husband in surprise, for seldom had he ever
+spoken to her in such a manner.
+
+"And you've done nothing wrong?" she asked.  "Are you sure?"
+
+"No, we ain't done nuthin' wrong 'ccordin' to our way of thinkin'.  We
+sailed by without stoppin', I acknowledge.  But is that any crime?
+Bizness is bizness an' must be attended to."
+
+Captain Tobin felt quite pleased at his own boldness, and for his
+victory over his wife.  He had no idea that she would calm down so
+soon.  Had he made a mistake in always giving in to her? he asked
+himself.  Perhaps if he had been a little more assertive it might have
+been better for his welfare.
+
+"I suppose the cabin's in a terrible mess."  His wife's words suddenly
+aroused him.
+
+"No, no, Martha, it's in great shape," he hastened to assure her.  "I
+scrubbed the floor meself when we was held up down river."
+
+"Then it must be in great shape, Sam'l.  I've seen your scrubbing
+before.  I'm going to have a look, anyway.  No doubt there are some
+dirty clothes to take home.  I suppose you didn't wash them."
+
+Mrs. Tobin made her way to the cabin, and down the narrow stairway,
+closely followed by the captain and Eben.
+
+"It smells close here, Sam'l," she commented, as she stood in the
+centre of the room and looked critically around.  "You should have more
+ventilation.  It isn't healthy.  I have often----"
+
+She paused abruptly as her eyes rested upon a narrow shelf on which a
+little clock was steadily ticking.  Stepping quickly forward, she
+reached out her right hand, seized something and held it forth.  It was
+a woman's innocent side-comb, but to the captain and his son it
+appeared more terrible than the most dangerous bomb.  They stared as if
+they had never beheld such a thing before.  Mrs. Tobin watched them as
+she gripped the comb in her hand.  Her eyes blazed with anger as she
+glowered upon the two abashed ones before her.  The captain clutched
+his handkerchief and mopped his hot brow.  Then he looked helplessly
+around.  He longed to escape, to flee anywhere from his wife's accusing
+eyes.
+
+"Where did this come from?"  The words fell slowly from Mrs. Tobin's
+lips, and to the two culprits they sounded like the knell of doom.  She
+waited for some response, but none came.  "Is it possible that you have
+had a woman in this cabin," she continued.  "Can you deny it, Sam'l
+Tobin?"
+
+The captain clawed nervously at the back of his head with the fingers
+of his right hand, and then glanced up the stairway.  The gleam of
+triumph shone in his wife's eyes as she noted his embarrassment.
+
+"You can't deny it, Sam'l," she charged, at the same time pointing an
+accusing finger straight at his face, "I can read you like a book.
+You've had a woman on board, and this is her comb.  You can't deny it."
+
+"It'd be no use, Martha," the captain replied.  "Ye wouldn't believe me
+if I did."
+
+"No, not in the face of this," and Mrs. Tobin again held forth the comb.
+
+"Well, then, Martha, what's the use of so much talk?  I've had a hard
+day, so am tired an' hungry.  Guess Eben is, too."
+
+"Tired!  Hungry!" Mrs. Tobin snapped.  "You'll be more tired and hungry
+before I'm through with you, let me tell you that.  You might as well
+own up first as last about that woman you had on board.  Who is the
+miserable hussy, and where is she now?"
+
+A gleam of hope suddenly appeared in the captain's eyes, and he shot a
+swift glance toward his son.
+
+"We had no miserable hussy on board, Martha," he replied.  "That's the
+Gospel truth, so if ye don't believe it, ye needn't."
+
+"I'm afraid you're lying, Sam'l.  If you didn't have a woman on board,
+where, then, did this comb come from?"
+
+"Blamed if I know.  How d'ye expect me to keep track of sich gear?"
+
+Mrs. Tobin gave a sigh of despair as she turned to her son.
+
+"Is your father telling the truth, Eben?" she asked.
+
+"Yes, ma."
+
+"And you had no bad, miserable hussy on board this boat?"
+
+"No, ma, we didn't."
+
+"And you haven't been doing anything wrong, anything that you're
+ashamed of?"
+
+Eben's face suddenly coloured, and his eyes dropped.  He remembered
+what he had done at the quarry.  Mrs. Tobin was now convinced that she
+was being deceived, and that her husband and son were in league against
+her.  She wheeled upon the captain.
+
+"I want you to come right home with me, Sam'l.  This is a very serious
+matter, and I need Flo's advice.  She's got a level head, and will know
+what had better be done.  I can hardly think, I'm so worked up."
+
+"But you kin talk all right, Martha, even if ye can't think," the
+captain retorted.  "If ye'd think more ye'd talk less.  If ye don't
+believe what me an' Eben have said, ye needn't.  Yes, I'll go home with
+ye, fer I guess Flo'll understand, if you don't.  Eben, you look after
+things here.  Ye might as well keep the sail up as thar's no wind.  If
+it comes on to blow, ye can lower it.  I'll be on hand bright an' early
+in the mornin' so's to catch the tide.  We kin drift, even if thar's no
+wind.  Come on, Martha, let's go."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+UNWELCOME VISITORS
+
+After he had eaten his supper, Eben washed his few dishes and went out
+on deck.  He sat down upon one of the blocks of granite and looked out
+over the water.  It was a beautiful evening, with not a breath of wind
+astir.  The river shimmered like a great mirror, its surface only
+ruffled when an occasional motor-boat hurried by, and the little
+steamer "Oconee," on her regular evening trip from the city, ploughed
+past and blew for a wharf a short distance beyond.  A noble river is
+the St. John, enwrapped with the halo of romance and deeds of daring.
+In days long ago it bore upon its bosom the light canoes of Indians as
+they journeyed to and fro for trading or warlike purposes.  It felt the
+surge of larger vessels, both of England and France, during the
+stirring days when those two nations contended for the supremacy of a
+virgin land.  Later it saw the slow-creeping boats of hardy pioneers,
+Loyalists, who came to make for themselves homes in the wilderness.
+Its shores re-echoed to the shouts and songs of sturdy raftsmen in the
+days when acres of great logs were floated down to the sea.  It had
+cradled upon its bosom fleets of boats, their white sails swelling to
+every wind that blew.  These were gradually replaced by noisy steamers
+and tugs until only a few remained, of which the "Eb and Flo" was one.
+
+To an imaginative mind the history of such a river would be sufficient
+to thrill the soul.  But to the youth sitting there alone upon deck it
+meant nothing.  In fact, he did not notice the beauty of the evening,
+nor the soft calmness which surrounded him.  His mind was upon other
+things.  He was thinking of the scene which had just been enacted on
+board the boat.  He was in a rebellious mood, and now, as often before,
+quietness and deep thought were his two choice friends.  He glanced
+occasionally toward the shore and up to the little cottage nestling
+among the trees.  It was his home, and yet he had little affection for
+the place.  It was there he had received food and shelter nearly all
+his life, but no sweet memories clustered around that little house.  He
+had always been misunderstood, and he could not recall the time when he
+had not been scolded for everything he did.  His mother was a woman who
+did her duty according to her light, and looked well after the bodily
+welfare of her family.  But she overlooked the fact that people need
+more than bread and clothing, and that eternal scrubbing, washing and
+dusting do not make a real home.  For the first time in his life he
+felt a deep pity for his father as he thought of the stern inquisition
+he was no doubt undergoing.  And Flo, too, would have much to say, for
+her mother had moulded her according to her own design.
+
+"Poor dad must be having a lively time of it now," he mused.  "I wish
+he'd show a little more spunk, an' stand up fer his rights.  Ma an'
+Flo'd think more of him if he did.  I don't believe all women act that
+way.  I wonder----?"
+
+His thoughts trailed off to the one girl who had ever stirred his soul.
+How different she was from his own sister, he thought.  He felt quite
+sure that she would not always be finding fault with everything he did.
+His eyes glowed with a new light, and his heart beat faster as he
+remembered how interested she had been in his drawings.  Then his
+feelings underwent a swift change.  He was nothing to her.  She never
+once thought of him after she met Hampton at the quarry.  And he had
+struck her instead of his enemy!  Would she ever learn the truth? he
+wondered.
+
+A low rumble of thunder in the distance aroused him.  He looked off
+toward the right.  The sun had gone down, and big black clouds were
+massing in the distance and rolling up from the west.  The thunder was
+becoming more audible, while flashes of lightning were already
+splitting the air.  He was well accustomed to such storms, which at
+times came up suddenly after a day of intense heat.  They were
+generally accompanied by a heavy wind, and he remembered, how twice
+that very summer the "Eb and Flo" had dragged her anchor when hit by a
+furious gale.  The first time she had, drifted out into the main
+channel, and they only had time to hoist sail and get her under way.
+On the second occasion she had gone ashore, and barely escaped a pile
+of rocks.  Fortunately it had been low tide, so when the water rose, a
+passing tug had pulled her off, undamaged.  The anchor was too small,
+and his father had often spoken about getting a larger one.  But this
+he had neglected to do, principally because of the expense.  Had there
+been good anchorage at Beach Cove, Eben would have felt more at ease.
+But he knew that the bottom here was gravelly and would afford but a
+poor hold for the best of anchors.  A louder rumble of thunder fell
+upon his ears.
+
+"It'll soon be here," he muttered.  "Guess I'd better lower the sail.
+It won't do to have it up when the squall strikes."
+
+He rose to his feet and was making his way across the pile of stones,
+when a motor-boat sputtered near, and slowed down close alongside.
+There were two men on board, one steering, and the other at the engine.
+
+"Is this the 'Eb and Flo'?" the former asked.
+
+"Guess so," was the reply.  "What d'ye want?"
+
+At once the motor-boat was made fast to the deck-rail, and the two men
+climbed on board.  Such liberty was not at all pleasing to Eben.  His
+fists doubled and his eyes expressed anger.  He recognised one of the
+visitors as Donaster, the man from whom Jess Randall had fled.  He did
+not like the look upon his face nor his insolent manner.  What right
+had these men to come on board the "Eb and Flo"? he asked himself.  He
+felt in a fighting mood, but he realised that he could do little, for
+Donaster's companion was a big burly fellow, of the fighting type.  All
+this passed quickly through his mind as he stepped back and waited to
+see what the men would do.  He did not have many seconds to wait, for
+Donaster, after peering keenly around as if expecting to see someone
+else, turned impatiently toward Eben.
+
+"Have you a young woman on this boat?" he asked.
+
+"S'pose I have, what bizness is it of yours?" Eben retorted, now more
+angry than ever.
+
+"You'll know d---- quick whether it's my business or not if you don't
+answer my questions."
+
+"I don't have to.  This boat's me own, an' I kin have anyone I like on
+board.  You clear out of this."
+
+"Don't get insolent, you young cuss.  Keep a civil tongue in your mouth
+or it won't be well for you.  I want to know if you have a young woman
+on board?"
+
+Eben did some quick, hard thinking just then.  A spirit of natural
+shrewdness came to his assistance, and a sudden idea flashed into his
+mind.  He could not fight these men single-handed, and win.  He must
+get them at a special disadvantage, and there was only one way in which
+this could, be accomplished.  He thought of the cabin.
+
+"S'pose I have a woman on board, what of it?" he asked.
+
+"We want her; that's all."
+
+"Well, then, ye'll have to find her yerselves.  Don't frighten her,"
+and he motioned aft.
+
+"What!  In the cabin?"  Donaster was much excited now.
+
+Eben merely nodded, and stepped back.
+
+"Come on, Bill," Donaster ordered.  "I suspected she was here."
+
+So intent were the two men upon their search that they paid no more
+heed to Eben, but hurried at once toward the cabin.  Had they been the
+least suspicious and glanced back, they might have been more cautious.
+They would have seen the young man they despised as of no account
+following, his face clouded with anger, and bearing in his hands a
+stout stick he had picked up from the deck.  But sure of themselves,
+the visitors reached the cabin and descended.  No sooner had their
+heads disappeared below the hatchway than Eben leaped forward, and
+stood menacingly on guard above.  In his hands he clutched the stick
+and waited.  He heard the men groping around below.
+
+"It's as dark as h---- down here," Donaster was saying.  "Hustle on
+deck, Bill, and fetch that fool down to give us a light."
+
+The man at once obeyed, but no sooner had he placed his right foot upon
+the bottom step than a roar of warning greeted him from above.  It was
+Eben's voice, and there was no doubting its meaning.
+
+"Come up an' I'll brain ye," he roared.
+
+Instinctively Bill drew back, while an exclamation of annoyance and
+fear escaped his lips.  In the twilight of evening he could see the
+threatening lad above and the uplifted stick.
+
+"Here, none of that, you fool," he cried.  "What's your idea?"
+
+"Come up an' I'll show ye.  But I guess ye'll stay there all right.
+Mebbe I'm not sich a fool as ye think.  Ye know now who owns this boat,
+don't ye?"
+
+The men were in a trap, and knew it.  They were very angry and
+threatened and cursed in the most violent manner.  But the more they
+raved, the more satisfied Eben became.  It was rare sport, and he was
+enjoying it.  But he was determined for all that, and if the men had
+ventured up the stairway he certainly would have knocked them down.
+
+The peals of thunder were now becoming louder and more frequent.  The
+intense calmness was ominous of the coming storm.  Eben glanced
+uneasily toward the west and then forward.  He knew that the sail
+should be down, but he did not dare to leave his post even for a
+minute.  The men were whispering to each other.  What they said he
+could not make out, but presently he heard the scratching of a match,
+and a light flared up.  They were searching for a lamp, which they soon
+found and lighted.  He knew that they could only escape from their
+prison by means of the door, for his father had built the upper part of
+the cabin exceptionally strong to keep out thieves when the boat was
+lying at her wharf in the harbour.
+
+A vivid flash of lightning rent the air, followed almost immediately by
+a tremendous crash of thunder.  From the cabin came a howl of fear, and
+looking down Eben could see two frightened faces staring up at him.
+
+"For God's sake, let us up out of this hole!" Donaster pleaded.  "We'll
+smother here."
+
+"Jist stay where ye are," was the reply.  "Ye got yerselves into this
+fix, an' ye'll have to make the best of it."
+
+"But the lightning might strike the boat," Donaster argued.
+
+"It would serve you divils right if it did.  But, heavens, the storm's
+upon us!"
+
+He slammed to the cabin door, and securely bolted it.
+
+He next leaped across the deck-load and tore loose the halliard.
+Instantly the sail came down with a rush, the gaff striking the boom
+with a bang.  Across the hills came the storm.  It could be heard a
+mile or more away, and in a few minutes the first drops of rain
+pattered upon the deck.  Eben struggled to gather together the sail as
+it flopped in the first fitful gusts of wind and make it secure.  But
+before this could be accomplished the storm was upon him.  The thunder
+was terrific and the lightning incessant.  The rain descended in
+torrents, and the wind whipping across the deck, caught the half furled
+sail and drove the boom with a thud to the full length of its sheet.
+In a few minutes Eben was soaked to the skin as he leaned against the
+mast for support.  But he thought little of himself.  His only concern
+was for the "Eb and Flo" as she reeled beneath the storm and strained
+heavily at her anchor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+IN PERIL OF DEATH
+
+The storm which raged with unabated fury for a full half hour was one
+of the severest ever experienced on the St. John River.  Hail mingled
+with the rain, and did considerable damage to the crops which happened
+to be caught in its on-rushing sweep.  Trees were blown down, as well
+as several buildings, and in a number of farm houses the glass in the
+windows was broken by the fury of the driving hail.
+
+While the storm was at its height, Eben sought shelter in the lee of
+the cabin.  This afforded him some protection, and from here he watched
+anxiously to see how the boat would bear herself.  During vivid flashes
+of lightning the whole country around became illuminated, and he
+glanced occasionally toward the shore upon his right.  He had never
+been afraid of a thunder storm, so it did not affect him now.  In fact,
+he rather enjoyed it, for it harmonised with the state of his mind.  If
+only the anchor would hold; that was his sole concern.  He thought of
+his prisoners within the cabin, and chuckled.  He knew what a noise the
+hail was making upon the roof, and he could hear the men pounding at
+times upon the door and begging to be released.
+
+Another quivering flash, followed instantly by a more terrific roar of
+thunder, told Eben that something had been hit not far away.  He caught
+a glimpse of the trees along the shore and then all was dark.  But that
+fleeting vision was enough to cause him to straighten suddenly up.  The
+"Eb and Flo" was drifting before the wind!  Another flash showed that
+she was making fast for the main channel, and something had to be done
+at once to save her.  It was high tide now, he was well aware, and
+should the boat, heavily loaded as she was, ground on the soft marshy
+flats across the river, it would be next to impossible to get her off
+again.  Apart from the valuable cargo, the loss during the busy
+carrying season would mean much.  He must get the boat under steerage
+way, and head her down stream.
+
+It took him but a second to reach the cabin door and tear it open.  A
+bright flash showed him two white faces at the bottom of the stairs.
+
+"Hustle up here, an' give a hand," he ordered.
+
+"W-what's wrong?" Donaster asked, shaking with fear.
+
+"Never mind what's wrong.  I ain't got time to explain.  Git a move on."
+
+The men at once obeyed, scrambled up the steps, and tumbled on deck.
+
+"Come on," Eben commanded.  "Follow me."
+
+This, however, was no easy thing to do, for the two men found it most
+difficult to make their way across the blocks of stone.  The lightning
+blinded and dazed them so much that they often stumbled and fell, so by
+the time they reached their guide who was standing by the halliard,
+their bodies were bruised in a number of places.
+
+"Lay hold on this rope," Eben ordered.  "We've got to hist the sail or
+this boat'll be aground.  Now, pull fer all yer worth."
+
+"Without a word the two men did as they were bidden, and as the sail
+slowly rose it flapped wildly in the wind, and threatened to tear
+itself loose from the yards.  Fortunately at this critical moment the
+wind lulled for a brief spell, which enabled them to accomplish the
+task, and make the halliard fast.
+
+"Now come over here," Eben again commanded.  "I want ye to look after
+the sheet-line."  He darted across the deck, the men following him as
+fast as possible.  "Look after this rope," he continued, "an' do jist
+as I say."  He then sprang aft, and laid hold of the wheel.
+
+Although this had taken but a short time the "Eb and Flo" had already
+drifted into the main channel and in a few minutes she would have been
+aground on the opposite shore.  A quick turn of the wheel caused the
+boat to fall off to the left, and presently she was under way, headed
+down the river.  And not an instant too soon, for scudding through the
+rough water she cleared by only a few yards the edge of the soft
+ground.  With sail hauled closer than was safe, she sped forward and at
+length reached a wider stretch of water.  Eben breathed a deep sigh of
+relief when the danger was past, and he steered the boat a little more
+to the left.  The two men at the sheet obeyed his every command, and he
+smiled to himself as he remembered how high and mighty they had been
+when they boarded the boat that evening.
+
+The storm was now rolling away to the east, and the wind was lessening.
+But still there was a fine sailing breeze, so by exercising special
+care, Eben was able to make good progress as he beat from side to side
+of the river.  He was well acquainted with the course, and he was
+greatly helped by the steady gleam of a lighthouse ahead.  He made up
+his mind to keep on sailing all night, and thus reach the city early
+the next morning.  If the wind held firm, he knew that he could run on
+longer tacks where the river was wider in the lower part of the Reach
+and in Grand Bay.  He was certain that his father would be very anxious
+in the morning when he found that the "Eb and Flo" had disappeared.
+But he would show the folks at home that he could be depended upon, and
+could handle the boat in an emergency.  He would go to the city,
+discharge his cargo and return in triumph to Beech Cove.  Just what to
+do with his passengers he was not sure.  At first he felt inclined to
+report them to the police.  But upon second thought, he decided to let
+them go.  But for their assistance he would not have been able to save
+the boat, and he was somewhat grateful to them now.  In fact, he felt
+quite friendly with his visitors.
+
+"How d'ye feel?" he at length called out, just after he had taken
+another tack for a long run across the river.
+
+"Wet to the skin," Donaster angrily replied.  "When are we to let up on
+this job?  I'm sick of it."
+
+"Same here," his companion agreed.
+
+"Well, I guess ye'll have to make the best of it, me hearties.  We'll
+reach the city early in the mornin', if the wind holds.  Ye kin change
+yer clothes then."
+
+The men made no reply, but Donaster, leaving Bill to manage the sheet,
+scrambled over to Eben's side.
+
+"My, it's confoundedly dark and nasty to-night," he growled.  "It's
+absolutely beastly."
+
+"Don't like it much, eh?" Eben queried.  "Ye got more'n ye expected,
+didn't ye?"
+
+"Should say I did.  But I thought you had Miss Randall on board.  Where
+in h---- is she, anyway?  You know, don't you?"
+
+"So it's her ye was lookin' fer, was it?"
+
+"Certainly.  Didn't I tell you so?"
+
+"No, ye didn't.  Ye only asked me if I had a woman on board."
+
+"Oh, well, you understood all right, so you needn't make believe you
+didn't.  You knew I was looking for Miss Randall."
+
+"But she's dead, isn't she?"
+
+"Dead!  When did she die?"
+
+"Why, they was searchin' fer her body down river."
+
+Donaster laughed, and reaching out laid his hand upon Eben's arm.
+
+"Say, stop your fooling, will you?  Miss Randall's not dead.  She ran
+away, and came on board this boat.  Own up now, like a good fellow."
+
+"What did she run away fer?"
+
+"Because she doesn't want to marry me.  She's acted very foolishly, and
+I'm bound that she shan't escape.  I shall find her, no matter where
+she is."
+
+"Did she promise she'd marry ye?"
+
+"No, she never did.  But her parents said I could have her."
+
+"She doesn't love ye, then?"
+
+"Love, be d----!  What do I care about love?  There's no such a thing
+as love.  It's the girl I want.  Love has nothing to do with it."
+
+Eben made no reply.  His attention was taken up with bringing the boat
+around for a short starboard tack, and in giving orders to Bill.  When
+she was running steadily once more, his mind reverted to what he had
+just heard.  So the girl had thrown over Donaster, too, he mused, the
+same as she had treated him at the quarry.  He felt a certain degree of
+sympathy for the man.  Why should he not help him, and take her away
+from Hampton?  It would be some satisfaction, for the spirit of revenge
+was still rankling in his soul.  But Donaster didn't love her.  He had
+said that there was no such a thing as love.  He knew that the man was
+wrong, for he himself loved the girl as he had never loved anyone
+before.  She meant everything to him, and his life was bleak and
+desolate since she had left the boat.  Why should Hampton have her?
+
+"Look here, you haven't answered my question."  It was Donaster
+speaking.
+
+"What question?"
+
+"I asked you where Miss Randall is.  I am sure you know."
+
+"Yer mistaken, then.  I don't know where she is."  Eben suddenly
+remembered the stone he had hurled through the window.  He realised
+that the less he said the better it would be.  If he should commit
+himself in the least degree as to what he knew about Miss Randall, he
+was certain that Donaster would continue to bother him with no end of
+questions.
+
+"But surely you must know where she is," the man persisted.  "I am
+positive that she went up river with you on this boat.  What became of
+her after she left you?"
+
+"I told ye I don't know where she is.  Ye'll have to go an' find her
+yerself, if yer so interested in her."
+
+Several times during the night Donaster attempted in vain to wrest the
+secret from Eben, and his failure made him angry.  Lack of sleep, his
+wet clothes, and the stubbornness of the boy annoyed him.  But he could
+do nothing, so at length, giving up in despair, he went down into the
+cabin, and lighted a fire in the little stove, for he was very chilly.
+And there he crouched, leaving the work of looking after the sail to
+his companion.  Selfishness bulked large in his nature, and this was
+never more apparent than now.  His own comfort was the first
+consideration, no matter how much others might suffer.
+
+After midnight the last clouds rolled away and the stars appeared.  The
+gale subsided to a fair sailing breeze, and the "Eb and Flo" ploughed
+steadily on her way.  Eben was tired as he stood hour after hour at the
+wheel, and he knew from the motion of the man tending the sail that he
+too was weary.  There was nothing else, however, for them to do, and so
+without a word of complaint each kept at his task.
+
+Dawn found them at the entrance to Grand Bay, the largest body of water
+in the entire river.  From here a long close-hauled tack would bring
+them to the Narrows, a rocky gorge-like formation leading to the noted
+Reversible Falls below.  The tide now was running down, and this
+greatly aided the boat in her onward sweep.  Far away in the east the
+sky rapidly reddened, and the light of a new day was dispelling the
+shades of night.  Eben's heart caught the glow of the rising sun, and a
+spirit of elation possessed him.  He had brought the boat in safety
+this far, and in another hour he hoped to have her tied up at one of
+the wharves, ready to slip through the falls when the tide served.
+
+Just before entering the Narrows, Eben called Donaster up from the
+cabin.  He had to shout several times before he received any response,
+for the man had fallen asleep in his chair.  He stumbled sleepily on
+deck and looked around.
+
+"Why, we're almost to the city!" he exclaimed.
+
+"Sure.  Ye didn't imagine we was tied up to a tree, did ye?"
+
+Donaster walked to the side of the boat and looked over.
+
+"I forgot all about the motor-boat last night," he remarked.  "But I
+see it hung fast all right."
+
+"An' a wonder it did," Eben replied.  "The rope must have been a good
+one.  It held better 'n the anchor.  Guess it's gone fer sure."
+
+"Chain break?" Donaster queried.
+
+"Something's gone, that's certain.  We're not draggin' the anchor,
+anyway.  We couldn't git this fer with the anchor towin' below.  It
+would have caught in something or other an' brought us up if it had
+been there.  But it ain't there.  The chain must have snapped an' let
+the boat go adrift.  It broke once before an' dad fixed it with a piece
+of wire.  Now we've got to buy a new anchor, an' mebbe a new chain.  It
+doesn't pay to botch things, does it?"
+
+Donaster made no reply, but stood looking straight before him.  He had
+not heard Eben's words, for his mind was upon matters of more
+importance to him than an old chain and anchor.  They were gliding down
+the Narrows now, the wind and current bearing them rapidly along.  They
+had reached the first turn and had swung sharply to the left, when the
+first glimpse of the city appeared to view.  In another quarter of an
+hour they hoped to be at one of the wharves, and the boat tied up.
+
+The current was much swifter now, and Eben was becoming anxious.  He
+knew the danger of the place, and hitherto his father had always
+piloted the "Eb and Flo" through the Narrows.  If the breeze would only
+hold, he could easily make thee wharf.  Should it fail, there would be
+serious trouble as the current would bear them rapidly down to the
+falls.  But so far the wind served, and the boat sped steadily forward.
+A few minutes more and the wharf would be reached.  Eben felt quite
+safe now, and the anxious expression disappeared from his face.
+
+But such was not to be, for in a twinkling the wind died down, and the
+sail hung limp and useless.  With a startled cry, Eben gave the wheel a
+rapid turn and headed the boat for the shore, hoping thus to escape
+from the racing current into slower water to the left.  But the "Eb and
+Flo" was in the grip of a stronger master, and swinging partly around,
+obeyed the current's strong behest.  Leaving the now useless wheel,
+Eben rushed to the side of the boat and lifted up his voice in a series
+of ringing calls for help.  He was heard on shore, and he saw men
+running to and fro.  Several tugs were lying at their wharves, but no
+smoke issued from their funnels.  What was he to do?  He looked ahead,
+and the wild, boiling, leaping waters of the falls seemed terribly
+near.  Instantly he thought of the motorboat.  It would save them.  But
+Donaster and his companion had thought of it first and were already on
+board.  The rope was almost untied when Donaster called to him.
+
+"Come with us.  This is our only chance.  Hustle."
+
+Only for a second did Eben hesitate.  He was young and life was dear.
+But he must not leave.  He was in charge of the "Eb and Flo," and no
+true commander ever deserted his post of duty.  He would not be a
+coward.  The engine was already started, and the propeller was churning
+the water.
+
+"Hurry up," Donaster impatiently ordered.
+
+"I'm not going," was the reply.  "Hustle yourselves."
+
+"Are you crazy, boy?  It's sure death down there!"
+
+"Can't help it.  I'm goin' to stay."
+
+Donaster was about to further insist, when Bill stepped quickly
+forward, shoved him roughly aside, and tore away the rope from its
+fastening.
+
+"Leave the fool if he doesn't want to come," he growled.  "We can't
+waste any more time."
+
+The motor-boat immediately left the "Eb and Flo," and was soon bucking
+across the current to the left.  Eben watched them as if in a dream.
+He felt now that nothing could save him, for no one could go through
+the falls at almost low tide, especially on a stone laden boat, and
+live.  The roar of the leaping waters was pounding in his ears, and the
+boat was moving more rapidly than ever.  In a few minutes all hope of
+rescue would be past, for the tide was now running like a mill-sluice.
+
+Eben was standing near the bow of the boat, his heart beating fast, and
+his face white as death.  How often he had heard his father tell of the
+boats which had gone through the falls, and those on board had never
+been heard of again.  Great whirlpools below, so it was believed, had
+sucked down their bodies into vast underground passages.  And soon his
+body would be there!  The thought was appalling, maddening.  His eyes
+were riveted upon the breakers ahead.  They fascinated him as they
+leaped and curled.  Their roar sounded like voices of demons, and the
+dancing spray appeared like long white curving hands reaching out ready
+to grasp their victim.
+
+Suddenly above the thunder of the waters a hoarse blast rent the air.
+Eben turned, and as he did so his heart gave a great bound, for there
+but a short distance away was a powerful tug.  Where she had come from
+he did not know.  Neither did he care.  It was enough for him that she
+was near, with men standing on the bow with coils of ropes in their
+hands.  They shouted aloud, but he could not understand what was said.
+The tug was coming across the current, and running a fearful risk in
+attempting the rescue.  Then a rope was flung across the bow of the "Eb
+and Flo," and in a twinkling Eben was upon it.  Never in his life had
+he pulled so hard and fast, for everything depended upon his efforts
+now.  How long that rope seemed to be.  He could hear the shouts of the
+men on the tug, and they seemed to be words of encouragement.  The rope
+was long, and the warp, for which he was pulling, was dragging heavily
+in the water.  Could he get it aboard?  Would he have the strength?
+These thoughts passed through his mind with lightning rapidity.  But
+still he kept on, and ere long he had the joy of seeing the big hook
+loom in sight.  Then an almost superhuman pull, and the warp was on
+deck, and securely fastened around the capstan.  A shout went up from
+the tug when this had been accomplished, and Eben staggered back,
+exhausted by his mighty efforts.  He saw the warp suddenly tighten, and
+felt the "Eb and Flo" swerve to the right.  Would the line hold?  That
+was the all-important question now.  The strain was terrible, and the
+rail over which it passed snapped like matchwood.  It creaked, as it
+bit into the deal below, and at times Eben imagined he could see the
+strands parting.  Fortunately it was a new rope and held firm as the
+tug battled its way against that racing current.  Inch by inch it
+moved, dragging its heavy, helpless burden from the jaws of
+destruction.  There were no shouts now on board the tug, for in the
+presence of so great a danger and with so much at stake lips were
+silent.
+
+Eben stood like a statue near the capstan, his eyes fixed upon that
+straining warp, to him the rope of deliverance.  He knew that it was
+holding, and that the tug was making better headway now.  The crisis
+was past, and in a few minutes he felt sure that he would be safe.
+Neither was he mistaken, for ere long the tug escaped the deadly
+current by drawing somewhat to the left.  Then from the shore he heard
+cheers and shouts of excited men who had gathered there.  Several
+blasts from the tug sounded forth as signals of her success, as she
+triumphantly ploughed her way to a wharf on the right.
+
+Eben could not recall very clearly what happened after that.  He heard
+numerous voices as the boat was being tied up, saw as in a dream men
+crowding on board, and listened to their questions and words of
+congratulation.  He was dazed by the confusion, and longed to be away
+by himself that he might think.  He was only able to do this, however,
+when the crowd had departed, and he was left alone upon deck.  He had
+not deserted his post of duty, and a thrill of pleasure swept over him
+at the thought that he had been true to his trust.  Then his mind
+turned suddenly to Jess Randall.  He wondered if she would ever hear of
+what he had done, and if she did, would she be proud of him?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+CORNERED
+
+Donaster had finished his dinner, and was deep in an evening paper in
+the smoking-room of the Fundy Hotel.  So intent was he upon the article
+he was reading that he allowed his cigar to go out, a most unusual
+thing for him.  But there was a reason, for he was reading a vivid
+account of the daring rescue which had been made early that morning on
+the brink of the falls.  It occupied two pages of the paper, describing
+accurately and in detail all that had taken place.  It told of the
+thunder storm up river, of the breaking loose of the "Eb and Flo," the
+run to the city, and the noble action of Eben Tobin, who would not
+desert his post of duty.  Donaster breathed more freely when he found
+that his own name was not mentioned.  The paper merely stated that two
+men had escaped by means of a motor-boat after they had been unable to
+induce the young commander to go with them.  Much praise was given to
+the men on the tug for the great risk they had run in making the
+rescue.  When he had read the article through for the second time, he
+laid the paper aside, re-lighted his cigar, and sat for some time in
+deep thought.
+
+During the whole of this time Gabriel Grimsby had been sitting not far
+away watching Donaster most intently.  He was much better dressed than
+on the evening he had presented himself before Mrs. Randall and
+demanded payment for his silence.  His face still bore the placid
+expression of peace and contentment, while his eyes beamed their
+goodwill to all.  Anyone observing his manner might have mistaken him
+for a visitant from another world, clothed in human fashion, and
+mingling for a time in the ways of men.  Such was the outward
+appearance of Gabriel Grimsby, the stand-between.
+
+After a while Donaster rose and made his way into the billiard-room at
+the rear of the building.  He was an expert player, and soon was deeply
+engaged in his favourite game.  Grimsby followed, and for a time stood
+and watched the game.  Then he went back to the smoking-room, resumed
+his seat, and brought forth, a handful of papers from an inside pocket
+of his coat.  Glancing furtively around to see if anyone was watching,
+he selected a newspaper clipping and read it through very carefully.
+It told of the mysterious disappearance of Miss Jess Randall, the only
+daughter of Henry Randall, the noted lumber merchant.  It was believed
+that she had drowned herself near the Randall's summer home along the
+river, and men were already searching for her body.  Grimsby next
+referred to another article, written a day later, which told of the
+unsuccessful search for the body of the missing girl.  A smile
+overspread his face as he read this, and he glanced toward the
+billiard-room.  He evidently knew something which was giving him
+considerable satisfaction.  He believed that Donaster would play for
+some time yet, so there was no hurry.
+
+Slipping the newspaper clipping back into his pocket, Grimsby picked up
+three letters and read them through.  His smile was more pronounced,
+now, and the light of triumph gleamed in his eyes.  He felt proud of
+himself, and his chest slightly expanded with the spirit of importance.
+"Gabriel Grimsby," he said to himself, "you hold the trump-card all
+right this time.  You may be of no account, but you know a thing or
+two, and it's up to you to make the most of your knowledge.  But,
+hello! here comes the sucker."
+
+Donaster left the hotel, and went at once to his lodging-place.  It was
+only occasionally that he went to the Fundy for his meals, and this
+evening was one of them.  He could not afford to go often, much as he
+would have liked to do so.  He had to be careful until he had secured
+Jess Randall, and then he could indulge himself to his heart's content.
+That he should eventually win her, he had not the slightest doubt.  Her
+father and mother were on his side, so what could a girl do against
+such a strong combination.  After this escapade she would, no doubt, be
+glad to return and obey their wish.  Thus he reasoned as he sat alone
+in his room that night.
+
+A knock sounded upon the door, and when it was opened Grimsby entered.
+He greeted Donaster in a free and easy manner, and without waiting for
+an invitation, sat down and helped himself from a package of cigarettes
+lying upon the table.  Donaster stared at him in amazement, for a
+minute dumbfounded by such unheard-of impudence.  Then he rose to his
+feet, and angrily approached the visitor.
+
+"Who are you?" he demanded, "and how dare you come here?"
+
+Grimsby smiled, flicked the ashes from his cigarette, and waved his
+hand.
+
+"Don't be afraid, sir; I won't hurt you.  I'm as harmless as a dove."
+
+"H'm, I have no fear of you.  I want to know what you mean by your
+impudence in coming into my room unbidden?"
+
+"Impudence!  Impudence, do you say?" and Grimsby assumed a look of
+astonishment.  "Why, I have a special right here.  I don't need any
+invitation."
+
+Donaster stared at the intruder, uncertain whether to class him as a
+fool or a madman.  Grimsby divined his thoughts and his eyes twinkled
+more than ever.
+
+"Yes," he continued, "duty leads me into many places, and sometimes I
+receive rebuffs.  But when a man has a great mission, such as mine is,
+he bears all things patiently.  Patience is a great virtue, sir.  It is
+worthy of cultivation."
+
+"What in h---- are you driving at?" Donaster roared.  "What has
+'mission' and 'patience' to do with your visit here?  If you don't
+explain at once I'll kick you out of the room or have you arrested."
+
+"Go slow, young man, go slow."  The smile passed suddenly from
+Grimsby's face, and his eyes contracted.  "I am here on business,
+special business, and it concerns you.  Sit down, and I shall come to
+the point at once.  There, now, keep cool, and do as I say.  That's
+better," he added, when the angry man had reluctantly obeyed.  He
+leaned over and looked Donaster full in the eyes.
+
+"You want to marry Miss Randall, do you, not?"
+
+Donaster gave a start, and stared at his visitor for a few seconds.
+
+"Well, what business is it of yours if I do?" he demanded.  "What right
+have you to ask such a question?  I can attend to my own affairs
+without any interference from you or anyone else."
+
+"No, ye can't, young man, and that's why I'm here.  You can't marry
+Miss Randall without my assistance.  I'm a stand-between, you see, and
+so have come to your assistance."
+
+Donaster's face suddenly brightened, and he looked keenly at Grimsby.
+
+"Do you know where Miss Randall is?" he eagerly asked.
+
+"Ah, I thought I'd fetch you," and Grimsby smiled.  "Do I know where
+Miss Randall is?  Well, we can consider that matter later.  I want to
+know first of all if you want to marry her?"
+
+"Certainly I want to marry her.  Do you think I'm a fool?"
+
+"Very good, very good," and Grimsby rubbed his hands, a sure sign of
+his satisfaction.  "That point's settled.  But the girl's not agreed,
+so I understand.  Is that so?"
+
+"I'm afraid it is.  However, her parents are willing, and they are the
+main ones."
+
+"Why do they wish you to marry their unwilling daughter?"
+
+"Why?  Oh, that's quite clear.  They know it will be to her advantage."
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"From a social point of view.  As the wife of Lord Donaster's son she
+will occupy a very high position.  She will be received into the best
+families, and eventually she will be Lady Donaster.  You see, I am an
+only son, so the title will come to me.  You can readily understand how
+anxious her parents are for the consummation of the marriage."
+
+"Certainly, certainly; it is only natural.  I suppose you have
+explained to them your prospects?"
+
+"Yes, I have often talked the matter over with them and they are
+perfectly satisfied.  The title and the social position appeal to them
+very strongly."
+
+"And in return?"  There was a peculiar expression in Grimsby's eyes as
+he asked the question, which Donaster failed to notice.
+
+"Oh, they have agreed to settle a dowry upon their daughter in
+consideration of the favours she will receive."
+
+"A large sum, I suppose."
+
+"Yes, quite satisfactory to me.  But what has this to do with your
+visit?  There is no reason why I should tell you all this, and I cannot
+understand myself for doing so.  Anyway, it relieves my mind to talk it
+over with someone."
+
+Grimsby did not at once reply.  He helped himself to another cigarette,
+lighted it and smoked for a few minutes in silence.  Donaster was
+becoming impatient.  He was tired after his experience on the river the
+night before, and he wished to be rid of his visitor.  But he was
+anxious to know what he wanted.  He felt that this man knew where Miss
+Randall was, and he must find out before he left.
+
+"And so you hope to make Miss Randall Lady Donaster?" Grimsby at length
+questioned.
+
+"That is my intention.  Why do you ask?"
+
+"But what if you never will be Lord Donaster?  What then?"
+
+"Why, what do you mean?  I shall inherit the title as soon as my father
+dies."
+
+"But suppose you have no right to the title?"
+
+Donaster gave a distinct start.  Then he laughed.
+
+"H'm, you needn't worry about that.  Just you wait."
+
+"But suppose you are not Lord Donaster's son?"  Grimsby's question was
+very deliberate, but it had an immediate effect.
+
+"Not his son!  What are you driving at, anyway?  Stop your nonsense.
+If I am not Lord Donaster's son, who am I, then?"
+
+"You are an impostor, that's what you are.  There is no Lord Donaster.
+Your father is a shoemaker in the State of New Jersey.  I have proof,
+so you needn't try to deny it."
+
+Donaster had now risen to his feet.  He was trembling violently, and
+his face was as white as death.
+
+"For God's sake!" he gasped, "how did you learn all this?  Who are you,
+anyway?"
+
+"Never mind who I am," and Grimsby smiled with satisfaction.  He was
+succeeding better than he had expected.  "You know what I say is true."
+
+"Does anybody else know this?" Donaster asked.  "Have you told anyone?"
+
+"Not yet."
+
+"Not yet!  Then you intend to do so, I suppose?"
+
+"Why not?  Should not Mr. and Mrs. Randall know at once what a vil----,
+excuse me, what an impostor you are?"
+
+"Don't, don't tell them!  For the love of heaven, keep this a secret.
+They must not know.  It will ruin me."
+
+"What am I to do, then?"
+
+"Say nothing.  Keep silent."
+
+"Ah, now you are coming to the point.  That's why I'm here.  Yes, I
+will keep silent, but what will you pay for my silence.  Let's get down
+to business at once."
+
+"So you want money, eh?  How much?"
+
+"That all depends, sir, upon how much you are able to pay."
+
+Donaster looked at Grimsby for a minute without replying.  He was
+angry, and he longed to kick this fellow out of the room.  But he knew
+he had to be cautious if he expected to secure the prize.  He must
+muzzle him somehow until then, otherwise he would spoil his chance
+completely.
+
+"I am afraid I can pay you but little," he at length confessed.  "I am
+rather hard up myself."
+
+"Oh, that's all right, sir.  I'm not hard to please.  Let's be partners
+and divvy up.  Give me half of what you have, and I'm at your command.
+Then, when you get the girl--and the money--you can give me some more."
+Grimsby's eyes twinkled as he made this suggestion, and he watched to
+see the effect upon Donaster.
+
+"And you promise that you'll not squeal on me if I do this?"
+
+"Sure.  I'll do almost anything for money--like yourself, eh?"
+
+"Do you think you can find the girl?"
+
+"Leave that to me, sir.  You came down river on the 'Eb and Flo,'
+didn't you?"
+
+"How did you hear about that?" Donaster quickly queried.
+
+"H'm, don't ask me how I find out about things.  I generally know
+what's taking place.  Eben Tobin's quite a lad, eh?"
+
+"He certainly is.  You know him, then?"
+
+"Should say so; ever since he was a baby.  Guess he has a pretty good
+idea where that girl is."
+
+"He told me he didn't."
+
+"Ah, he'd tell you that.  But just wait till I get hold of him.  You
+didn't go about it the right way.  He's in a class all by himself, Eben
+is."
+
+"And will you see him?"  Donaster was all eagerness now.
+
+"But what about that money?  I'm hard up.  You can't do much without
+money these days.  It makes people talk when nothing else will.  How
+much can you spare?"
+
+Donaster thought for a few minutes, and his brows wrinkled.
+
+"I've only five hundred in the bank," he at length explained.  "You'll
+have to wait until to-morrow for any of that."
+
+"Five hundred!  My, that seems a fortune to me.  Where did ye get it?
+Steal it?"
+
+Donaster shot a quick startled look at his companion as if he would
+read his mind.  Then he gave a nervous laugh.
+
+"Never mind where I got it," he warded.  "Don't ask too many questions."
+
+Grimsby leaned across the table and looked keenly at his victim.
+
+"I won't ask any more questions, sir.  But I believe you are a bigger
+rogue than I imagined.  It's even necessary for me to be on my guard.
+How much money have you on hand now?"
+
+"About fifty dollars."
+
+"That's good.  I'll take half, according to our agreement."
+
+Donaster hesitated for a few seconds, but at length pulled a roll of
+bills from his pocket and counted out twenty-five dollars.
+
+"Now, make me out a cheque for half of what you have in the bank,"
+Grimsby ordered as he pocketed the money.  "I want to draw it as soon
+as the bank opens in the morning."
+
+Donaster at first protested, but Grimsby was firm, and threatened what
+he would do.
+
+"I shall give you just five minutes to do what I wish," he told him.
+"Otherwise, I shall go at once to Mrs. Randall.  Make up your mind, and
+be quick about it."
+
+Very reluctantly Donaster obeyed, and made out a cheque payable to
+Gabriel Grimsby.  The latter held it in his hand and studied it
+carefully for a few minutes after he had received it.  He smiled as he
+looked at Donaster.  "We are getting along nicely now, are we not?  But
+there is something else I want you to do."
+
+"For heaven's sake! what is it?" Donaster angrily and impatiently asked.
+
+"Give me a piece of paper and a pen: I will write it down."
+
+When these were produced, Grimsby wrote rapidly, Donaster watching him
+somewhat curiously.
+
+"Listen to this," he ordered when he had finished.
+
+"'One week after the date of my marriage with Miss Randall I promise to
+pay Gabriel Grimsby the sum of one thousand dollars for services
+rendered.'"
+
+"There, how will that suit you?" he asked, "You'll sign that, of
+course.  It's just a little inducement to urge me to greater efforts."
+
+Donaster sat for some time in silence.  He seemed to be in deep
+thought, and his brows knitted with perplexity.
+
+"Do you think you can find Miss Randall?" he at length asked.
+
+"I have no doubt about it," Grimsby replied.  "Leave that to me."
+
+"But I want you to do more than find her."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"Yes, you must do more than find her.  That will not be enough.  You
+must arrange matters in such a way that she will need help, see?"
+
+"So you will be on hand to rescue her?" Grimsby smiled.  He was pleased
+at himself for his quick intuition.
+
+"That's just it.  You must arrange things in such a manner that she
+will think I am her rescuer from great peril.  Then, perhaps, she will
+look upon me with favour.  You see, I am not at all sure of her, even
+though she should be taken home.  I begin to doubt whether her parents
+will be able to induce her to marry me against her will.  Do you think
+you can help me?"
+
+"Certainly; I have never been stuck yet.  Leave it to me.  I shall go
+up river to-morrow, so you hang around here, and when I need you I
+shall telephone.  Have an auto in readiness, and come like the wind
+when I phone.  But you must sign this paper first."
+
+"And you want one thousand dollars?  Isn't that a large amount?"
+
+"Large!  Why, man, I am astonished at myself for not asking more.
+Unless you sign this, I shall not assist you."
+
+Seeing that Grimsby was determined, Donaster reluctantly signed the
+paper and handed it back.
+
+"There, I hope you're satisfied now," he growled.
+
+"I am."  Grimsby smiled as he folded the paper, and put it away
+carefully in his pocket.  "Hope to goodness it won't be long before I
+present it for payment.  Good night.  I must be off."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A TRICKY PASSENGER
+
+The "Eb and Flo" had come through the falls at high tide, and was lying
+at one of the wharves above.  Eben was in great spirits.  He had taken
+the boat through the falls the day before, discharged the cargo, and
+had brought her safely back.  He had made this call for Gabriel
+Grimsby, who had arranged with him early that morning to take him up
+river.  As Eben sat upon deck, his hand at times slipped into the right
+pocket of his trousers and touched the crisp ten dollar bill Grimsby
+had paid him for his passage.  It was more money than he had ever had
+in his life, so he felt quite rich and important.  Just why Grimsby had
+given him that amount he did not know.  Neither did he care.  It was
+good to have so much, and he was happier than he had been for days.  He
+thought of what he would buy with the money, and his mind turned
+naturally to a new coat, for his best Sunday one was old and worn.  He
+wanted a new pair of boots, nice shiny ones, like city people wore, and
+not the rough clumsy kind such as his father had always bought.  He
+pictured to himself the look of surprise and admiration upon Jess
+Randall's face should she see him so well dressed.  His Sunday vest,
+collar and trousers were new, so the coat and boots were all he needed.
+
+Grimsby was late in coming, and when he did at length arrive, it was
+almost noon.  He carried a small grip in his hand, which he placed upon
+the deck, and went down into the cabin where Eben was preparing dinner.
+
+"Hello," he accosted.  "Thought I was never coming, I s'pose?"
+
+Eben grinned as he turned from the frying-pan where several pieces of
+bacon were sizzling.  He had always liked Grimsby, and the thought of
+the ten dollars made him more friendly than ever.
+
+"Guess yer in time fer dinner, Gabe," he replied.
+
+"Yer always on time fer that, eh?"
+
+"Indeed I am.  My! that bacon smells good.  And what bread!  Did your
+mother make it?"
+
+"No, Flo cooked that.  She certainly does know how to make bread.  But,
+fall to, now, an' help yerself.  This bacon's done."
+
+A gentle breeze favoured the "Eb and Flo" as she left her wharf, ran up
+through the Narrows, and headed out into Grand Bay.  It was a perfect
+summer afternoon, and Grimsby, seated on deck, with his back against
+the cabin, smoked a cigar to his heart's content.  It was a Club
+Special he was smoking, a rare treat to him.  But with so much money in
+his pocket, he had indulged himself that morning by buying a box of his
+favourite brand.  He felt very prosperous, and contented with himself
+and the whole world.
+
+"Did ye ever smoke?" he asked Eben, who was standing at the wheel.
+
+"Naw.  I tried it once, but it made me sick.  Dad licked me fer it,
+too."
+
+"My, ye miss a lot in life," and Grimsby gave a sigh of satisfaction as
+he blew a cloud of smoke into the air.  "Smoking is a great soother of
+the nerves, it certainly is."
+
+"Ma doesn't like terbaccer," Eben volunteered.  "She says it smells up
+the house awful.  Flo says she'll never marry a man who smokes."
+
+"She won't, eh?" and Grimsby laughed outright.  "I s'pose she'll make
+her husband buy her chocolates instead."
+
+"Most likely.  Flo's mighty fond of choc'lates.  She'd eat 'em all the
+time if she could git 'em.  She's allus beggin' me to bring her a box
+every time we come from the city."
+
+"She's just like all girls; they like sweet things.  That's the reason,
+I guess, they like me.  I'm always sweet with the girls.  It pays.
+Hand me that grip, will yon?  I want to show you something I've got for
+a pretty girl."
+
+Eben reached over, and handed the grip to Grimsby.  The latter slowly
+opened it, and brought forth a box, wrapped up in paper.  He untied the
+string, and held forth a box of chocolates for Eben's inspection.
+
+"Like one, eh?"
+
+"Y'bet.  Me mouth's waterin'."
+
+"Then, it'll have to water.  These are for a prettier mouth than yours,
+let me tell you that.  My! you should see her, 'specially when she's
+eating candy."
+
+"Your wife?" Eben asked.
+
+Grimsby shook with laughter, as he carefully placed the paper back upon
+the box, and returned it to the grip.
+
+"No, no, no, not for my wife this time, Eben.  It's for someone else, a
+special friend of mine.  She's up river now, and I'm going to see her.
+She's in a class all by herself, though just now, poor girl, she's in
+trouble."
+
+"She is?"  Eben was becoming interested.
+
+"Yes, she ran away from home, you see, and her folks don't know where
+she is.  Why, what's wrong, boy?  You look scared."
+
+"D'ye mean Miss Randall?" Eben asked.  "Are them choc'lates fer her?"
+
+"Ah, you're a good hand at a guess, Eben," and Grimsby smiled.  "Yes,
+I'm taking them to her.  She'd never forgive me if I forgot them.  Why,
+I've known Jess Randall ever since she was a baby," he lied.  "She
+calls me 'Uncle Gabe.'"
+
+"She does!"  Eben was more impressed than ever with Grimsby.
+
+"Oh, yes, she's a great friend of mine.  She must be waiting for me
+now, so you can pull up and run me ashore when we get there.  She
+phoned to me to come at once, as she wants to see me on special
+business."
+
+"I'm goin' to stop, anyway," Eben replied.  "Dad'll be waitin' fer me.
+He went ashore with ma."
+
+It was only with difficulty that Grimsby repressed a chuckle of
+delight.  He could hardly believe it possible that Eben had fallen so
+easily into his snare.  But as he glanced at the boy he saw not the
+slightest sign of suspicion upon his face.  Eben's hands were upon the
+wheel, and his eyes were fixed upon a steamer coming down river.
+Grimsby was certain now that Miss Randall was at Mrs. Hampton's.  So
+far he had met with remarkable success.  He wondered how much further
+he dare go.
+
+"Guess it'll he some wedding," he ventured.  "I'll have to get a brand
+new suit."
+
+"What weddin'?" Eben asked.
+
+"Why, don't you know?  Miss Randall's, of course.  She's going to marry
+Lord Donaster, that swell dude of a chap."
+
+"She's not!"  The words snapped, from Eben's lips, and his hands
+gripped hard upon the wheel as he swung the boat somewhat to the left,
+while the steamer surged by.
+
+"What makes you say that?" Grimsby questioned.  This was the first
+glimpse he had caught of the boy's feeling, and he surmised its meaning.
+
+"D'ye think she'd marry a thing like Donaster?" Eben contemptuously
+asked.  "She's got more sense."
+
+"So you know her, then?"  The question caught Eben off guard, and his
+face suddenly flushed.  Grimsby smiled.  "She came up with you, on your
+last trip, didn't she?"
+
+"How d'ye know that?"  Eben's hands let go of the wheel in his
+amazement.
+
+"Oh, I know everything.  But I guess you're right, Eben.  Miss Randall
+will never marry Donaster.  He's after her good and hard, though, so
+it's up to you and me to help her."
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"She and John Hampton are in love with each other, I understand.  Can't
+we do something to keep Donaster away?  He's a deep-dyed villain,
+that's what he is, and we must not let him bother Miss Randall.  He
+thinks that I'm going to help him out."
+
+"How?"  Eben hardly knew that he had asked the question.  He was
+thinking deeply, and wondering why he should help Grimsby.  Had not
+Miss Randall left him for Hampton?  The thought rankled in his soul.
+Why should another have her when she was so much to him?  He was
+aroused by his companion.
+
+"Say, lad, what's the matter with you?  I've asked you two questions,
+and you seem to be stricken dumb.  What are you thinking about?  Not in
+love yourself, are you?"
+
+Eben grinned sheepishly, and his face crimsoned a deeper hue than ever,
+
+"What were ye askin' me, Gabe?  Guess me mind must have been wanderin'.
+It goes off sometimes an' fergits to come back.  It's bad havin' a mind
+lake that, isn't it?"
+
+It certainly is, and a sure sign that a man's in love, so I've been
+told.  Now, look here, Eben, are you in love with Miss Randall?  There,
+now, don't get excited.  It's only natural.  I was young once meself."
+
+"Why d'ye ask me that, Gabe?  What makes ye think I'm in love with her?"
+
+"From your actions, boy.  And say, if you're in love with Jess Randall,
+then by the jumping moon, I'm going to help you to get her.  I don't
+care a rap for Donaster or anyone else.  I've known you ever since you
+were a kid, and I've a fancy for you, so there."
+
+Eben made no reply, but stood staring straight before him.  During the
+last few days a notable change had come over this awkward youth.  The
+influence of a deep passion had transformed him from boyhood to
+manhood, and he was now able to view things in a different light.  He
+did not want Donaster to have Jess Randall, so it was necessary for him
+to do all in his power to keep her out of his grasp.  As for himself he
+knew there was not the slightest hope that she could ever care for him.
+And why should she?  He had only known her for a brief space of time,
+and why should such a girl feel any stirring of the heart for such a
+clown as himself.  He knew that he was tall, ungainly, roughly clad,
+and ignorant.  His hands clutched hard upon the wheel as he thought of
+all this, and an expression of determination overspread his face.  A
+vision of the girl, her beauty, the light in her eyes, and her gentle
+encouraging voice rose before him.  She had been kind to him, and had
+been interested in his drawings.  Between him and her there was a vast
+gulf, and he knew it.  But she had been kind to him.  That idea kept
+repeating itself over and over again in his mind.  What could he do to
+repay her?  "Keep Donaster from getting her," came the answer.  Yes,
+but what else?  "Help her in her love for Hampton."  But in what way?
+Grimsby broke his reverie.
+
+"Say, Eben, I was almost asleep.  I didn't rest well last night."
+
+"What was the trouble, Gabe?  Why couldn't ye sleep?"
+
+"Thoughts, boy, thoughts.  I was thinking about Donaster."
+
+"H'm, it's no wonder ye couldn't sleep with that skunk in yer mind.
+Couldn't ye find something better to think about?"
+
+"I suppose so, but I didn't want to.  Ye see, he's anxious for me to
+find Miss Randall for him.  Then when she's found, to make a show of
+kidnapping her, or getting her into a dangerous place, so he can come
+along and rescue her.  See?"
+
+An amused expression shone in Eben's eyes as he turned them upon the
+face of the reclining man.
+
+"Something like a movin'-picture show, eh?" he queried.  "A pretty
+girl, villains, an' hero all made to order.  Ho, ho, that's a good one."
+
+"Seems so.  And I guess he wants us to be the villains, Eben.  Suppose
+we try it, boy.  It'd be great fun, wouldn't it?"
+
+Eben thought for a few minutes, and then he brought his right hand down
+upon his thigh with a resounding whack.
+
+"I've got it!" he exclaimed, much excited.  "It's jist the thing."
+
+"What is it, lad?"
+
+"An idea, an' we kin work it, too.  It'll be great fun."
+
+"Out with it, then."
+
+"S'pose we give Donaster a big scare.  I know a dandy place back in the
+hills where we kin take him.  It's an island in a lake, an' there's a
+cabin there, too.  It belongs to the Hamptons.  John an' his mother
+often go out there to look after a coal mine Mr. Hampton found.  Ye've
+heard of it, haven't ye?"
+
+"Sure.  I guess everybody knows about it.  I understand it's good coal,
+too."
+
+"Y' bet it, an' Mr. Hampton spent every cent he had in buyin' the land
+before he let on he had found the coal.  John an' his mother hope to
+make a lot of money out of it.  I know the place well."
+
+"But what has this to do with Donaster?" Grimsby asked.  "Keep to your
+story, Eben."
+
+"I'm comin' to that if ye give me time.  Now, s'pose we make Donaster
+think that Miss Randall is hidin' out there on that island with the
+Hamptons.  Let's send fer him, take him there, give him the slip, an'
+do a few other things to scare him.  I'd like to hear him yell fer a
+while.  He can't git off the island till we go fer him.  Oh, it'd be
+great fun."
+
+"It certainly would," Grimsby replied.  "But you'll have to do it,
+Eben.  When could you go?"
+
+"To-morrow, I guess.  I'm goin' to stay home this trip, an' let dad
+take the boat to the quarry.  You git Donaster, an' I'll take him out.
+But you'll have to come along, too, Gabe.  I won't go without you.  I
+might want help."
+
+After some hesitation, Grimsby decided to go.  He did not fancy the
+jaunt, but he favoured the idea, and if Eben would not go without him,
+there was nothing else for him to do but to go along.  He could phone
+for Donaster in the morning, and he knew that the fellow would come at
+once.
+
+This was what Grimsby told Eben, and he smiled to himself as he glanced
+at the unsuspecting lad at the wheel.  He was playing into his hands,
+and he felt perfectly sure of him now.  His next move was with Miss
+Randall and John Hampton.  He was silent a long time as the boat glided
+on her way.  Eben thought he was half asleep, but in reality he was
+very much awake, revolving in his mind a scheme which had been
+suggested by the mention of the coal mine near Island Lake.  The more
+he thought it over, the more pleased he became, and by the time they
+came in sight of his house, he had the plan pretty well worked out.
+
+"Guess you'd better let me off at my own shore," he remarked.
+
+"Why, I thought ye was goin' home with me," Eben replied.
+
+"I did intend to.  But I'd like to visit my own family first.  I
+haven't seen them for several days.  I'll be on hand with Donaster
+to-morrow, so you be all ready."
+
+In less than a half hour Eben rounded up the "Eb and Flo" near the
+shore in front of the Grimsby house, which was a poor, ramshackle
+affair.  The water here was deep, so he was able to run close to the
+bank.  A long-haired, ragged, dirty boy pushed off for his father in a
+leaky boat, and took him ashore.  In a few minutes more the "Eb and
+Flo" was again under way, clipping along under the light breeze, bound
+for Beech Cove several miles beyond.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+ANOTHER VICTIM
+
+The garden in front of the Hampton cottage was at its best on a bright
+summer afternoon.  As Mrs. Hampton stood in the midst of the flowers,
+her eyes shone with pride.  She was very much at home here, and loved
+each flower, from the delicate, fragrant mignonette to the
+gaily-coloured, boisterous tiger-lily.  The fence surrounding the
+garden was lost in a wealth of vines, chief among which was the
+morning-glory, whose vase-shaped blossoms were drooping sleepily
+beneath the sun's hot glare.
+
+Close to the garden ran the main highway, and at times Mrs. Hampton
+lifted her head and looked longingly down the road as if expecting
+someone.  She was a woman of generous mould, and graceful bearing,
+scarcely past the meridian of life.  It was not age which had whitened
+her hair, and years of toil had not stamped the furrows upon her brow,
+nor fixed the sad expression in her clear blue eyes.  Something more
+subtle than the silent alchemy of time had wrought the change, and of
+this Mrs. Hampton was thinking now.
+
+The click of the garden gate startled her, and turning quickly she saw
+Gabriel Grimsby, hot and dust-laden coming toward her.  His face was
+beaming as usual, but more sunburnt, and he was mopping his forehead
+with a big red handkerchief.  Mrs. Hampton smiled as she held out a
+hand of welcome.
+
+"I am glad to see you, Gabriel," she accosted.  "It has been a long
+time since you were here.  Busy, I suppose?"
+
+"Very.  My, it's hot!" he panted, as he again wiped his brow.  "I never
+felt the heat so much before.  It must be ninety in the shade."
+
+"Hardly that," and Mrs. Hampton smiled.  "Come up on the verandah,
+Gabriel.  I think you will find it nice and cool there."
+
+Grimsby at once followed Mrs. Hampton out of the garden, and up the
+steps to the spacious verandah, where he sank at once into a
+comfortable chair.
+
+"This is great!" he exclaimed.  "You are fortunate in having such a
+beautiful spot."
+
+"You are tired, Gabriel.  Just rest yourself.  I shall be back shortly."
+
+Grimsby smiled contentedly when Mrs. Hampton had gone, and looked
+curiously around.
+
+"The Hamptons must be doing well," he mused.  "House newly painted,
+farm in good condition, and garden the finest I have seen.  They must
+have a snug bank-account from all appearance.  And why shouldn't they?
+If there was a brood of kids to feed, such as I have, it would make a
+great difference.  Maybe they've made good with that coal mine.
+Anyway, I guess I've struck this place about the right time.  People
+who have plenty should help them who haven't much.  This is certainly
+restful after that long walk.  I wonder where John is."
+
+His meditation was interrupted by Mrs. Hampton's return.  She carried a
+tray containing a glass of home-made wine, and a plate of frosted
+doughnuts.  Grimsby was all alert now, and smiling blandly.
+
+"This is certainly good of you, madame," he remarked as he took the
+glass, and one of the doughnuts.  "It's not often I get treated this
+way, especially when I call on business."
+
+"What are you doing these days, Gabriel?" Mrs. Hampton asked as she
+placed the plate of doughnuts upon a flower-shelf near at hand, and
+seated herself upon the verandah steps.
+
+Grimsby sipped the wine, and bit off a piece of his doughnut before
+replying.  Then he looked at his hostess in a quizzical manner.
+
+"Don't you know my business, madame?"
+
+"I am afraid not, Gabriel, as you have been at so many different things
+during the last few years.  I hope you have settled down to something
+steady for the sake of your family, at least."
+
+"You need not worry at all about me now," and Grimsby's eyes twinkled.
+He was thinking of the surprise he had in store for this woman, so he
+could take her words with good grace.  "But money isn't everything,
+madame.  Just think of that poor girl who drowned herself last night at
+Benton's wharf.  She had all the good things of life, and yet she was
+not happy."
+
+"What girl?" Mrs. Hampton asked.  "I haven't heard about her."
+
+"No, I suppose not.  I only learned the news this morning.  Men are now
+dragging the river for her body."
+
+"It is certainly sad.  Who is she? and why did she drown herself?"
+
+"She is the only daughter of Randall, the big lumber merchant.  Her
+father and mother wanted her to marry some young Lord, Donaster I think
+is his name.  But she objected, so when they insisted, she took the
+matter into her own hands and made an end to her young life.  So you
+see, madame, money isn't everything, is it?"
+
+"Was she quite young?"  Mrs. Hampton asked, unheeding Grimsby's
+question.
+
+"About twenty, so I understand.  And very pretty, too.  I have seen her
+two or three times.  She was very much sought after by young men, and a
+great favourite in society, so I have been told."
+
+"How did she drown herself?"
+
+"Went out in a boat, so I believe, and jumped overboard.  They found
+the boat adrift down river this morning, and her hat was picked up
+along the shore.  That's about all I know."
+
+"Dear me, this is very sad," and Mrs. Hampton sighed.  "I suppose John
+will know more about the affair when he comes home.  Help yourself to
+the doughnuts, Gabriel."
+
+"Thanks, madame.  They are delicious.  Your son is not at home, then?"
+
+"No.  He went to the city yesterday, and I am expecting him at any
+minute."
+
+"What a big, fine-looking fellow he is getting to be, madame.  I saw
+him the other day, and was surprised at the way he has grown.  He's a
+great worker, too, so I hear."
+
+"Yes, John is a good boy, Gabriel.  He is a great comfort to me."
+
+"Better than a daughter, eh?"  As Grimsby asked the question he noted
+that Mrs. Hampton gave a slight start, and it pleased him.  "A girl
+wouldn't be much use on a farm such as this," he continued.  "I suppose
+he's doing something with that coal mine, too."
+
+"It's the mine that took him to the city.  The prospects are very
+encouraging, so I am anxious to hear how he has made out."
+
+"A daughter, then, wouldn't be able to carry on such work, would she,
+madame?"
+
+"I suppose not," was the somewhat slow reply.  "But why do you ask?
+Why do you mention a daughter to me?"
+
+"Why shouldn't I?  You have a daughter, haven't you?"
+
+At these words Mrs. Hampton's face turned white.  She rose to her feet,
+her whole body trembling, and confronted Grimsby.
+
+"What do you mean?" she gasped.  "Why do you ask whether I have a
+daughter?"
+
+"It's true, though, isn't it?  There, now, don't get so worked up.  You
+seem to take my simple question very much to heart."
+
+With her hand pressing her side, Mrs. Hampton stood staring upon the
+placid man before her.  What does he know? she asked herself.  Why did
+he mention a daughter to me?
+
+"I see I am not far astray, madame.  You have a daughter, and it is
+concerning her that I am here."
+
+"Oh!"  It was all that the woman could say, but the tone in which it
+was uttered clearly expressed the agony of her soul.
+
+"Yes, madame, you understand now my business.  For some time I tried to
+enlighten people's minds by supplying them with good literature.  But
+business is dull these days, so I have been forced to turn to something
+else for a living for me and mine.  And I must say that this new
+business pays much better.  I am a stand-between, and in that capacity
+I am here to-day."
+
+"A stand-between!  I do not know what you mean."
+
+"Quite true, madame.  It is hard for you, living so comfortably, to
+understand how difficult it is for some people to stand between those
+they love and poverty.  I fear I have not done very well along that
+line in the past, though I am improving now."
+
+"But what has all this to do with my daughter, of whom you speak?" Mrs.
+Hampton somewhat impatiently asked.  "What right have you even to
+suggest that I have a daughter."
+
+"Can you deny it?"
+
+"Yes, I do."
+
+"Madame!  I am surprised at you."
+
+"You need not be at all surprised, sir.  I had a daughter once, but she
+has been dead for many years."
+
+"Ah, madame, dead to you, perhaps, but not to others.  Have you
+forgotten that?"
+
+For a few seconds Mrs. Hampton tried to maintain her composure.  But
+the strain was too much upon her, so sinking down upon the steps, she
+buried her face in her hands.  Grimsby was by no means affected by the
+woman's distress.  He rather enjoyed it.  He knew now that she was in
+his power.  Drawing forth a package of cigarettes, he selected one,
+lighted it, and smoked in silent contentment.  He had often seen his
+wife in just such a situation, so it was nothing new to him.
+
+At length Mrs. Hampton lifted her head and looked at Grimsby.  There
+were tears in her eyes, and her face was drawn and white.  The
+comfortable, self-satisfied man annoyed her, and a wave of indignation
+swept upon her.
+
+"Why have you come here to-day to torment me?" she asked.
+
+"Torment you!  In what way?"
+
+"By your words of insinuation."
+
+"Are they not true?"
+
+"Suppose I deny them?"
+
+"It would be no use, madame.  I have all the necessary proof."
+
+"Of what?"
+
+"Don't you know?  Do you wish me to tell what happened in a private
+hospital, twenty years ago, and how you exchanged----"
+
+"Stop, stop!  For God's sake, don't say any more!"
+
+"You acknowledge it all, then?"
+
+"How can I deny it?  But who told you?"
+
+"Madame," and Grimsby flicked the ashes from his cigarette as he spoke,
+"when a man has a wife such as mine, sooner or later he learns many
+interesting things."
+
+"Your wife!  What does she know?"
+
+"Evidently too much for your peace of mind."
+
+"But how does she know?"
+
+"Simply because she happened to be Hettie Rawlins before she became
+Mrs. Grimsby."
+
+"Hettie Rawlins," Mrs. Hampton repeated.  "That name sounds familiar.
+Where have I heard it before?"
+
+"In that private hospital, madame.  She was the girl who exchanged the
+babies.  Surely you have not forgotten her."
+
+"Oh, now I do remember.  And she is your wife?"
+
+"She is, unfortunate for her."
+
+"This is all new to me."
+
+"Strange that you should forget her, isn't it?"
+
+"Not at all, I knew her only slightly at the hospital, as she was
+seldom in my room."
+
+"But long enough to transact a very important business matter, eh?"
+
+"Yes, yes, too long!  May God have mercy upon me for my sin!  It is
+almost more than I can stand."
+
+"But you have stood it well all these years, madame."
+
+"You think so, do you?  But you little know what agony of soul I have
+endured.  Oh, it has been terrible!"
+
+"H'm," Grimsby grunted, "it seems to me you have had many
+compensations, such as the money you received, a fine place like this,
+a good son, you call your own, and the prospect of making considerable
+out of your coal mine.  Surely they have been a balm to your heart and
+mind.  They would be to mine, anyway."
+
+"No, no, no!" the woman declared.  "Nothing can ever take the place of
+my own sweet baby I so rashly bartered away.  I thought so once, fool
+that I was, but I know better now.  No matter how dear another child
+may become, and John means much to me, it is not one's own flesh and
+blood.  No one but a mother who has suffered can fully understand this.
+During the twenty years that have passed since my fatal mistake, my
+baby girl has been ever with me.  If alive, she is a young woman now.
+She goes by some other name, and calls another woman 'mother.'  She
+does not know of my existence, and even if she heard my name or met me
+face to face, I would mean nothing to her."
+
+Mrs. Hampton ceased, and looked out over the rippling surface of the
+noble St. John.  Far down the river her eyes caught the gleam of a
+white sail, bending to the gentle breeze.  She knew that the boat must
+be the "Eb and Flo," for Mrs. Tobin had called that morning and told
+her that she was expecting her son and husband home.  But it meant
+nothing to her, neither was she aware of a slight graceful girl
+standing by the captain's side, asking questions about the various
+places along the river.  Had she but known, how soon her look of
+indifference would have vanished.
+
+"So you have no knowledge, then, as to your--your daughter's
+whereabouts?"  It was Grimsby speaking, and it aroused her from her
+reverie.
+
+"None at all.  I do not even know the name of the woman who got my
+baby."
+
+"She was very wealthy, I suppose?"
+
+"I believe so, but----"  She suddenly stopped, and an expression of
+hope leaped into her eyes.  "Tell me, do you know where she is?  Your
+wife must know, anyway."
+
+She waited almost breathlessly for a reply, but when Grimsby smiled and
+shook his head, the light of hope faded from her eyes.
+
+"You don't know?" she asked in a voice scarcely above a whisper.
+
+"I didn't say that, madame.  Maybe I know and maybe I don't.  But what
+good would it do if I should tell where she is?  You could not get her
+back again, no matter how hard you might try.  And, besides, she
+wouldn't want to come.  She has been brought up to a life of luxury of
+which you know nothing.  She moves in high social circles, and would be
+ashamed of you.  Suppose she should find out that you are her mother,
+what would she think if she learned how you sold her for money when she
+was a helpless baby?  Have you thought of that?"
+
+"Stop, stop!  For God's sake don't say any more!" the unhappy woman
+pleaded.  "It is all too true, but I can hardly bear it.  I know she
+would scorn me for what I did.  But it would be a comfort if I could
+look upon her, see her face, and know that she is my child.  If I could
+but feast my eyes upon her even for a few minutes, it would mean
+everything to me."
+
+"No, madame, you are mistaken.  If you saw her once it would make you
+more dissatisfied than ever.  It would only add to your agony of soul,
+of which you speak."
+
+"So you won't tell me, Gabriel?"
+
+"No, I must not."
+
+"Then why have you come here to-day to torment me?  Why have you
+mentioned my child to me?  I believe you know where she is, and yet you
+will not tell me.  What is the meaning of all this?"
+
+"Ah, now you are coming to the point," and Grimsby smilingly rubbed his
+hands together in satisfaction.  "I have a definite purpose in coming
+to see you to-day.  I felt that I could not delay any longer.  It is a
+mere matter of business, nothing more."
+
+"Has it anything to do with the mine, Gabriel?"
+
+"Oh, not at all.  It is far more important to you than that.  It has to
+do with something that happened twenty years ago.  There, now, madame,
+keep calm.  Don't get excited.  I see you understand to what I refer,
+and that is good.  Now, how would you like for that to be known?"
+
+"Heavens, man!  Are you in earnest?  Surely you must be joking."
+
+"Not at all.  I was never more in earnest in my life.  I merely asked
+if you would like the above-mentioned transaction made public.  That is
+all I wish to know."
+
+"No, no; it must not be mentioned.  For almost twenty years it has been
+kept a secret, and why should the public know of it now?  It would
+break my heart.  I could never face anyone again.  And John, who is so
+dear to me, what would he think?  How could I explain?  It must not be!
+You will not tell, will you?"
+
+Grimsby lighted another cigarette, crossed his legs, and smoked
+contentedly.  He was quite satisfied, so could afford to take his time.
+This woman's trouble was nothing to him, and no accusing conscience
+worried him in the least degree.  He was past all that.
+
+"I shall not tell, madame," he at length replied, "that is, providing
+you make it worth while."
+
+"In what way, Gabriel?  What can I do to obtain your silence?"
+
+"There is only one thing that will perform the charm.  It has seldom
+failed.  I believe it is still powerful to silence tongues.  It will
+keep mine still, at any rate.  Is it hard to guess what that is?  You
+should know of all women, for it proved effective twenty years ago."
+
+Mrs. Hampton started, and looked keenly into the face of the man before
+her.
+
+"Do you mean money?" she asked.  "Is that what will silence your
+tongue?"
+
+"Ah, I am glad that you have guessed it, madame.  It will save
+unnecessary talk.  Yes, it is money, for it is money I need more than
+anything else."
+
+"Gabriel Grimsby!  I cannot believe this of you.  I always considered
+you a man above such things.  Are you willing to take money for keeping
+silent?  Would you not be afraid to use it?"
+
+"Afraid!  Of what, pray?"
+
+"Of what might happen.  Money obtained in such a way never does any
+good."
+
+"Are you speaking from experience, madame?  It was not so in your case,
+I believe."
+
+Mrs. Hampton made no reply.  Her eyes dropped, and, her face flushed.
+Grimsby knew that the thrust had gone home, and he again smiled.
+
+"You understand, I see," he continued.  "That is the only thing,
+madame, which will cause me to keep your secret."
+
+"And if I don't give you anything?"
+
+"You will have to take the consequences.  Are you willing to do that?"
+
+"No, no!  This must never be known.  How much do you want?  Tell me
+quick, and let us get through with this terrible business."
+
+"I am quite as anxious as you are, madame.  The amount depends upon how
+much you are prepared to give."
+
+"You want me to mortgage this place, I suppose.  You will not be
+satisfied with a small amount."
+
+"Indeed I shall.  Surely you must have some money on hand now.  That
+will be sufficient for the present.  Then, when you sell your mine, you
+might remember your benefactor."
+
+"Benefactor!  Robber you should say," Mrs. Hampton indignantly
+retorted.  "To think that I should be held up by such a person as you.
+But it cannot be helped, I suppose.  Will one hundred dollars satisfy
+you?  It is all I have."
+
+Grimsby bowed, and waved his hand in an eloquent manner.
+
+"It will be very acceptable to me just now.  One hundred dollars!  It
+seems like a fortune to me.  It will do nicely."
+
+Mrs. Hampton rose to her feet, and remained for a few seconds
+thoughtfully silent.  Then she turned toward Grimsby.
+
+"If I give you this money, Gabriel, how can I trust you to keep this
+secret?"
+
+"I give you my word of honour, madame.  Bring the Bible, and I shall
+swear by it."
+
+Mrs. Hampton gave a deep sigh as she turned toward the door of the
+house.  "I am afraid, Gabriel, that your word of honour isn't worth
+much, and that the Bible wouldn't make any difference.  However, I
+suppose I shall have to trust you.  Just wait a minute."
+
+Grimsby was greatly pleased with himself now.  His eyes were turned
+toward the river, fixed upon the white sail which was much nearer.  He
+had accomplished his object easier than he had expected.  In a short
+time Mrs. Hampton returned, and handed him a roll of bills.
+
+"There, you will find the full amount," she quietly told him.  "It is
+all I have in the house.  I hope you are satisfied."
+
+Grimsby was about to speak, when a raucous toot of an auto down the
+road caused Mrs. Hampton to turn suddenly.  At once her face went very
+white, and she laid her hand heavily upon the man's arm.
+
+"It's John!" she gasped.  "Leave at once!"
+
+In an instant Grimsby was on his feet.  He seized his hat, leaped down
+the steps, rushed toward the gate, and was walking rapidly down the
+road as the car sped up.  The driver hailed him in passing.  He waved
+in reply, and then hurried on his way.  Grimsby was not anxious to meet
+John Hampton just then.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+TWO WOMEN'S TROUBLES
+
+After stopping his car before the cottage, John Hampton alighted and
+gave a quick glance toward the "Eb and Flo," now abreast of Beech Cove.
+He then turned, opened the gate, and hurried up the path to the house.
+His every movement was expressive of abounding health and buoyant
+vitality.  As Mrs. Hampton met him on the verandah, her eyes kindled
+with pride.  He was so big and manly, and his bronzed, clean-shaven
+face glowed with animation.  He stooped to kiss her, and then holding
+her at arm's length looked anxiously into her eyes.
+
+"Mother dear, what is the matter?" he asked.  "You are so pale."
+
+"I have been worrying about you, John," Mrs. Hampton evaded, while a
+wan smile flickered about the corners of her mouth.  "I was afraid
+something had happened to you."
+
+"I was unavoidably delayed, mother.  I hoped to get home last night,
+but it was late before I saw Mr. Perkins.  He kept me waiting a long
+time."
+
+"Will he buy the mine?"  Mrs. Hampton was eagerly alert now, and some
+of the colour had returned to her cheeks.
+
+"He would give me no definite answer, mother.  He put me off as usual."
+
+"But he knows the value of the mine, does he not?"
+
+"Oh, yes.  He had an expert make a report, which is very favourable, so
+I understand.  The seam is a long one, but it only comes to the surface
+on our place, which will make the mining very easy.  Deep shafts would
+have to be sunk elsewhere, which would make the work most expensive.  I
+wish to goodness we could mine it ourselves."
+
+"That is out of the question, John," and Mrs. Hampton sighed.
+"Your--your father often talked to me about it, and I remember how he
+planned, to form a company, which would build a small railway line into
+the mine.  But his sudden death upset everything.  I have been trying
+for years to interest men of money, but so far without any success.
+Now, however, with coal at such a price and hard to obtain, I have been
+hoping that we might succeed."
+
+"Mr. Perkins wants it for almost nothing, mother; that is the trouble.
+The mine is so far back, he said, that it would cost almost more than
+it is worth to bring it to the river.  I know that is all nonsense, and
+told him so."
+
+"Isn't there someone else, John?"
+
+"Only one I know of, and that is Mr. Randall, the lumber merchant.  But
+he refused point blank to have anything to do with it.  He was very
+nasty and said his business was lumbering and not mining.  I thought he
+would kick me out of his office, he was so ugly."
+
+"That was last night, you say?"
+
+"Yes, just before six o'clock."
+
+"He had not heard, then, of his daughter's terrible deed."
+
+John started, and looked keenly into Mrs. Hampton's face.
+
+"Why, what have you heard, about his daughter, mother?"  He tried to be
+calm, but his heart was beating rapidly.
+
+"I heard that she drowned herself last night."
+
+"Who told you that?"
+
+"Gabriel Grimsby.  He called in to rest for a while this afternoon.
+You met him, did you not?"
+
+"Indeed I did, the rascal.  But he is not anxious to meet me.  I let
+him have ten dollars some time ago, and he has given me a wide berth
+ever since.  What did Gabe tell you about Miss Randall?"
+
+"Not very much.  He merely said that she was a beautiful girl, much
+sought after, and moved a great deal in society.  It seems that her
+parents wanted to force her to marry a man for whom she did not care, a
+Lord Somebody or other, and in despair she took her own life.  Poor
+girl! it is very sad.  You must have heard of it, John, and whether
+they have found her body."
+
+John was listening intently to every word, at the same time watching
+the "Eb and Flo" bearing steadily up river.
+
+"They have not found her body," he absently replied.  "There is great
+excitement at Benton's wharf, and the river is now being dragged for
+her body."
+
+"Dear me!" Mrs. Hampton sighed.  "Her parents must be heart-broken."
+
+"Heart-broken!  H'm, they haven't any hearts to break.  If they had,
+they wouldn't try to force their only daughter to marry a thing like
+Donaster."
+
+"It is often done, though, John."
+
+"I know it is.  Some parents seem to think nothing of selling their
+daughters to the highest bidders.  Imagine you, mother, doing such a
+thing if you had a daughter."
+
+Mrs. Hampton turned her face toward the door lest John should detect
+the colour mounting her temples.  But the young man noticed nothing out
+of the ordinary.  He was looking out upon the river, watching the "Eb
+and Flo," now not far away.  Presently he turned, and pulled out his
+watch.
+
+"Why, it's five o'clock!" he exclaimed.  "I had no idea it was so late.
+I have to go to the quarry, mother, on--on business.  I want to see
+someone there."
+
+"To-night?"  Mrs. Hampton asked somewhat surprised, for John seldom
+went to the quarry, and she could not imagine what business could take
+him there now.
+
+"Yes, I must go at once.  I shall tell you all about it later."
+
+"But you must have some supper first, dear.  Just wait, it will not
+take me long."
+
+"Very well, then, mother.  While you're getting it ready I will look
+after the car.  And, say, could you let me have some money to-morrow?
+I had only a little with me in the city, and besides having the car
+fixed, I had to get a new tire.  I got it charged, promising to send
+the money as soon as I got home.  I guess to-morrow will do, as I have
+not time to-night."
+
+What Mrs. Hampton said in reply she did not know.  Her brain was in a
+tumult as she made her way into the kitchen.  How could she explain?
+What should she say?  John knew about the one hundred dollars they had
+in the house, and what reason could she give for spending it?  And he
+wanted it the next day!
+
+When supper was ready she called John and tried to be as bright and
+cheerful as possible as they both sat down to the table.  It was a cosy
+dining-room, and through the open window drifted the delicate fragrance
+of field and garden.  But Mrs. Hampton was oblivious to this now.
+Amidst scenes of peace and beauty she was living in a world of misery,
+for a heavy heart makes the most beautiful surroundings a wretched
+mockery.
+
+John was in excellent spirits and ate heartily.  So intent was he upon
+his own affairs that he did not notice Mrs. Hampton's absent-mindedness.
+
+"I may be away all night, mother," he told her, "so do not be uneasy.
+In fact, I might not be home until to-morrow night.  You can get along,
+can you not?  I know it isn't fair to leave you all the work to do, but
+I shall make up for it when I come back."
+
+"It must be very important business, John, that will keep you at the
+quarry so long.  Is it a secret?"
+
+"It is for the present.  There is a surprise in store for you."  The
+young man's face coloured as he spoke, and this the woman silently
+noted.
+
+"Agreeable?" she asked.
+
+"I hope so.  Just you wait."  His boyish laugh rang out as he rose from
+the table.  He suddenly ceased, however, and turned to his mother.
+
+"Oh, about that money order!  It must go to-morrow.  If I should not be
+back in time, would you mind sending it?  But, no, perhaps I had better
+take the money with me now, and get it at the store on my way to the
+quarry.  There will be time, and I don't want to give you all the
+trouble.  You will have enough to do without anything extra."
+
+"No, no, John, it won't trouble me one bit," Mrs. Hampton hastened to
+assure him.  "I have to go to the store in the morning, and can get the
+money order as well as not.  Leave it to me.  It's the Empire Garage, I
+think you said, where it is to be sent."
+
+"Yes, that's the place.  And thank you very much, mother.  There's the
+bill.  It's quite large, I know, but it's the first I've had to pay for
+some time."
+
+He laid the paper upon the table, and was about to leave the room, when
+a heavy step was heard upon the verandah.  In another minute an excited
+woman stood before them.  She was panting heavily, and her hair was in
+much disorder.
+
+"Why, Mrs. Tobin, what's the matter?" Mrs. Hampton asked, alarmed at
+her visitor's agitation.
+
+"They've left me!  They've left me!" she wailed, sinking down exhausted
+in the nearest chair.  "Oh, to think that I have come to this!"
+
+"Who have left you, Mrs. Tobin?" John asked.  "What do you mean?"
+
+"Sam'l an' Eben, of course.  They sailed right by, and never stopped.
+What do you think of that?"
+
+"That's nothing to worry about, Mrs. Tobin.  They must have some good
+reason which they will no doubt explain later."
+
+"You think so, do you?" the visitor demanded.  "What makes you think
+there is a reason why they should go by without stopping?"
+
+"I have no idea at all," the young man replied.  "I only said that
+perhaps they had a reason."
+
+"H'm, is that all you know about it?  But I tell you there _is_ a
+reason, and I'm going to find out.  If it wasn't for leaving Flo alone
+I'd foot it every step of the way to the quarry this blessed night;
+that's what I'd do."
+
+"Come, come, Mrs. Tobin, there is nothing to worry about," Mrs. Hampton
+comforted.  "Surely you can trust your husband.  Don't get so excited.
+Think of those poor people who lost their only daughter last night;
+drowned herself at Benton's wharf.  What is your trouble compared to
+theirs?"
+
+"Drowned herself, did you say?" and Mrs. Tobin held up her hands in
+horror.  "Who was she? and why did she drown herself?"
+
+"She was Mr. Henry Randall's daughter, who was greatly worried over
+some love affair, so I understand."
+
+"Is that so?  My lands!  What's going to happen next?  A girl drowned,
+and my husband and only son running away from me.  It is terrible!"
+
+With considerable effort John kept from smiling as he listened to Mrs.
+Tobin.  What to her was a very serious matter, was to him cause for
+amusement.  He was quite sure why the captain had sailed by Beech Cove
+without stopping as was his custom.  Neither could he blame him.  Any
+man would do the same who might have the misfortune to be united to
+such a woman as Mrs. Tobin.  The captain was only acting in
+self-defence in his dash by his home and the wife he had chosen.  John
+pictured to himself the state of affairs on the "Eb and Flo" had Mrs.
+Tobin gone aboard and there found the runaway girl.  Explanation, he
+knew, would be useless, and it would be a very serious matter for the
+captain and his fair passenger.  In fact, he felt quite proud of the
+captain's action, and considered him in the light of a hero.  He pitied
+him as well, for he knew that he would have to face his wife's sharp
+tongue and searching questions upon his next visit home.
+
+While the young man was thinking of these things, Mrs. Hampton was
+talking with her visitor.  The latter was sipping a cup of tea, and
+nibbling at a piece of cake.  She was becoming calmer under Mrs.
+Hampton's soothing influence, and inclined to take a brighter view of
+the situation.
+
+"Keep up courage, Mrs. Tobin," John told her as he turned to leave the
+room.  "I must hurry away now.  If I happen to see the captain I shall
+tell him of your anxiety.  You might, indeed, worry if your husband had
+the habit of running off with some other woman.  But he is too old and
+steady for such nonsense."  John knew how this would arouse the woman,
+for jealousy was one of her chief characteristics.
+
+"That is just what I do fear," Mrs. Tobin replied.  "Sam'l was always a
+little soft about women, and there are too many bad hussies in the
+city.  When a man is away from home as much as he is, you can never be
+sure what he's up to.  Why, even now he might have one of them brazen
+creatures on board.  No, there's no fool like an old fool when it comes
+to women."
+
+"But Eben's with him, isn't he?  The captain wouldn't surely cut up any
+capers with his son on board."
+
+"Eben!  H'm!  Little good would he be.  He lives in the clouds when he
+isn't eating and sleeping.  He wouldn't notice anything wrong with a
+dozen hussies on board.  I don't know what I'm going to do with that
+boy."
+
+"You are certainly worried about your family, Mrs. Tobin."
+
+"Indeed I am, and no one knows it as well as I do.  I'm not even
+certain of Flo.  She has notions of her own which don't at all agree
+with my way of thinking."
+
+John smiled broadly as he bade the woman good-bye, and left the house.
+Mrs. Tobin amused him greatly, and he was thinking of the lively scene
+that would take place when the captain came home.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+MOKE THAN A DREAM
+
+Very little sleep came to Mrs. Hampton that night.  The disturbing
+events of the day still agitated her mind, giving her much anxiety.
+Grimsby's visit was the principal cause, for she felt that she could
+not trust the man, notwithstanding the money he had received and his
+promise of secrecy.  Was her child alive? she asked herself over and
+over again.  Her heart called out for even the slightest knowledge of
+the one she had bartered for money.  Money!  The thought stung and
+almost maddened her.  She had given her own flesh and blood for money,
+and her punishment was rapidly increasing upon her.  Her sin had
+followed her through the years, and had now suddenly enmeshed her.  The
+steady tick of the clock seemed like an accusing voice to her hot
+brain, and the gentle motion of the blind at the open window annoyed
+her.  She fancied it knew of her guilt and was mocking her.  She was
+learning, as others have learned, that to the conscience-stricken heart
+and mind all things, even the inanimate, are banded together in a
+conspiracy of mockery and revenge.
+
+She wondered, too, about John's strange behaviour.  What was his
+special call to the quarry, and what was the secret he was keeping from
+her?  He had never acted in such a manner before, and he only stayed
+from home at night on an occasional visit to the city.  Had he fallen
+in with evil companions?  She banished this idea, however, when she
+recalled how he had told her that he had a surprise in store for her,
+and that it was a pleasant one.  Try as she might, she could not
+imagine what that might be, for the thought of a woman never once
+entered her mind.  Not for an instant could she imagine John being in
+love, so engrossed was he with the affairs of the farm and the mine.
+
+Although the night was long, she dreaded the coming of a new day.  In
+some way she had to get the money to pay that bill, and where was it to
+come from?  All the money, except a few dollars in the bank, had been
+withdrawn to pay for the car.  It had been an expensive luxury, she was
+well aware, but John had set his mind upon it, and she had not the
+heart to oppose his wish.  Hitherto the car had cost but little apart
+from the running expenses.  In case anything did happen they had the
+one hundred dollars for immediate use.  Now that was gone, and Mrs.
+Hampton had no idea how it was to be replaced.  She must raise the
+amount some way, or else invent some plausible excuse as to what she
+had done with it.  And the sum of sixty dollars was needed the next
+day, in the morning, too, so it could go to the city by the afternoon
+mail.  After she had racked her brain in vain for some method of
+raising the money, she made up her mind that she must borrow it.  The
+storekeeper would let her have it; she was certain.  But how could she
+pay it back?
+
+She thought of all these things as the night dragged by.  Her wide
+sleepless eyes were still staring into space as the faint dawn of a new
+day came stealing gently into the room, and the birds outside the
+window began their early morning chorus.  She arose, dressed herself,
+and attended to her household duties.  There was also the work at the
+barn to be done, the cows to be milked, turned out to pasture, and the
+horses to be fed.  Very rarely was she called upon to do such work, as
+John had always attended to this himself, and she wondered why he had
+not mentioned it that afternoon.  He seemed, to have forgotten all
+about it.  The business which took him to the quarry must be of special
+importance, she mused.  If it was anyone else than John she would feel
+sure that he was in love.
+
+About the middle of the forenoon she went to the store, and surprised
+the storekeeper by asking him to lend her sixty-five dollars for one
+month.  He was quite willing to accede to her request, for she was a
+good customer, and always paid cash for whatever she bought.  He looked
+at her curiously, nevertheless, after he had counted out the bills, and
+then made out a money order payable at St. John.  He had known Mrs.
+Hampton for many years, and had never known her to borrow money before.
+Everyone supposed that she had a large bank account.
+
+"You must have some security for this," she told him.  "I shall give
+you a note."
+
+"Not at all, Mrs. Hampton," the storekeeper protested.  "Your word is
+all the note I need.  I wish the same could be said of others.  By the
+way, John seems very busy these days.  He went by here like a whirlwind
+last night.  Nothing wrong, I hope."
+
+"No, nothing so far as I know.  John is a fast driver, anyway."
+
+Mrs. Hampton waited until the mail arrived, and when she had received
+her daily paper she walked slowly down the road.  It was a beautiful
+day, though rather hot, so after she had gone some distance, she was
+glad to sit down to rest under the shade of a big maple tree.  Hardly a
+ripple ruffled the surface of the river which stretched out before her.
+Its calmness appealed to her.  Then she suddenly remembered the tragedy
+which had taken place at Benton's wharf.  Somewhere, perhaps, in its
+quiet depths a girl was lying, who, but a few days before was full of
+abounding health and strength.  The river, however, gave no sign of its
+secret, but smiled beneath the morning sun.  "How like many a life that
+river is," she thought.  "Outwardly everything seems full of peace and
+happiness, while all the time tragedy lurks beneath.  That is the way
+with mine, at any rate.  My friends, neighbours, and even John are
+unaware of the sin hidden within my soul.  They imagine that my life is
+one of contentment, little realising how miserable I really am."
+
+Unfolding the newspaper, she cast her eyes at the various headlines
+until they rested upon one which arrested her attention.  It was set
+forth in large type, and described in vivid language the supposed
+drowning of Henry Randall's only daughter the night before.  The
+article was well written, and told about Miss Randall's beauty, charm
+of manner, and her many friends, who were greatly shocked over the
+tragedy.  Her parents were grief-stricken, and Mrs. Randall was
+inconsolable.  There was no doubt at all but that the girl had
+committed suicide, distracted over a love affair.  The river bad been
+thoroughly searched, but so far the body of the missing girl had not
+been found.
+
+Mrs. Hampton could not get this story out of her mind, and she thought
+much about it as she walked home.  As she went about her work that
+afternoon the girl was ever before her.  Though she had never seen her,
+yet she pictured her with white face, and eyes filled with despair,
+rowing out from the wharf, and ending her young life.  So she, too, had
+her troubles, poor girl!
+
+As the afternoon was drawing to a close, and Mrs. Hampton was resting
+for a few minutes on the verandah, Flo Tobin came and sat down by her
+side.  She was a frequent visitor, and Mrs. Hampton was always glad to
+see her.  She was of a bright, sunny disposition, altogether different
+from her mother, and with none of Eben's peculiarities.
+
+"Wasn't it terrible about that girl drowning herself last night?" she
+at once began.  "I can't get her out of my mind."
+
+"It is very sad," Mrs. Hampton replied.  "She had everything that money
+can buy, and yet she was not happy."
+
+"Money isn't everything," and Flo looked thoughtfully out upon the
+river as she spoke.  "Now, look at me.  I have a home, food, clothes,
+and such things, but they don't always make a girl happy.  She needs to
+be understood, and that's where parents so often fail.  I don't blame
+that girl for doing what she did.  I have often felt like doing the
+same thing myself."'
+
+"Flo!  I am astonished to hear you say such a thing."
+
+"I know you are, but it is true, for all that.  What have I to live
+for, anyway?  Mother keeps me tied to the house most of the time, and
+doesn't want me to associate with other girls, or go to parties for
+fear I might go astray.  She says that home is the place for girls."
+
+"Your mother means well, dear.  She is a good woman, and believes she
+is doing the best she can for you."
+
+"I suppose she does," and the girl sighed.  "But sometimes she makes me
+hate goodness and all good people, so I feel like being bad just for a
+change.  Mother's method of goodness rubs me the wrong way.  I am
+afraid you wouldn't call her very good if you knew how mad she is
+to-day about daddy and Eben sailing by without stopping.  I pity them,
+for they will have a hard time when they come home.  But there's mother
+calling me now.  She can't bear to have me out of her sight even for a
+few minutes."
+
+As Mrs. Hampton watched the girl as she hurried down to the road, she
+thought how nice it would be to have such a daughter as Flo.  What a
+companion she would be, and how proud she would be of her.  And she
+might have had one, more beautiful, perhaps, than Flo but for her own
+mad deed years ago.  Yet her daughter was somewhere in the world,
+unknown to her even by name.  The only recollection she had of her was
+when the nurse had brought her to the bedside in the hospital for her
+to see.  But she was so weak and tired then, that she had merely
+glanced at the little one.  Her husband's critical financial affairs
+were a great worry to her at that time, so the thought of paying the
+doctor, the hospital bill, and providing for the child was most
+distressing.  The simple matter of exchanging the babies had been done
+so quietly that she hardly realised that it had taken place.  Babies,
+after all, were very much alike, and when next time the nurse brought a
+little bundled form to her side she could not tell it from her own.  It
+was only afterwards, when her strength returned, that her heart cried
+out for her own flesh and blood, the one for whom she had suffered so
+much.  Even her husband never knew what she endured.  The money had
+meant a great deal to him, and he was pleased to know that the baby was
+a boy who would grow up as his own son.
+
+It was late that night when Mrs. Hampton went to bed.  She had stayed
+up longer than usual, waiting for John.  But when the clock struck
+eleven and he had not arrived, she wearily made her way upstairs to her
+room.  She left the front door unlocked, and a lunch on the dining-room
+table, for John always liked something to eat before retiring.
+
+Mrs. Hampton found it hard to get to sleep, and she lay awake for some
+time.  When slumber did at last seal her eyes she was beset by a
+fantastic dream.  She was surrounded by all kinds of people, greatly
+excited.  They were constantly moving, some coming and others going.
+Faces and forms appeared and vanished in a bewildering manner.  At last
+one stood out clear from all the rest.  It was the face of a beautiful
+girl, who looked upon her with longing eyes and called her "mother."
+With a cry, Mrs. Hampton reached out her arms to enfold her, but the
+girl disappeared, and in her stead stood John, with a smile upon his
+face.
+
+"Been having a dream, mother?" he asked.  "It must have been an
+exciting one."
+
+Somewhat dazed, Mrs. Hampton looked at the young man before her, and
+her senses returned.  She smiled faintly, and asked him the time.
+
+"It is past midnight," was the reply.  "I am sorry to disturb you, but
+you are needed downstairs.  I have someone with me who has met with a
+slight accident."
+
+"A man or a woman?"
+
+"A woman.  Just slip on your dressing-gown."
+
+"All right, John, I shall be down in a few minutes." Mrs. Hampton was
+sitting up in bed now, fully awake.  Someone needed her, so she must
+not delay.
+
+It did not take her long to dress, and as she left her room and
+descended the stairs, she noticed a light shining from the parlour.
+She thought it strange that John should take the woman in there.
+Stepping softly, she reached the door, and was about to enter, when she
+suddenly stopped, and stared with amazement upon the scene which met
+her eyes.  Lying upon the sofa was a young woman, a mere girl so she
+seemed, with a white bandage bound about her forehead.  John was
+kneeling by her side, with his right hand in hers, and his eyes fixed
+lovingly upon her face.  All this Mrs. Hampton noted at the first
+glance, and the reason for John's visit to the quarry was at once
+apparent,
+
+And as she looked the girl slightly turned her head, and as Mrs.
+Hampton's eyes rested upon her face, she gave a great start and
+clutched at the side of the door for support.  It was the face of the
+girl she had seen in her dream!  It was her own daughter who had
+appeared to her for one fleeting instant.  Mrs. Hampton trembled
+violently as she stood there.  Was she still asleep? she wondered, and
+would she awake to find it all a dream?  But when she saw the look of
+love in the girl's eyes, and the smile which illumined her face, she
+knew that it was no fading dream.  And just then John saw her.
+
+"Mother!" he cried, leaping to his feet.  "I am glad you have come.
+Here she is, and she wants to meet you."
+
+He had now taken Mrs. Hampton by the arm, and was leading her across
+the room to where the girl was lying.
+
+"Mother, this is Jess--Jess Randall, and she has met with an accident.
+I have brought her here for you to nurse."
+
+"Jess Randall!" Mrs. Hampton repeated, as she took the girl's hand in
+hers.  It was the name of the girl who had been drowned at Benton's
+wharf.  Could it be possible that she was the same!  And was this
+stranger her own daughter?
+
+John noted her bewildered look, and laughed outright.
+
+"No wonder you are astonished, mother," he told her, "This is really
+Miss Randall, the girl who was drowned.  It's a great secret, and we
+shall tell you all about it later.  Don't ask too many questions now,
+for we are too happy to answer them, are we not, Jess?"
+
+The latter smiled and pressed Mrs. Hampton's hand more firmly.  Then
+her eyes became moist, and a tear stole down her cheek.  At once Mrs.
+Hampton aroused to action, and dropping upon her knees by the sofa she
+put her arms lovingly about the girl and kissed her upon the lips.  Her
+heart was too full for utterance.  This was her own child, she had no
+doubt about that now.  Her dream was fulfilled in a wonderful manner.
+She looked into the clear eyes, drank in the beauty of her face, and
+stroked her soft hair.  So this was her own child, the one she had
+longed to behold for so many years.  She was with her at last.  But the
+girl must never know.  She must never call her "mother."  The thought
+was terrible.  Her own daughter, and yet not her own.  She had sold her
+for money, and how she would spurn her should she ever hear of it.  It
+was almost more than she could endure.  In her confusion she tried to
+say something, to utter words of welcome.  But all in vain.  A feeling
+of helplessness and despair swept upon her, so throwing her arms
+impulsively about the girl's neck, and burying her face upon her
+breast, she sobbed as if her heart would break.  The maddening tension
+of long years had at last given way, and tears, unknown before, brought
+a blessed relief.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+CAPTAIN SAM'L GOES HOME
+
+As Mrs. Tobin walked with her husband from the shore the evening she
+took him off the "Eb and Flo," she maintained a rigid silence.  The
+captain was well accustomed to this mood, and it always affected him
+more than the scolding.  He knew then that his wife's anger was more
+than ordinary, and it was necessary for him to use all the diplomacy at
+his command.
+
+"I've been thinkin', Martha, that you need a holiday," he at length
+ventured.  "Ye haven't taken one fer a long time now.  A trip to
+Fredericton would do ye a world of good.  Yer nephew wrote fer ye to
+come an' see him."
+
+Mrs. Tobin, however, was not inclined to discuss this subject, dear
+though it was to her heart.  She had often planned such a trip, but she
+had something more serious to think about just now.  She strode rapidly
+forward, causing the captain to puff at a great rate in his effort to
+keep up with her.  He became annoyed.
+
+"Say, Martha," he panted, "I'm not used to sich a gait as this, even if
+you are.  Yer hittin' the ground so fast an' hard with them boots of
+yours that it's gittin' hot.  I kin almost see the grass smokin'.
+Phew, I'm all in!"  He slowed down, pulled out his handkerchief, and
+mopped his brow.  "Go on, if ye want to.  I'll be home after a while."
+
+This appeal had some effect, for Mrs. Tobin stayed her steps a little.
+
+"Thar, that's better, Martha," the captain encouraged.
+
+"Ye kin slow up when ye want to.  I wish to goodness ye'd slow up in
+other ways.  Ye've been settin' me a lively pace ever since we was
+married, an' it's gittin' faster every year.  Me heart can't stand much
+more, so if yer not keerful ye'll be lookin' around fer another husband
+before long.  But I pity him, poor chap, an' if I only knew who he
+might be I'd give him a note of warnin' while I'm in the flesh."
+
+It was quite evident that Mrs. Tobin was longing to express her
+feelings in no uncertain language, but as she had made up her mind to
+treat Samuel with silent contempt, it would not do to make any reply.
+She was greatly agitated, however, to find that this method was not so
+effective as in the past.  Her husband was getting beyond her, and it
+worried her a great deal.
+
+The captain was not slow to notice this, and it pleased him.  He
+wondered why he had allowed her to ride rough-shod over him for so
+long.  Perhaps a little more such treatment might break her spell.
+
+"Martha," he continued, "if ever ye marry agin after I'm dead, I'll
+come back to ye from the spirit world.  I'll be so anxious to see how
+ye git along with yer new husband that nuthin' could keep me from
+comin'."
+
+He ceased and glanced at his wife to note the effect of this startling
+announcement.  But no change in her attitude could he observe.
+
+"I'll come, Martha," he went on, "when yer least expectin' me, mebbe in
+the night, an' when ye open yer eyes ye'll see me standin' before ye.
+If ye never had a creepy feelin' before, ye'll have one then.  Yer
+hair'll stand right on end, an' yer blood'll about freeze in yer veins.
+An' I'll step right up to the side of yer bed, an' look straight into
+yer eyes, an' hold out me hands----"
+
+The captain never finished his sentence, for with a bound Martha had
+left him.  She ran as he had never seen her run before, and by the time
+he reached the house she was in the kitchen, and did not even look at
+him as he entered.  The table was set for supper, but Flo was nowhere
+to be seen.  Mrs. Tobin busied herself about the stove, while the
+captain washed himself at the sink.  He was hungry, for not even his
+wife's anger could take away his hearty appetite.  Some cold lamb on
+the table appealed to him, and he was about to sit down and help
+himself when the kitchen door was suddenly opened and Flo burst into
+the room.  She was greatly excited, and was about to announce some
+startling bit of news when her mother checked her.  She thrust her hand
+into a pocket in her dress, and held up the side-comb for inspection.
+The captain stood transfixed, staring upon the innocent cause of his
+wife's wrath.
+
+"Look at that," Mrs. Tobin, cried, holding it out before her daughter.
+"Is it any wonder that I'm heart-broken?"
+
+The girl's eyes grew wide with amazement as she glanced first at the
+comb, and then at her father and mother.  She surmised at once that
+there was trouble between them, but what the comb had to do with it she
+could not understand.
+
+"Why, mother," Flo at last found voice to say, "I don't see anything
+wrong about that comb.  It's mine, I must have left it in the cabin the
+last time I came up the river.  I knew I had lost it, but could not
+tell where."
+
+With a whoop of joy the captain sprang forward, and caught his daughter
+in his arms.
+
+"Bully fer you, Flo!" he shouted.  "Ye've saved me neck all right this
+time, an' I shan't fergit it soon.  Ye'll have a new dress, by gum, ye
+will.  Ho, ho, Martha," and he turned to his discomfited wife, "ye
+thought that I was entertainin' ladies on the 'Eb an' Flo,' didn't ye?
+An' it was all on account of that comb.  Ha, ha, that's a good one."
+
+"Hold your tongue, Sam'l."  Mrs. Tobin had at last found her voice.  "I
+admit that I was mistaken about the comb, but I want to know why you
+didn't stop on your way up river?  I really believe there's something
+wrong with your mind, Sam'l.  I never heard you speak to me the way you
+did on the boat, and then coming to the house you talked such nonsense
+about dying, and appearing to me from the spirit world.  You haven't
+been drinking, have you?"
+
+Before the captain could reply Flo interposed.  She was bubbling over
+with excitement, and her parents' troubles did not concern her in the
+least.  She was too well accustomed to such scenes to take them
+seriously to heart.
+
+"Mother," she began, "there's a girl visiting the Hamptons, and I
+believe she and John are engaged."
+
+This startling announcement had a profound effect upon Mrs. Tobin.
+Whatever took place across the road was of special interest to her.
+She sat down suddenly upon the nearest chair, and stared at her
+daughter.  Flo laughed outright at her mother's excitement.
+
+"That's more interesting than the comb, isn't it?" she bantered.  "But
+it's true.  I saw her myself, and my, she's beautiful!"
+
+"A girl visiting the Hamptons!" Mrs. Tobin slowly repeated, "and
+engaged to John!  Are you sure?  When did you hear all this?"
+
+"I was just over there, and saw things for myself.  You don't need to
+have your eyes and ears very wide open in that house to understand how
+she and John love each other."
+
+"Who is she, for pity's sake? and where did she come from?  I never
+knew that John had a girl."
+
+"Neither did I, mother.  But if you saw them together you would have no
+doubt about it.  They seem to be so happy.  John brought her in his car
+last night.  She met with an accident somewhere, and she has a bandage
+across one side of her forehead."
+
+"Met with an accident!" Mrs. Tobin exclaimed.  "In what way?"
+
+"I have no idea, and I didn't like to ask."
+
+"Didn't like to ask!"  Mrs. Tobin sniffed in disgust.  "If I'd been in
+your place I would have found out everything.  You don't even know her
+name, I suppose."
+
+"Oh, yes, I found that out.  It's a funny one, Betty Bean."
+
+During this conversation the captain had been rubbing his hands
+vigorously with the towel.  He had to be doing something, so this was
+just as well as anything else.  When he learned that a visitor was at
+the Hamptons, and that she had met with an accident, he began to fear
+the worst.  Who else could it be but the girl he had taken up river on
+his boat?  But when he heard that her name was Betty Bean he was
+greatly relieved, hung up the towel, and started for the table.  The
+girl interested him no longer, and it did not matter to him whether
+John Hampton had a sweetheart or not.
+
+"Come on, an' let's have supper," he ordered.  "I'm 'most starved.  One
+would think from the way you two talk that thar is a menagerie over the
+way.  I don't care how many girls John has."
+
+"But I care," his wife retorted.  "And what's more, I'm going over this
+very night to see her myself.  You are away from home so much, Sam'l,
+that you see people and have a good time.  But with me it's different.
+I have to stay right here week in and week out, and see nothing but the
+same things and the same people.  It isn't very often we have a visitor
+here, especially at the Hamptons.  Yes, I'm going over to see and hear
+what I can."
+
+"Yer right, Martha," the captain agreed.  "Ye sartinly do need a
+change, an' as I told ye comin' from the shore ye must take that trip
+to Fredericton.  It'll do ye a world of good.  Flo kin come with me fer
+a trip, an' it'll be nice to have her to look after things an' cook fer
+us."
+
+"And leave another comb to give you trouble, daddy," the girl replied,
+while her eyes twinkled with merriment.
+
+"Sure, sure, I don't mind how many combs ye leave, so long as yer
+mother lets me alone afterwards."
+
+When supper was ended, Mrs. Tobin rose from the table.
+
+"Come, Sam'l, fix yourself up," she ordered, "and let us go over to see
+that girl."
+
+"But I'm not goin'," the captain protested.  "I'm not anxious to see
+her an' John spoonin'.  I want to stay right here at home, an' have a
+quiet smoke all to meself.  You an' Flo go along.  I'll look after the
+dishes."
+
+"Indeed you won't stay, Sam'l.  You're going, too.  You haven't seen
+Mrs. Hampton for some time, and it's good for you to be neighbourly.
+She won't like it one bit if you don't come.  So hurry up with your
+smoke, and then get ready."
+
+"Fiddlesticks!" the captain growled as he hunted for his pipe.  "I
+haven't been home fer days, and then when I do git here ye hustle me
+right away agin."
+
+"And you wouldn't be here now if I hadn't brought you," was the retort.
+"You're getting more obstinate every day, Sam'l Tobin.  I don't know
+what's coming over you."
+
+"Sense, Martha, jist common sense.  I'm seein' things in a new light.
+Every time I come home ye keep naggin' so much at me that I'm always
+glad when I git on board the boat agin.  I wish to goodness I was thar
+now.  Wonder how Eben's makin' out."
+
+"Most likely he's asleep," Flo laughingly replied.  "I'd like to go on
+board and surprise him.  Wouldn't it be fun?  May I, mother?  You and
+daddy go to Mrs. Hampton's without me."
+
+"Indeed you'll do no such a thing," her mother sharply replied.  "We
+don't want another drowning accident here like that one at Benton's
+wharf."
+
+"But I don't want to drown myself, mother.  I'm not like that poor
+unfortunate girl.  She was running away from a man who wanted to marry
+her.  Do you think I'd do such a foolish thing as that?  Indeed I
+wouldn't.  I wish that Lord Somebody-or-other would come my way.  I'm
+sure I wouldn't drown myself to get clear of him.  He wouldn't get rid
+of me so easily.  I wonder what it feels like to have a Lord's son in
+love with you.  I think it would be great."
+
+"Don't talk such nonsense, Flo," Mrs. Tobin chided.  "Men are
+deceivers, and the less you have to do with them the better.  Just
+think of that poor girl who drowned herself.  No doubt she found out
+what that Lord's son was like, and rather than marry him she ended her
+life.  Did you hear whether they found her body, Sam'l?"
+
+The captain gave a guilty start, coughed, and stared at his wife.  He
+was afraid she would ask this question.
+
+"No, I guess they didn't find her, Martha.  They was searchin' the
+river when we pulled out from Benton's.  I haven't heard anything
+since.  She's Henry Randall's daughter, I believe."
+
+"And his wife, Sam'l, was old Silas Parks' daughter.  He was the real
+estate man who sold that bed of rocks to Mr. Hampton.  She was worth a
+pile of money when she married Randall."
+
+"Yes, an' I guess she's worth more to-day, Martha.  She's a shrewd one,
+all right, an' as close-fisted as her dad.  My, it was a caution the
+way he took Hampton in on that place.  It really isn't worth five
+cents."
+
+"But there's coal on it, though, Sam'l, an' that should be worth a
+great deal."
+
+"Coal, ha, ha.  Yes, thar's coal, but what good is it way back in the
+hills?  John can't git anybody to touch it, though he's been tryin'
+hard.  It's too fer from the river.  I do feel sorry fer John.  He's a
+decent feller, an' if he could only git that notion about the coal out
+of his head he might be good fer something.  He's not much at farmin'."
+
+"And to think of him getting married, Sam'l!  How on earth will he
+support a wife?  It's as much as he and his mother can do to get along
+as it is, though many think they are well off.  But, then, that's none
+of our business.  He can marry anyone he likes for all I care.  I only
+want to know what she looks like, and where she comes from.  If she's
+to be our neighbour, I want to find out all I can about her.  So, hurry
+up and get ready.  I'll help Flo with the dishes."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+HARD LUCK
+
+As the Tobins drew near the Hampton home, they heard the sound of music
+accompanied by singing.  They stopped at the foot of the verandah steps
+and listened.  The blind of the parlour window was up, and they could
+see Mrs. Hampton at the piano, with John and the fair visitor standing
+by her side.  It was an old familiar song they were singing, and it
+sounded especially sweet to the three listeners outside.
+
+"Say, I haven't heard anything like that fer years," the captain
+remarked.  "It strikes me jist right.  Let's stay here."
+
+"We shall do no such thing," his wife replied.  "It's not good manners."
+
+"Isn't she pretty?" Flo whispered.  "And how happy she and John seem to
+be."
+
+Mrs. Tobin made no reply, but led the way up the steps, knocked at the
+door, opened it and walked in.  This was her usual custom, and Mrs.
+Hampton always did the same when she visited the Tobins.  The music and
+singing suddenly ceased as the visitors entered, and an expression of
+annoyance swept for an instant over John's face as he turned and saw
+Mrs. Tobin standing in the doorway.
+
+"Excuse us for interrupting you," the latter began, "but we thought
+we'd make a neighbourly call to-night since Sam'l's home.  We're all
+anxious to meet your company."
+
+Mrs. Hampton had now left the piano and was advancing to meet her
+neighbours.  She, too, was annoyed, for she knew only too well how Mrs.
+Tobin would make every effort to ferret out the secret of Miss
+Randall's presence.  But as they had come, she had to make the best of
+it.
+
+"It is thoughtful of you to come over," she replied.  "We were enjoying
+a little music.  This is Miss Bean, Mrs. Tobin.  I feel sure you will
+be pleased to meet her."
+
+Mrs. Tobin at once stepped forward and reached out her hand.
+
+"Very glad I am to make your acquaintance, Miss.  It's not often we see
+a stranger in this place.  I hope you'll come over to see us."
+
+Jess took Mrs. Tobin's hand in hers and was about to reply, when,
+happening to glance across the room, she saw the captain standing near
+the door.  She recognised him at once, and her face turned white, while
+her body trembled.  Mrs. Tobin believed that this agitation was due to
+her strenuous grip, and she quickly dropped the girl's hand.
+
+"Excuse me, Miss," she apologised.  "I didn't intend to hurt you.  But
+when I shake hands I mean it.  Now, some people just touch the tips of
+your fingers as if they were afraid you'd bite.  That may be the
+fashionable way, but I like the good old handshake."
+
+"I never let you shake hands with me, Mrs. Tobin," John laughingly told
+her.  "I know you too well."
+
+"And I guess you should," was the retort.  "You often felt my hands
+when you were a boy, didn't you?  I had to use them more than once,
+especially when you took my apples."
+
+"Come, come, Mrs. Tobin, you must not give me away.  Let us forget the
+past.  I want the captain to meet Miss Bean.  He looks as if he would
+like to run away.  Come here, sir.  You were always nervous in the
+presence of women, I know.  But Miss Bean is perfectly harmless."
+
+John was well aware why the captain wished to get out of the house.
+Knowing Mrs. Tobin as well as he did, he felt certain that her husband
+was most anxious to keep from her the story of his experience with Miss
+Randall on the "Eb and Flo."  It amused him, and yet he felt it was his
+duty not only to the captain but to Jess as well not to divulge the
+secret.  He had noticed the girl's white face and trembling hands, and
+surmised the cause.
+
+The captain was indeed in a quandary.  At the first glimpse of Miss
+Randall he was seized with a great fear.  How could he face her in the
+presence of his wife?  Would she recognise him, and call him by name?
+If she did, then he would be at once amid serious breakers on a stormy
+shore.  He wanted to retreat, to get away from the house as fast as
+possible.  But there was no escape, for he heard John telling him to
+come and meet the young woman.  For a few seconds he stood as if rooted
+to the floor, staring straight before him.  Notwithstanding her own
+agitation, Jess could hardly keep from smiling at the captain's
+confusion.  She felt sorry for him, so acting upon the impulse of the
+instant, she crossed the room and held out her hand.
+
+"I am very glad to meet you, Captain," she began, "You have a boat of
+your very own, so I understand.  You will take me for a trip on the
+river some day, will you not?  I have always longed for a sail in a
+wood-boat."
+
+"Sure, sure, Miss, I'll take ye," the captain replied, much delighted
+at her action.  "But mebbe ye'd better ask me wife.  She's mighty
+pertic'ler who I take sailin', 'specially when it comes to women."
+
+"Oh, I am sure Mrs. Tobin won't mind," Jess assured.  "She's too
+sensible, I know.  And, besides, I'm quite young."
+
+A grim smile overspread Mrs. Tobin's face as she listened to this
+conversation.  She was pleased with the girl, and anxious to learn more
+about her.
+
+"I don't mind Sam'l taking you on the boat," she said, "and if you live
+along the river you can go with him as well as not.  But I never heard
+of the Bean family before.  I know about most of the people from St.
+John to Fredericton."
+
+"Miss Bean's home is in the city," John explained.  "She was visiting
+some friends at the quarry, and was hit on the head by a stone.  I
+happened to be there at the time, and so brought her home with me last
+night.  You heard about that other accident there, I suppose?"
+
+"No; what accident?"
+
+"A truck load of stone with two men on board struck a cow, which was
+standing on the track.  The cow was killed, and one of the men was
+badly hurt."
+
+"My, oh, my!" Mrs. Tobin exclaimed.  "I never heard the like of such
+things as are taking place these days.  With that poor girl drowned at
+Benton's wharf, another injured at the quarry, a cow killed, and a man
+hurt.  The world must surely be coming to an end, for the Bible says
+there will be terrible things happening in the last days."
+
+"Oh, I guess the world will wag along for some time yet," John
+laughingly replied.  "Wouldn't you like to hear some music, Mrs. Tobin?"
+
+They were all seated now, the captain as near the door as possible,
+that he might beat a hasty retreat should the situation become too
+embarrassing.  He breathed more freely when music was mentioned.
+
+"Let's have something lively, John," he suggested.  "I haven't heard a
+real break-down fer a long time.  Give us 'We won't go home 'til
+mornin',' or something like that."
+
+"Sam'l, Sam'l," his wife protested.  "I'm surprised at you.  With so
+many terrible things happening around us, we should have hymns instead
+of songs.  I'd like to have 'Oh, Day of Wrath, that Dreadful Day.'
+That's far more appropriate."
+
+"Ugh!" the captain grunted.  "That hymn 'ud give anyone the blues.
+What's the use of dyin' before yer time?  But if ye want to sing hymns,
+let's start off with 'Here I'll Raise my Ebenezer.'  It's a dandy, an'
+about the only one I know.  But fer pity sakes, cut out the 'Day of
+Wrath.'  I know too much about that already.  Sometimes we have the
+night of wrath as well as the day at our house, eh, Martha?"
+
+Everybody in the room smiled except Mrs. Tobin.  She was deeply
+offended, and her wrath was about to descend when a distant roll of
+thunder startled her.  The captain chuckled as he saw its effect upon
+his wife.  He knew how a thunder storm always frightened her.  In fact,
+it was about the only thing of which she was afraid.
+
+"Guess the Day of Wrath's comin', Martha, sooner than ye expected," he
+chuckled.  "Thar it is agin, an' nearer this time."
+
+Mrs. Hampton rose and closed the window.  Just at that instant a vivid
+flash of lightning almost blinded her, followed immediately by a
+terrific crash which shook the house.  Mrs. Tobin screamed and leaped
+from her chair.
+
+"Oh, oh!" she moaned.  "Isn't it awful!  We'll all be killed!"
+
+"Ah, keep still, Martha," the captain chided.  "We're all right.  It's
+mighty lucky we have sich a comfortable place as this.  Now, if we were
+out on the river----"
+
+He suddenly ceased, while an expression of consternation swept across
+his face.  A peculiar gurgle escaped his lips as he seized his hat and
+sprang to his feet.
+
+"The 'Eb an' Flo'!" he gasped.  "I fergot all about her, an' the sail's
+up!  That boy'll be asleep, an' won't hear the storm.  Oh, Lord!"
+
+The next minute he was out of the house, and hurrying as fast as he
+could toward the shore.  He had gone but a short way when the rain
+struck him, and soon he was drenched to the skin.  He could only direct
+his course by the flashes of lightning, and after each illumination the
+darkness was more intense than ever.  As he neared the shore, he
+stopped and peered anxiously forward, and by the next vivid streak
+which followed a terrific crash, he caught one fleeting glimpse of the
+"Eb and Flo."  She was still there, and her sail was down.  He breathed
+a sigh of relief, and again started forward toward the small boat
+pulled upon the shore.  He had taken but a few steps, however, when his
+foot caught and twisted upon a root, causing him to fall heavily
+forward full upon his face.  With a cry of distress, he scrambled to
+his feet, and tried to stand, but so severe was the pain that he was
+forced to sink down again upon the ground.  That he had wrenched his
+ankle, he was certain, and he groaned whenever he moved.  But he must
+reach the "Eb and Flo," for the storm was increasing in violence, and
+he was sure that the boat could not hold up against such a tempest.  He
+tried to crawl in his endeavour to reach the shore.  The perspiration
+stood out in beads upon his forehead as he worked himself along, but so
+intense was the pain in his foot that ere long he was forced to give up
+in despair.  And as he lay there he kept his eyes fixed in the
+direction of the river, catching brief glimpses of the "Eb and Flo" as
+she tugged hard at her anchor.
+
+A more vivid gleam than formerly presently illuminated the river, and
+as the captain looked, he emitted a hoarse cry.  The boat was drifting!
+She was farther from the shore he could plainly tell.  Then blackness
+closed down once again, leaving the helpless man racked with the agony
+of suspense.  The next flash revealed the boat farther away, with sail
+up, and to all appearance being driven full upon the opposite shore.
+
+"Oh, Lord!" he groaned.  "She's done fer now!  An' it's high tide, too!
+We'll never git her off them mud flats!  How in time did Eben hist that
+sail in sich a storm?  Why, it was all that both of us could do when it
+was calm."
+
+The storm now was at its height, and so incessant was the lightning
+that the captain could see nothing more of the boat so dazzling was the
+illumination.  The rain pelted upon him, and at times he groaned with
+pain.
+
+"Guess I'll have to spend the night here," he muttered.  "This is the
+worst fix I ever got into.  Wish to goodness I could git some word to
+Martha.  But she'll think I'm on board that boat by this time.  I
+wonder what she'd say if she knew I was layin' here, helpless as a log.
+But, then, it might be worse.  I'm alive, me leg ain't broke, an' the
+lightnin' hasn't hit me.  I've got much to be thankful fer yet, even
+though the 'Eb an' Flo' does go on the flats.  Old Parson Westmore used
+to say that when things got black always count yer blessin's, an' ye'll
+be surprised to find how many ye really have left.  So cheer up, Sam'l
+Tobin, it'll take more'n a thunder storm an' a sprained ankle to knock
+ye out, blamed if it won't."
+
+Under the inspiration of this resolve, he began to hum his favourite
+tune.  It made him feel better, and soon he was singing at the top of
+his voice:
+
+  "Here I'll raise my Ebenezer,
+  Hither by Thy grace I'll come,
+  And I trust in Thy good pleasure,
+  Safely to arrive at home."
+
+"My, them's great words!" he ejaculated, when he had finished.
+"They've put new life into me already.  Guess I'll sing 'em over agin.
+There's nuthin' like a song in the night fer a sprained ankle."
+
+As he lay there the storm gradually beat itself out, and rolled away in
+the distance.  From where he was lying he could look up at his own
+house.  Often he had turned his eyes in that direction, hoping to see a
+light in the window.  But not the faintest gleam appeared to cheer his
+loneliness, so he knew that Martha and Flo must have remained at the
+Hamptons.  No doubt they would go home when the storm ceased.  After
+what seemed to him hours, he was rewarded by the sight of a light
+flickering among the trees.  It was a lantern, he was certain, and he
+knew that John must be showing the visitors home.  He watched it
+longingly as it neared the house.  Could he make himself heard?  Rising
+with difficulty to his knees, he lifted up his voice in several loud
+calls for help.  Then he watched, while his heart beat fast within him.
+Again he called, and the light suddenly stopped.  This was encouraging,
+so with a great effort he gave one more mighty whoop, ere he sank back
+exhausted upon the ground.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE CAPTAIN GIVES ADVICE
+
+"I can't really tell ye how it happened, Martha."
+
+The captain was lying on the sofa in the sitting-room, with his injured
+foot resting on a pillow.  His wife had applied hot cloths to the
+ankle, and rubbed it well with liniment.
+
+"You must have tripped on something, Sam'l, as you were running," she
+remarked.  "It's a wonder you weren't killed.  I hope to goodness you
+won't get cold.  Why, you were soaked to the skin."
+
+"An' I might have been struck with lightnin', Martha.  Jist think of
+that."
+
+"Indeed you might.  Or you might have broken your leg."
+
+"Or cracked me rib," the captain growled.  "But I didn't, so what's the
+use of worryin' about things that didn't happen.  I'm here, with
+nuthin' worse than a sprained ankle.  You an' Flo had better go to bed.
+I'm all right now.  I want to stay right by this winder, so's I kin see
+the river as soon as it gits light enough.  I'm anxious to know whar
+the 'Eb an' Flo' is aground.  She must be hard on by this time.  Wonder
+how Eben's makin' out."
+
+"The poor boy must be greatly worried, Sam'l.  Maybe he'll come home
+before morning."
+
+"Mebbe he will, Martha.  I never thought of that.  But he'll not worry
+about the loss of the boat.  Most likely he'll be glad, fer he doesn't
+take much to the water.  I don't know what we're goin' to do with that
+boy."
+
+"But what will you do without the boat, Sam'l?  It's our only means of
+living, and with that gone we'll starve."
+
+"Oh, I guess we'll pull through somehow.  I'll git the boat afloat when
+her load's taken off, if she isn't too hard an' fast on them mud flats.
+My, it was sartinly some gale last night!  I've been boatin' on this
+river fer over twenty-five years, an' I never saw anything like it.  I
+thought mebbe you an' Flo intended to stay at the Hamptons all night.
+It was mighty lucky fer me, though, that ye didn't."
+
+"Mrs. Hampton coaxed us to stay, but I wanted to get home.  I had a
+peculiar feeling that something was the matter."
+
+"An' didn't ye have a more peculiar feelin', Martha, when ye heard me
+yell?  I imagined at first that ye didn't hear me."
+
+"I really thought it was a dog howling, Sam'l.  It was Flo who said it
+was a man calling for help.  I then knew that it must be you.  My, we
+had a job getting you to the house.  We never could have done it if
+John hadn't been with us."
+
+"It's a wonder he could leave his sweetheart long enough to come with
+ye, Martha.  Did ye find out anything more about her?"
+
+"Nothing.  Mrs. Hampton banged on the piano, while John and the girl
+sang until my head ached.  I believe they did it so I wouldn't ask any
+more questions.  I really think there is something mysterious about
+Miss Bean.  What was she doing at the quarry?  How did she happen to
+get hurt?  And how did John come to get so well acquainted with her?
+Mark my word, I shall find out all about her."
+
+Little sleep came to the captain that night, and the hours wore slowly
+away.  He had insisted that his wife and daughter should go to bed.
+Their presence annoyed him.  He wanted to be alone that he might think,
+for he was more worried about the "Eb and Flo" than he would openly
+acknowledge.  He was getting along in years, and boating was the only
+thing he could do to make enough to provide for his family.  He could
+not afford to buy or build another craft for the season's work, not
+even a scow, so if the "Eb and Flo" could not be saved, he did not know
+what to do.  His only hope lay in a heavy rain which would cause the
+river to rise enough to float the boat.  That, however, was not a very
+bright outlook, for such a boon could hardly be expected during the
+summer.  It was only in the fall when the heavy rains set in, and then
+it would be too late for much work.  And besides, he would lose the
+carrying of the stones from the quarry.  There was not much cordwood to
+be taken to the city, and most of the lumber from the mills was now
+being freighted in scows.
+
+And thus he watched and waited, his anxious thoughts, and the pain in
+his foot driving all sleep from his eyes.  Eagerly he listened to the
+clock as it ticked on the shelf across the room, and struck out the
+heavy-footed hours.  Never did any night seem so long.  Often he had
+sailed on the river from sunset to sunrise, and thought nothing of it.
+He had something to occupy his attention then.  But now he had nothing
+to do but lie there and wait.
+
+When at last the first faint signs of dawn began to steal into the
+room, the captain lifted himself to a sitting position and looked out
+of the window.  But nothing could he see, for the river still lay
+enwrapped in the shadows of the hills beyond.  Impatiently he waited,
+and at length he was enabled to view quite clearly the water as it
+stretched out before him.  Eagerly his eyes searched for the "Eb and
+Flo," but not a sign of her could he behold.  Nothing but the flats on
+the other side of the river met his view.  What did it all mean? he
+asked himself.  Where was the boat?  A mingled feeling of curiosity,
+hope and anxiety possessed him, and only with the greatest difficulty
+could he restrain his impatience until his wife came downstairs.
+
+"She's gone, Martha!" he shouted, as soon as his wife entered the room.
+"She's nowhere in sight."
+
+"What!  The boat?" Mrs. Tobin replied, as she hurried to the window and
+peered out.  She stood for a few seconds, looking up and down the
+river.  Then she turned to her husband with an anxious expression upon
+her face.
+
+"Do you suppose she's sunk, Sam'l?"
+
+"Sunk; no.  If she'd gone down, Eben would have come ashore in the
+tender.  Mebbe he's managed to git her under way, an' taken her down
+river.  Ye kin never tell what that boy might do.  Jist scoot over an'
+ask John to go to the store an' phone to the city.  Tell him to call up
+Jimmy Gault at Injuntown.  He's a good friend of mine, an' he'll know
+if the 'Eb an' Flo's' down."
+
+"Wait until after breakfast, Sam'l.  The store won't be open yet.
+How's your foot?"
+
+"Pretty bad, Martha.  But I guess it'll be all right if the 'Eb an'
+Flo's' safe.  Give me me pipe, will ye?  I'd like a smoke to soothe me
+nerves."
+
+It seemed to the captain that the time would never pass until John
+returned from the store and reported that Eben had reached the city
+early that morning, and all was well.
+
+"Thank the Lord!" the captain fervently exclaimed.  "I kin rest in
+peace now.  But I wonder how the boy done it.  How in time he histed
+that sail is a mystery to me."
+
+"Perhaps it was never lowered," his wife suggested.  "You left it up,
+didn't you?"
+
+"I know I did, but I saw it go down as sure as I'm alive.  Then when I
+looked agin, it was up, an' the boat was adrift, making fer them mud
+flats.  What d'ye think of that?"
+
+"What do you suppose saved her from going aground, Sam'l?"
+
+"It must have been the Lord, Martha.  It was nuthin' more'n a miracle
+that kept that boat from goin' on hard an' fast.  That boy could never
+have histed that sail alone an' taken the 'Eb an' Flo' down the river
+in sich a gale."
+
+"Maybe there was an angel with him, Sam'l, such as stood with St. Paul
+long ago."
+
+"Mebbe so, Martha.  I've been thinkin' of that, an' it gives one a kind
+of comfortin' feelin', doesn't it?"
+
+All day long the captain remained upon the sofa.  His foot pained him a
+great deal, but he never complained.  His wife tended him most
+faithfully, and never scolded him once.  She was more gentle than he
+had ever known her to be, and when the paper arrived from the post
+office she read to him the news of the day.  An article about the
+unsuccessful search for the body of Miss Randall was of the greatest
+interest, and Mrs. Tobin read it through very carefully.  The captain
+listened attentively, expecting every minute to hear an expression of
+doubt as to the girl's death.  He lay staring straight before him when
+his wife had finished.  A feeling possessed him that he should tell
+Martha what he knew.  It would relieve his mind, and at the same time
+explain the presence of the girl across the way.  But would she keep
+the secret? or would she consider it her bounden duty to send word to
+the girl's parents?  He was almost certain that she would take the
+latter course, and this made him hesitate.
+
+As he was pondering over this, Mrs. Hampton and Jess Randall came to
+the house to see him.  They were anxious to know how he was getting
+along, and Mrs. Hampton had brought a bottle of her choicest jam for
+his special benefit.
+
+"It is sartinly good of yez to come," he told them.  "Martha was
+entertainin' me by readin' the paper.  It helps pass the time."
+
+"I was just reading about that poor girl who drowned herself," Mrs.
+Tobin explained.  "Have you seen it, Miss?"
+
+The girl's hands trembled slightly as she took the paper, and ran her
+eyes rapidly over the article.  Her face turned somewhat pale as she
+read, and her heart beat fast.  It was not the first time that the
+seriousness of the situation had come into her mind.  But she had
+always excused herself by the justness of her cause.  Any girl with the
+least spark of spirit would do the same, she reasoned.  Her parents had
+no right to force her to marry a man she hated.  But the thought of the
+men searching for her body was horrible.  What would the papers say if
+the truth became known, as it surely would in time?  She was much
+relieved, however, to learn that no one suspected that she was alive,
+not even her parents.  Anyway, she had taken matters into her own
+hands, and she did not intend to turn back now.  She longed to speak to
+the captain alone, and this opportunity was soon afforded when Mrs.
+Tobin took Mrs. Hampton into the garden to show her some special
+flowers.  Thus the captain and Jess were left together for a few
+minutes.
+
+"Oh, Captain, I want to thank you for your kindness," the girl
+impetuously began.  "I was almost frightened out of my senses when I
+saw you last night."
+
+"So I looked as bad as all that, did I?"  The captain chuckled as he
+looked at his fair visitor.  "No, Miss, I wouldn't give ye away.  But I
+was afraid that Martha might pump the secret out of ye."
+
+"And you will keep the secret, won't you?" the girl pleaded.  "You will
+not tell anyone, not even your wife?"
+
+"I'll try to, Miss," and the captain sighed.  "But Eben knows, and I'm
+expectin' him home shortly.  How did ye git that cut on yer head?" he
+suddenly asked.
+
+"Why, don't you know?" and Jess looked her surprise.  "A stone came
+through the window as John and I were sitting by that injured man at
+the quarry."
+
+"But who threw the stone?"
+
+"I have not the least idea.  John wanted to have a search made at the
+quarry in order to find the one who did it.  But I would not let him.
+I was afraid it would make too much talk, and it might get into the
+papers."
+
+"D'ye intend to stay here, Miss?" the captain asked.  "Yer dad's sure
+to know of yer whereabouts, even though ye call yerself Betty Bean.
+How in time did ye think of sich a name as that?"
+
+Jess laughed, although her eyes expressed anxiety.
+
+"I am afraid I cannot stay here long, Captain.  But I wish I could.
+Mrs. Hampton seems just like my own mother, she is so kind and loving.
+Perhaps you will take me again on your boat.  That is the safest place
+I can think of now."
+
+"I guess ye wouldn't find it very safe thar, Miss.  It served as a
+refuge fer a time, but please don't try it on agin, unless ye want to
+git me into trouble."
+
+Jess smiled, more at the peculiar expression on the captain's face than
+at his words of warning.  She understood perfectly well what he meant,
+for she had met his wife.  For a few seconds there was silence.  Then
+the captain looked into the bright face before him, and his eyes
+twinkled.
+
+"Say, Miss," he began, "I know a fine way out of yer difficulty.  It's
+a great one, an' jist stuck me all of a sudden."
+
+"You do!  Oh, I knew you would help me."
+
+"Yes, it's the only way I kin see," the captain continued.  "It will
+keep yer parents from forcin' ye to marry that Lord's son.  They can't
+touch ye if ye jist foller my advice."
+
+"I will, Captain.  Just tell me what to do."
+
+"Git married."
+
+"Oh!"  The girl gave a great start, while her face crimsoned.
+
+"Didn't expect that, eh?" and the captain chuckled.  "Took ye kinder by
+surprise?"
+
+"Indeed it did.  And I'm afraid I can't take your advice.  Why, I've
+run away to escape getting married."
+
+"Ah, that's all right, Miss.  Ye ran away to escape one man, but I
+guess thar's another ye won't run away from.  Isn't that true?  Thar
+now, ye needn't blush an' git all confused.  I'm old enough to be yer
+grandfather, so ye needn't git upsot at what I say.  I'm only speakin'
+fer yer good.  Marry John Hampton, an' then ye won't have to worry any
+more about marryin' that Lord Stick-in-the-Mud.  John's a real nice
+feller, an' I guess you like him as well as he likes you."
+
+"But, Captain, I couldn't marry John," Jess protested.  "In fact, he
+hasn't even asked me to marry him."
+
+"He hasn't!  John hasn't asked ye to marry him?"  The captain's
+surprise and indignation were so great that he sat bolt upright.  Then
+he sank back with a groan.  "Blame that foot!" he growled.  "I fergot
+all about it.  An' no wonder.  To think that John hasn't asked ye to
+marry him.  What in thunder has he been doin', then?"
+
+Before the girl could reply, the women returned, and in a few minutes
+she and Mrs. Hampton left the house.  Jess was pleased at the
+interruption, for the conversation was becoming embarrassing.
+Nevertheless, she thought more of the captain for his friendly words of
+advice, and cherished them in the depth of her heart.  She knew that
+they were true, and that to marry the man she loved would free her from
+all annoyance of Donaster.
+
+There was great excitement the next day in the Tobin family when "The
+Daily Courier" arrived.  It had a full account of the thrilling
+experience of rescuing the "Eb and Flo" at the brink of the falls.
+Mrs. Tobin read it aloud, while the captain and Flo listened with
+intense interest.  At times the former interrupted with exclamations of
+surprise.  He was more excited than his wife had ever seen him, and he
+could hardly restrain himself from leaping from the sofa and prancing
+around the room.
+
+"Well, I'll be jiggered!" he thundered, when his wife had finished, and
+laid aside the paper.  "Why in time didn't Eben tie up at some wharf
+instead of goin' through the Narrows when the tide was runnin' down?
+That boy hasn't enough brains to last him over night."
+
+"Don't talk that way, Sam'l," his wife chided.  "No doubt the poor boy
+was doing the best he could.  He must have used his brains when he
+saved the boat from going on the mud flats."
+
+"Sure, sure, Martha.  Yer quite right.  But, say, what a narrow squeeze
+that was!  In another minute Eben an' the boat would have been into the
+falls, an', then, Good Lord!"
+
+"Doesn't the paper say there were two men with him?" Flo asked.  "Who
+were they, do you suppose?"  The girl's face was pale, and she was
+greatly agitated.
+
+"Yes, yes, it does say thar were two men, who left in a motor-boat,"
+the captain replied.  "Now, who were they?  D'ye s'pose they were on
+the boat when the storm struck, an' helped Eben hist the sail?  They
+must have been thar, fer that boy could never have histed that sail
+alone.  Read it all over agin, Martha."
+
+The Tobin family had now a great subject for conversation, which kept
+them talking and speculating for the rest of the day.  Mrs. Tobin
+carried the paper to her neighbours across the way, and discussed it
+with them.  Jess said very little, although she was doing some serious
+thinking.  Two men were with Eben, and they had evidently been with him
+during the storm.  Fearful as she was of being followed, she naturally
+concluded that they were in search of her.  Perhaps there was a
+suspicion abroad that she had taken refuge on the "Eb and Flo," and had
+not drowned herself.  She said nothing, however, about her fears, but
+listened to Mrs. Tobin as she enlarged upon the danger through which
+her son had passed.
+
+All through the afternoon the captain kept a close watch upon the
+river.  He felt sure that Eben would bring the boat back that day.  His
+foot was not giving him so much trouble, and he longed to be up and
+doing.  But his wife and daughter would not allow him to leave the
+sofa, notwithstanding his vigorous protests.
+
+"I must git around, Martha," he said after a special rebuke by his wife
+for his lack of patience.  "Me foot needs to be moved, or it'll be
+stiff to the end of me days."
+
+"Don't you worry about that, Sam'l.  A sprain needs rest, and you're
+going to stay right where you are."
+
+The captain sighed as he tried to possess his soul in patience.  But
+the time dragged heavily, and the "Eb and Flo" was nowhere in sight.
+
+Supper was almost ready when Flo, happening to glance out of the
+window, gave a cry of joy.
+
+"The boat's coming now, daddy!" she announced.  "I'm sure it's the 'Eb
+and Flo.'"
+
+"Is thar a big patch in the sail?" her father asked.
+
+"Yes, I can see it quite plainly."
+
+"Then it's her, Flo.  Thank the Lord Eben's come at last.  He's a great
+boy, that.  Guess he'll amount to something after all.  Ye'd better cut
+an extry slice of that ham, fer Eben'll have an appetite like a bear
+when he gits home."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+MRS. GRIMSBY'S MISSION
+
+Mrs. Hampton had not the slightest doubt but that Jess Randall was her
+own daughter.  It seemed like a strange dream at first from which she
+would suddenly awaken.  The girl was all that she had imagined her
+daughter would be when grown up.  How she longed to take her in her
+arms and claim her as her own!  But, no, she must not do that now.
+What would Jess and John think of her?  Would they not despise her for
+what she had done?  It was almost beyond belief that a mother would
+sell her child for money.
+
+No sleep came to Mrs. Hampton's eyes during the rest of the night, and
+when Jess was comfortably in bed and asleep the restless woman paced up
+and down her own room, racked with conflicting emotions.  What should
+she do? she asked herself over and over again.  She knew now that the
+girl had run away from home, and should she send her back?  But how
+could she?  That she must keep her at all cost, was the thought
+uppermost in her mind.  She was her own child, a part of her very self.
+The girl had been wonderfully brought to her, and was it not a sign
+that she should stay?  But what about the girl's foster parents?  Could
+they claim her still?
+
+Twice during the quiet morning hours Mrs. Hampton had stolen gently
+into the girl's room and stood watching her as she slept.  She could
+see her plainly by the shaded lamp on the dresser.  A deep feeling of
+pride and love welled up in her heart as she looked upon the fair, pure
+face.  She was certain she could detect the father's features in
+forehead, mouth and chin.  He had been a handsome man, and this girl
+resembled him in a marked degree.
+
+During the second visit as she was about to leave the room Jess
+suddenly opened her eyes.  Seeing Mrs. Hampton, a smile illumined her
+face.
+
+"I have had such a beautiful dream," she said.  "I dreamed that you
+were my mother, and that you were rescuing me from people who were
+trying to steal me away from you.  Wasn't it funny?"
+
+Mrs. Hampton gave a slight start, and looked searchingly into the
+girl's eyes.  Then she knelt by her side and gave her a fervent kiss.
+
+"Would you like to have me for your mother?" she asked.
+
+"Would I!  Oh, how glorious it would be!  I have known you only a few
+hours, and yet you seem more like my mother than anyone I have ever
+met.  You are so kind and loving, just what I have often longed my own
+mother to be like."
+
+"She has been good to you, though, has she not?"
+
+"Oh, yes.  In a way she has been very good, though there was something
+lacking which I cannot explain.  I never saw her look at me as you are
+looking at me now.  I could never confide in her, nor go to her with my
+little troubles.  She did not wish to be bothered.  She was just as
+affectionate to our cat and dog as she was to me.  But you are
+altogether different.  I wonder why it is?  I believe you really love
+me, and for love my heart has been longing for years."
+
+"Then stay right here with us, dear," Mrs. Hampton replied, at the same
+time pressing the girl's hand in hers.  "I want you to be my daughter,
+and I shall love you to your heart's content."  She was going to add
+that John would, too, but she refrained.  Just what understanding there
+was between the two she was not sure, although she had the feeling that
+they loved each other dearly.
+
+"But suppose daddy finds me here and takes me home?" Jess asked.  "I
+feel that I should get farther away.  I must not go back to my old
+life.  I want to be free, to make my own living, and then----"  She
+hesitated, and paused while her face crimsoned.
+
+"I know, dear.  You want to marry the one you love.  Isn't that it?"
+
+"It is, but how did you guess it?"
+
+"Oh, I was young once, and understand such things," Mrs. Hampton
+smilingly told her.  "But, there, we must not talk any more now.  I am
+sorry that I disturbed you.  Sleep as long as you like."
+
+This was but one of many conversations the two had during the next day.
+While John was at work about the place, Mrs. Hampton and Jess talked
+with each other, either in the kitchen or out upon the verandah.  Thus
+the two were drawn closer together, and understood each other better
+than before.  Then in the evening, when the day's work was done, John
+joined them.  He was happier than he had ever been in his life, and as
+he went about his various tasks he could hardly believe it possible
+that the one girl in the whole world who meant everything to him was
+but a short distance away, awaiting his return.
+
+The more Mrs. Hampton thought about Jess, the more determined she
+became that nothing should take her from her.  She was her daughter,
+and she had the right to her, no matter what she had done in the past.
+If it came to the worst she would claim her as her own, tell the whole
+sad story, and bear whatever blame might fall upon her.
+
+She thought over this during the next day, and the more she was with
+the girl the more she loved her.  The fact that John's love was added
+to hers gave her much comfort.  Nothing would please her better than to
+see them married.  Then she would have both a son and a daughter.  But
+would the girl's foster parents allow her to marry a man who was merely
+an ordinary country farmer?  It was hardly likely, judging by their
+ambition to give her to the son of a Lord.
+
+She was thinking of this as she worked in the kitchen, busily preparing
+supper.  John and Jess had gone for a walk down to the river, expecting
+to be back in a short time.  It was a beautiful evening, and as Mrs.
+Hampton watched them as they moved down across the field her heart
+filled with pride.  She liked to see them together, for they were so
+happy, and seemed to be perfectly suited to each other.
+
+When supper was ready, she went out upon the verandah to await their
+return.  It was good to rest after the work of the day, and look out
+upon the river.  Everything was full of peace, and if she could only
+bring herself in harmony with the world of nature how good it would be.
+The music of the birds, and the hum of bees sounded in her ears.  But
+her brain was too much concerned about other affairs to enjoy the
+bright things around her.  She felt restless, and a feeling of some
+impending calamity oppressed her.  Perhaps it was the lack of sleep,
+for she had rested very little the last two nights.
+
+The click of the little gate aroused her, and looking up she saw a
+little woman walking up the path toward the house.  The visitor was
+shabbily dressed, and she hurried along as if fearful of being
+followed.  She was panting heavily by the time she was upon the
+verandah, and seemed about ready to drop from weariness.
+
+"Why, Hettie!" Mrs. Hampton exclaimed, as she rose to receive her.
+"What is the matter? You look tired out.  Sit here, while I get you
+some refreshment."
+
+"No, no, I mustn't sit down," the visitor replied, as she glanced
+apprehensively around.  "Gabe might come at any minute.  He's
+everywhere, it seems to me, and has eyes like a hawk."
+
+"Yon just sit down and rest," Mrs. Hampton ordered, leading the
+frightened woman to a chair.  "Your husband will not touch you here.
+If he does, it won't be well for him."
+
+"Oh, thank you, thank you, so much.  But you don't know Gabe as well as
+I do.  He will kill me if he knows I've been here."
+
+"Indeed he will do no such thing, Hettie.  Sit here and calm your mind.
+I shall be back in a minute."
+
+Mrs. Hampton hurried into the house, and in short time returned,
+carrying a small tray, containing a glass of home-made wine, and a
+plate of cake.  This she placed on a small table near the agitated
+woman.
+
+"Drink this, dear, and try some of my cake.  They will refresh you."
+
+Almost mechanically Mrs. Grimsby did as she was bidden, while Mrs.
+Hampton watched her curiously, wondering as to the cause of her
+excitement.
+
+"Do you feel better now?" she asked, as the visitor replaced the glass
+upon the tray.
+
+"Thank you, I do feel refreshed.  But I must not stay long, though it
+is so comfortable here."
+
+Thrusting her hand into the bosom of her dress, she brought forth a
+roll of bills, and laid it on Mrs. Hampton's lap.
+
+"There, that's all I could find," she whispered.  "He must have spent
+the rest."
+
+"Why, what is this?" Mrs. Hampton asked in surprise as she picked up
+the money."
+
+"It is yours; the money that Gabe took from you.  Oh, he is a villain,
+if ever there was one.  And to think that he should come to you, of all
+women, and demand payment for silence.  It's a wonder to me the
+Almighty doesn't smite him for his wickedness."
+
+Mrs. Hampton now understood why this poor creature had visited her, and
+a deep respect and pity welled up in her heart.
+
+"How did you know about this matter?" she asked.
+
+"Oh, Gabe was boasting about it to me.  He had been drinking, and when
+he is that way you never know what he will say.  I took the money from
+him when he was asleep.  He didn't miss it when he left home.  But when
+he comes back there will be a terrible time."
+
+"Where is he now?"
+
+"In the city, where he likes to be, instead of staying home and
+attending to his work.  He's not only a villain, but lazy as sin."
+
+An anxious expression appeared in Mrs. Hampton's eyes as she listened
+to this tale of woe.  She leaned over and touched her visitor on the
+arm.
+
+"You say that your husband talks a great deal when he is drunk?" she
+asked.
+
+"Yes, his tongue is never still unless he's asleep.  It's awful the way
+he raves and swears at times."
+
+"Hettie, do you suppose he will tell what he knows about what we did at
+the hospital."
+
+"No, I'm quite sure he won't say a word about that," was the slow and
+thoughtful reply.  "Gabe's as cunning as a fox, even when he's drunk."
+
+"He told you about it, though."
+
+"Ah, that's different.  He knows that I understand all about it.  But
+he won't say a word to anyone else.  If he does, he won't get any more
+money.  He's cute enough for that."
+
+"And you think he will come to me for more money?"
+
+"I am sure of it.  He'll never let up until he drains you of the last
+cent, that is, if you let him.  And you're not the only one."
+
+"No?"  Mrs. Hampton was becoming very curious now.  "Does he work his
+game upon others?"
+
+"I should say he does.  There's another woman from whom he has got
+money, more than he got from you, and that's Mrs. Randall."
+
+"Oh!  Is she the--the woman who got my baby?"
+
+"The very one.  And Gabe was to her before he came to you.  That's the
+way he's been acting, the villain."
+
+Mrs. Hampton was silent for a few seconds.  Her heart was beating fast.
+Now she knew for certain that Jess Randall was her own child.  The last
+vestige of doubt had at last been removed.
+
+"Why didn't you tell me this before, Hettie?" she asked.
+
+"Tell you what?"
+
+"That you were the Hettie Rawlins who was at the hospital when I was
+there, and that it was Mrs. Randall who got my baby."
+
+"Because you didn't ask me.  You never mentioned that affair, so I
+thought you had forgotten, or didn't want to speak about it."
+
+"No, Hettie, I had not forgotten it.  But I did not know it was you who
+exchanged the babies.  I saw you only a few times at the hospital, and
+when I again met you years later as Mrs. Grimsby I did not recognise
+you.  Oh, what would I not give to undo that terrible deed I committed!
+I must have been crazy to sell my baby for money."
+
+"And I a fool for what I did.  But I must have been entirely out of my
+mind when I told Gabe anything.  I kept the secret for years, and then
+in one unguarded moment I let a few words slip from my lips.  Gabe
+threatened my life, and gave me no peace until I told him all.  I could
+not help it.  If you only knew what a life I lead you would understand.
+Can you ever forgive me?"
+
+"There is really nothing to forgive, Hettie," was Mrs. Hampton's sad
+reply.  "I am the one who needs forgiveness, not only from you but from
+the child I so heartlessly sold.  Did you ever see her?"
+
+"No, not to my knowledge.  But I understand her life was not happy, and
+so the poor thing drowned herself to escape from her misery.  You have
+heard the news, I suppose?"
+
+"Yes.  There has been a great deal about it in the papers.  Her body
+has not been found, has it?"
+
+Mrs. Hampton tried to speak as unconcernedly as possible, and if Mrs.
+Grimsby had not been so much taken up with her own troubles she might
+have wondered why any mother could speak so coolly about the death of
+her own daughter, even though she had not seen her since she was a baby.
+
+"No, her body has not been found yet, though men are searching for it
+all the time, so I understand," the visitor explained.
+
+"Do her parents, I mean the Randalls, feel very badly about her death,
+Hettie?"
+
+"In a way I suppose they do.  But I have heard that they are more angry
+than anything else.  Their minds were so set upon the girl marrying
+that Lord's son that they are greatly disappointed.  I admire her for
+what she did.  I wish I had done the same myself before I married Gabe
+Grimsby.  My life has been a living death ever since.  But, there, I
+have talked too long.  I must hurry away home.  I hope Gabe will never
+know that I have been here.  He must think that he lost that money."
+
+"You are not going to walk home, Hettie," Mrs. Hampton told her.  "John
+will be back shortly, and he will take you in his car.  It is too long
+a walk."
+
+"But I must.  You don't understand.  What if Gabe comes home and finds
+me gone?"
+
+"Where is he now, did you say?"
+
+"In the city, so I believe."
+
+"Very well, then, most likely he will stay there a few hours.  If he
+comes, it will be on the 'Oconee,' and John can get you home before
+that.  So you must stay.  Come, let me take off your hat."
+
+After considerable persuasion, Mrs. Hampton induced her visitor to
+remain.  Then she went into the kitchen and placed the supper upon the
+table.  She could not understand what was keeping John and Jess so
+long.  Anyway, she and Hettie would have their tea, and the young
+people could have theirs by themselves.  She believed that Hettie might
+feel somewhat embarrassed in the presence of Jess, owing to her shabby
+appearance.
+
+They had just finished their supper, and were about to rise from the
+table when John entered the room.  At the first sight of him Mrs.
+Hampton gave a cry of fright and rose to her feet.  His forehead was
+marked with blood, and the face of the girl following him was as white
+as death.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+EBEN COMES ASHORE
+
+As John and Jess made their way slowly down to the shore their hearts
+were free and happy.  They were together, and that was all sufficient.
+Everything in nature was in harmony with their feelings.  Birds chirped
+and flitted about them; butterflies zigzagged here and there, and bees
+hummed industriously among the flowers.  The air was balmy, and a
+gentle breeze drifted in from the west.  Jess stopped and looked out
+upon the river with kindling eyes.
+
+"Oh, what a glorious day," she remarked.  "It is so good to be in a
+place such as this."
+
+"I am glad you like it," John replied, as he glanced at the bright face
+by his side.  "I wish you could stay here always."
+
+"So do I.  The country suits me better than anywhere else."
+
+"You would miss the city life, would you not, if you lived here all the
+year?"
+
+"What would I miss in the city?  A continual round of social events, of
+which I am more than tired, and going here and there in a vain effort
+to find happiness.  I long to be free in the highest sense, and not to
+be chained to a system which to me is deadening."
+
+"You certainly put your belief into practice when you ran away from
+home.  I am glad you do not regret it."
+
+"No, I have not the least regret.  If I felt that my parents are
+mourning for me I would feel badly.  But they treated me so cruelly in
+trying to force me to marry the man I hate, that I do not care how they
+feel."
+
+"But suppose they find out where you are and compel you to go home?"
+
+"They may find me, but they cannot make me go back.  I have tasted the
+joy of freedom from their rule, and shall henceforth think and act for
+myself.  You may consider me ungrateful, but if you knew what my life
+has been like you would not blame me."
+
+They had reached the border of a grove of small trees, and here in an
+old fence wild flowers flourished in abundance and ran riot over the
+moss-covered poles.  Jess stooped, picked a wild rose, and inhaled its
+sweet fragrance.  John, watching, thought he had never beheld a more
+perfect picture of beauty, grace and maidenly charm.  His soul thrilled
+within him, and moving impulsively forward, he took the rose from her
+hand, and placed it gently in her hair.  He smiled as he stepped back
+to view the effect.
+
+"Excuse me," he apologised, "but I could not help it.  That is the
+place for the rose; it makes you look great."
+
+Then he caught her by the hand and led her down the narrow path which
+led to the water.  Nearby stood a large tree, with great outspreading
+branches, and under this they stopped, John's heart was beating fast,
+while the girl's face almost equalled the rose in colour.  The world
+and its cares were forgotten as they stood there on that bright summer
+afternoon.  They were living in a world of their own, for love had cast
+its mystic charm over their young lives.
+
+"Why need you leave this place?" John suddenly asked.  "Why not stay
+here always?  I want you, and must have you?  Would you not be happy
+here with me?"
+
+He was still holding her hand, which he now pressed more firmly than
+ever.  How he longed to take the girl in his arms, and imprint a kiss
+upon her rosy lips.  He wanted to confess to her his great love, and to
+hear her tell of hers.  But she did not at once reply.  Her face, from
+which some of the colour had fled, was turned toward the river, and her
+hand trembled.
+
+"Don't you know that I love you?" John impetuously insisted.  "Can't
+you feel it in my every word and act?  I love you as I never believed
+it possible to love any woman."
+
+Then Jess looked into his eyes, and the expression the young man saw
+there filled his heart with joy.
+
+"You do love me," he cried, "and you will be mine.  Oh, tell me so!"
+
+"Yes, John, I do love you," Jess slowly replied.  "I love you more than
+words can tell.  But we must wait a while.  I am a runaway girl, you
+know, and I must not bring disgrace upon your family."
+
+"Disgrace!  I do not understand you.  How could you bring disgrace upon
+mother and me?"
+
+Jess smiled as she gently freed her hand, and plucked a leaf from the
+branch of a small tree.  This she twirled in her fingers, and then tore
+it into bits, dropping each piece separately upon the ground.
+
+"There is my answer," she said, in a voice that was low but full of
+emotion.  "What I have done to that innocent leaf people will do to me
+when they find out what I have done.  They will not spare me any more
+than I have spared that leaf.  They will take my life and rend it
+asunder bit by bit.  They will hear about my experiences on the 'Eb and
+Flo'; that a mishap befell me at the quarry; that I was taken away in
+the dead of night, and kept hidden by a young man so that my parents
+could not find me.  I know what construction they will put upon all
+this, and no matter how much I might explain it will make no
+difference.  I will be looked upon as a girl who has gone astray, and
+will be held in contempt by all.  Oh, I know how it will be, for I
+remember how people talked about a girl who did something not half so
+daring as mine, and she was never forgiven.  Her character was torn
+into shreds by cruel tongues."
+
+"But what has all this to do with our love?" John asked.  "I don't care
+what people say.  In fact, I will face the whole world, and if I hear
+anyone breathe a word against you it won't be well for him."
+
+"I know you would do what you could, John, but not likely you would
+ever have the chance.  What could you do against the many conversations
+where my name and deed will be introduced.  And in what a subtle manner
+judgment will be pronounced, 'Poor girl; isn't it too bad?'  'How hard
+on her parents!'  That is the way most people will refer to me, though
+some will express their views in no uncertain language.  I have heard
+it before, and know just what to expect."
+
+"But, Jess, why need we care what they say?" John insisted.  "We can be
+happy together.  Our love will make up for everything else."
+
+"Yes, I know that, John.  But until this storm blows over, and I am
+condemned and forgotten it is better for us to remain just as we are.
+I must get away from here and do something."
+
+"You're not going to leave, Jess.  You must stay right here."
+
+But the girl shook her head.  Her face was very serious, and her eyes
+shone with the light of determination.
+
+"I must go, John," she said.  "Should my father find me here, he will
+make my life unbearable.  He will try to force me to go back, and the
+only way to prevent that would be for me to do what people think I have
+already done."  A tremour shook her body, and her eyes grew big with a
+nameless fear.
+
+"Your father shall not take you back," John declared.  "And you must
+not do what you suggest.  That would be terrible!  There is another way
+out of the difficulty, and you know what that is."
+
+"Yes, I know, John.  The captain spoke of it yesterday."
+
+"He did!  Good for him.  He is a man of sense, all right.  And won't
+you, Jess?  We can get married, and then no one can take you from me."
+
+Jess remained silent for a few minutes, with her face turned to the
+river, shimmering in the glow of eventide.
+
+"We must wait, John," she at length replied.  "We are both young yet,
+so there need be no hurry.  Should we get married now, I know that my
+father would make every effort to separate us, even though I have the
+right to do as I please.  He is a very determined man, and when he once
+makes up his mind it is almost impossible to stop him.  When he finds
+out what I have done his anger will be great.  But what would it be
+like should I marry you?  No, we must wait.  I shall go away and hide
+myself."
+
+"You cannot do that, Jess.  I am afraid you know very little about the
+world.  Why, what could you do to make a living?  You have been well
+educated, but what could you do to earn enough to live upon?  You have
+always had plenty of money for all your needs; you have led a sheltered
+life, so you cannot understand the struggle it would mean to go out
+into the world to battle your own way.  Now, is there one thing you
+could really do to earn a living?"
+
+"I don't know, John," was the low reply.  There were tears in the
+girl's eyes, for she realised that the words of advice were only too
+true, "I am afraid you are right.  I did not look at it that way."
+
+"I know you didn't, so that is why I have spoken so plainly.  It would
+be cruel not to open your eyes and show you the difficulties ahead."
+
+"What am I to do, then?" the girl asked, in a despairing voice.  "We
+must not marry each other now.  But what can I do?  Where can I go?"
+
+For a few minutes silence reigned, as the two stood there.  John was
+thinking rapidly, and at last he turned to the girl with the light of a
+new idea shining in his eyes.
+
+"I know what we can do," he told her.  "We can hide you where your
+father cannot find you for some time.  There is a place out in the
+hills where you can stay, and no one will have any idea where you are.
+Mother can go with you, and it will do her so much good, for she needs
+to get away for a change.  We have a nice cabin there, which father
+built.  It is on a little island, in a beautiful lake, and I know you
+will enjoy the life.  You see, we have a coal mine on the shore of the
+lake, and that is why father built the cabin.  He used to live there
+for weeks at a time.  But since his death it has been occupied but
+little; although I sometimes spend several days there when out hunting."
+
+The expression in the girl's eyes showed her interest in John's words,
+and when he stopped she lifted her face to his.
+
+"But what about you?" she asked.  "How will you get along without your
+mother?"
+
+"Oh, I shall live there, too, part of the time," John laughingly
+explained.  "You will not get clear of me as easily as all that.  I
+shall have to attend to the farm, but having the car, I can run out and
+back in a short time.  Perhaps you will see too much of me when you and
+mother set up housekeeping in the wilderness."
+
+"I think it will be splendid!" Jess exclaimed.  "I have often wanted to
+live just such a life as you describe.  And having your mother with me,
+and you visiting us often, what more could one ask?"
+
+"And just think of the delightful hours you and mother can spend upon
+the lake, or walking through the woods.  And during the evenings and on
+wet days you will have books and magazines, for I shall keep you well
+supplied with reading matter.  In fact, there are a good many books
+already in the cabin, for father was a great reader."
+
+"When can we go, John?"  Jess was all eager now for the adventure.
+
+"We shall have to speak to mother first.  I know that she will enter
+enthusiastically into our scheme."
+
+"Then we had better go back to the house at once.  We told her we would
+be away but a short time, and we have forgotten all about our promise."
+
+"Mother won't mind," John replied.  "She likes to see us happy, and she
+understands."
+
+They stepped out from beneath the tree upon the narrow path, and as
+they did so a sound upon the river attracted their attention.  Glancing
+in that direction, they saw a small row-boat coming toward them.  There
+was one person on board, pulling at the oars with long, steady strokes.
+
+"Why, it is Eben!" John exclaimed.  "And there's the 'Eb and Flo' lying
+at anchor.  It's a wonder we didn't hear some sound before."
+
+"Suppose we wait here until Eben comes ashore," Jess suggested.  "It
+will give him a great surprise.  I have not seen him since the truck
+ran off the track at the quarry."
+
+It took Eben but a few minutes to reach the land and pull up the boat.
+He then straightened himself up, and was about to move up the path when
+he caught sight of the two standing before him.  In a twinkling the
+expression upon his face changed, and his eyes gloved with the light of
+jealousy and hatred.
+
+"Come on up, Eben," Jess invited.  "We're waiting for you."
+
+With a bound the youth did as he was bidden, and in another minute he
+was standing before the two, with his fists doubled, and a defiant look
+upon his face.
+
+"Why, Eben, what's the matter?" Jess asked, shrinking back in fear.
+
+The boy, however, was not looking at her, but at John.
+
+"I hate you!" he cried.  "I will kill you!"
+
+"What do you mean?" John sternly asked.  "What have I done to you?"
+
+"You stole her from me," and Eben motioned to the girl.
+
+"Oh, I see," and John laughed.  "Come, Jess, we had better go home.
+Eben is jealous, and I don't want to fight a duel here."
+
+Like a flash the maddened youth stooped, seized a stick lying near, and
+hurled a savage blow at John's head.  Quick as lightning the latter
+dodged, and although he managed to escape the full force of the blow,
+one end of the stick grazed his forehead, inflicting a long gash.  It
+staggered him for an instant, but recovering, he leaped toward his
+assailant.  With a gurgling cry of baffled defeat, Eben turned and fled
+down the path, along the shore, and disappeared amid the trees.
+
+Blood was now flowing from the wound in John's forehead as he stood and
+stared in the direction Eben had gone.  Then he turned to his companion.
+
+"This explains something which has been puzzling me," he began.  "I
+know now who threw the stone which hit you on the head.  It was
+intended for me, but it struck you instead."
+
+"Oh, do you think so?" the girl asked.  "I am greatly surprised at
+Eben.  I had no idea he would do such a thing."
+
+"H'm, one need never be surprised at anything he does.  He's always
+been a mystery to me, and to everybody else, I guess."
+
+Drawing forth his handkerchief, he wiped the blood from his forehead.
+This action aroused Jess.
+
+"Forgive me," she pleaded, "I should have been caring for you instead
+of standing here doing nothing.  Come down to the river, and let me
+bathe your wound.  Does it pain you much?"
+
+"Just a scratch," John replied, as he walked along by her side.  "It
+might have finished me, though.  It was meant for a knock-out blow.  I
+shall have to settle with that young fool.  He must be taught a lesson."
+
+"Oh, don't do anything to him," Jess begged.  "He will get over his
+anger in time.  Isn't it strange that he should be so jealous?"
+
+"I don't blame him.  If I were in his place I would feel just the same."
+
+The girl understood his meaning, and for an instant a smile dispelled
+the serious expression upon her face.
+
+"But you wouldn't try to kill a man, would you?" she asked.  "You have
+more sense."
+
+"It is hard to tell what I might do if anyone tried to take you from
+me."
+
+John was kneeling close to the water now, and the girl was bathing his
+wound.  How delightful it was to feel her gentle touch, and to know
+that she was so near!  It was worth while being injured to have such
+attention from the one he loved.
+
+For a few minutes Jess held the handkerchief to his forehead.  But the
+blood still flowed, so they decided to go back to the house as quickly
+as possible, and, have it properly dressed.
+
+"Mother is a fine hand at doing up wounds," John explained.  "She is as
+good as any doctor or nurse."
+
+They walked as fast as possible up the path, and when they at length
+left this to cross the field, Mrs. Tobin suddenly appeared at the front
+door of her house.
+
+"Have you seen Eben?" she called.
+
+John stopped short in his tracks, and for an instant he was tempted to
+tell this woman about her son's cowardly attack.  He resisted the
+longing, however, and merely informed her that Eben was down on the
+shore, and no doubt would be home shortly.
+
+"It is just as well for her not to know what that boy has done," he
+confided to Jess, as they continued on their way.  "It wouldn't do any
+good, and the less said about it the better."
+
+"And don't let us say anything about what happened at the quarry, John.
+I feel certain now that Eben threw the stone which hit me."
+
+"There is no doubt about it," was the emphatic reply.  "I won't say a
+word now, but that young rascal must be taught a lesson.  He needs to
+be severely punished for what he has done."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+ON THE REBEL TRAIL
+
+"A stick struck me, mother.  But it's nothing serious; merely a
+scratch."
+
+Such was John's brief explanation as he entered the dining-room.  Mrs.
+Hampton asked no questions, but seeing how pale Jess looked, she felt
+certain that something out of the ordinary had happened.  It did not
+take her long to dress the wound, after which the young couple sat down
+to their supper.
+
+"You will take Mrs. Grimsby home, will you not, John?" Mrs. Hampton
+asked.
+
+"Certainly," was the reply.  "You don't mind waiting a while, do you?"
+he asked, turning toward the visitor.  "I have some chores to do, and
+then we will all go for a spin.  You will come along too, mother, won't
+you?"
+
+"Not this evening, John.  I have some work to do.  You and Jess go."
+
+"I don't want you to go to any trouble for me," Mrs. Grimsby remarked.
+"But I feel that I must get on my way as soon as possible.  Gabe may be
+home at any minute, and he will be very angry if I am not there when he
+comes."
+
+"Don't you worry about Gabe," John assured her.  "I shall settle with
+him if he makes a fuss when I am there,"
+
+"Oh, but he will wait until you get away, and then he'll begin.  He's a
+terrible man when he's angry, and he is angry most of the time when
+he's home.  Be careful about marrying, Miss," and she turned to Jess.
+"If you make a mistake and get the wrong man, you might as well put an
+end to your life at once.  It will be better than slow torture through
+the years.  I don't blame that poor girl who drowned herself rather
+than marry the man she didn't love.  You have heard about it, I
+suppose.  And they haven't found her body yet."
+
+Jess tried not to show any sign of agitation at these words, but her
+hands trembled slightly.  John noted this, so, pushing back his chair,
+he rose from the table.
+
+"You must not judge all men by your husband, Mrs. Grimsby.  Gabe is in
+a class by himself, and I am sorry for you.  Just make yourself as
+comfortable as you can here, and I shall hurry up with my work and get
+you home as soon as possible."
+
+In about an hour John was ready, and Mrs. Hampton stood at the gate
+watching the car as it sped down the road.  She was really glad to be
+alone, for the events of the afternoon had been of a disturbing nature.
+She thought of Hettie and her trials.  How astonished the poor woman
+would have been had she known the truth about Jess!  She went back
+again in memory to that night at the hospital almost twenty years ago.
+Hettie was a buxom girl then, full of life and animation, not much like
+the thin dragged-out creature of to-day.  Twenty years!  And the two
+babies, innocent pawns in the unscrupulous bargain, had again drifted
+together as ardent lovers.  What would they think if they knew the
+truth?  In what light would they consider the woman who had taken part
+in the transaction?  Her mind was in a tumult.  She felt that it would
+be fatal to tell them.  And yet she did want to claim the girl as her
+very own, that she might know a real mother's love.
+
+Going back into the house, she took from a drawer the roll of bills
+Mrs. Grimsby had given her.  She held it in her hand for a few minutes.
+It was a part of the money she had paid for silence, and now it had
+come back.  Hettie's honesty and nobleness of soul touched her deeply.
+With the crying needs of a large family how many a woman would have
+kept and used the money?  What a temptation!  Mechanically she counted
+the bills--seventy-five dollars.  Gabe Grimsby must have been very
+drunk when he overlooked such a sum.  How great would be his anger when
+he found that the money was not in the house upon his return from the
+city.
+
+Replacing the roll in the drawer, Mrs. Hampton attended to some
+household duties.  Then she went out upon the verandah to await the
+young people's return.  She was glad to lean back in the chair and
+rest, for she was tired.  The sun had gone down beyond the distant
+hills, and the long twilight was slowly waning.  It was a beautiful
+evening, and the gentle breeze of the afternoon had sunk to rest with
+the sun.  The smooth surface of the river caught and reflected the
+glory of departing day, while the trees along the shore stood clearly
+silhouetted against the silent river.  There was peace upon water and
+land, broken only by the sweet song of a vesper sparrow, and the
+tingling of a bell from a distant pasture.
+
+But to the woman sitting alone upon the verandah there was no peace.
+Her heart and mind were in a tumult of conflicting emotion.  She was
+thinking of the girl who had come so unexpectedly into her life and
+home.  The silence and restraint of long years had at last reached
+their climax.  A mother's passionate love possessed her soul, and an
+intense affection for the child of her womb swept like an overmastering
+current through her very being.  The girl was hers, she must keep her,
+and she was determined that no power on earth should take her from her.
+
+She was suddenly aroused from her reverie by the sound of an auto upon
+the road.  It drew up and stopped right in front of the gate.  A man at
+once alighted and walked rapidly toward the house.  Mrs. Hampton rose
+and met him just as he stepped upon the verandah.  The visitor was a
+middle-aged man, of overbearing manner.  He had not the courtesy to
+remove his hat in the presence of the woman, nor to take the big cigar
+he was smoking from his mouth.  In an instant the thought flashed into
+Mrs. Hampton's mind that this was the man who had come to take away her
+daughter.  She had been dreading his appearance, and now he was before
+her.
+
+"I am Henry Randall," the man announced, "and I am looking for my
+daughter.  Is she here?"
+
+"Your daughter!" Mrs. Hampton replied.  "Why are you searching for her
+here?  Did she not drown herself?"
+
+A heartless laugh broke from the man's lips, as he took the cigar from
+his mouth, and flicked off the ashes.  He looked piercingly at the
+woman as if expecting to see her quail.  But Mrs. Hampton's eyes never
+flinched for an instant.  She was angry at the man's manner of
+approach, and when a quiet woman is aroused there is need for caution.
+
+"Why don't you answer my question?" the man asked.  "I want to know if
+my daughter is here?  She didn't drown herself, though she deserves to
+be drowned for the way she has acted."
+
+"No, your daughter is not here," Mrs. Hampton quietly replied.
+
+"Not here!" Randall plainly showed his surprise.  "Why, I was told that
+she came to your house."
+
+"Then you were wrongly informed.  Your daughter has never been inside
+my house."
+
+"And you have not seen her?"
+
+"No, I have never met her.  You will have to search elsewhere."
+
+"That is strange, madame, very strange.  Didn't your son bring a girl
+here who was injured at the stone quarry?"
+
+"That is quite true, sir.  My daughter received a slight injury at the
+quarry, and it was she my son brought home."
+
+The man frowned and bit savagely at his cigar.
+
+"Confound it all!" he growled.  "What am I to do?"
+
+"Why not go to the quarry," Mrs. Hampton suggested.  "You may learn
+something there."
+
+"That is the only thing I can do, I suppose," and the man sighed.
+"But, by the way, where is your son now?  And your daughter, too, for
+that matter?"
+
+"They went down the road but a short time ago.  Didn't you meet them?
+They were in a car."
+
+"We met several cars, but I didn't see anything of your son.  I know
+him quite well, for let me tell you, madame, he and my daughter are
+very fond of each other.  I believe that he is the cause of all this
+trouble."
+
+"I am surprised to hear you say such a thing, sir.  Are you sure that
+my son lured your daughter away from home?"
+
+"I am certain of it, and what is more, I intend to push this matter to
+the extreme limit of the law.  I must see your son.  When do you expect
+him back?"
+
+"Sometime this evening.  But when John and Betty go off in the car it
+is hard to tell when they will return.  You will have time to go to the
+quarry.  Most likely they will be home when you get back."
+
+Mrs. Hampton tried to conceal her agitation as she waited to learn how
+the man would treat her suggestion.  It was her only hope, and she
+watched him closely.  She felt like a drowning person grasping at a
+straw.  If she could get this man away, and if John and Jess would soon
+return, something yet might be accomplished.
+
+"Well, I suppose I might as well go on to the quarry," Randall growled
+as he pulled out his watch.  "I expected that my journey would end
+here, and by this time I would have that foolish girl safe under my
+care.  I do not know what is coming over young people these days."
+
+In another minute he was gone, and when the car had disappeared in a
+whirl of dust, Mrs. Hampton sank down upon the top step of the verandah
+and buried her face in her hands.  She was trembling violently, and
+felt very weak.  The ordeal through which she had just passed had
+unnerved her.  What was she to do? she asked herself.  How was she to
+save her child?  She lifted her head and listened intently, hoping to
+hear the purr of John's car.  But no sound greeted her attentive ears,
+listen as she might.
+
+Presently she aroused herself and rose quickly to her feet.  An idea
+had come into her mind which stirred her to activity.  Going at once
+into the house, she set busily to work both upstairs and down, and in
+less than a half hour she had several rolls of blankets and quilts
+lying on the hall floor, and two baskets filled with dishes and
+provisions.  She was standing wondering what else she needed, when she
+heard John's quick step upon the verandah.
+
+"Mother," he began, catching sight of her.  Then he paused in amazement
+when he saw the bundles and baskets lying upon the floor.  "What in the
+world are you going to do with these?" he asked.  "Is anything the
+matter?"
+
+In as few words as possible Mrs. Hampton explained the situation, and
+the urgency of speedy flight.  "We must go to the lake, John, and hide
+Jess there.  You don't want Mr. Randall to take her away, do you?"
+
+"Indeed I don't," was the emphatic reply.  "Oh, mother, it is good of
+you to do all this, and help us to keep Jess.  We can go at once before
+Randall comes back."
+
+Picking up the two bundles, he hurried out of the house, and was back
+again in a few minutes for the baskets.
+
+"You lock up, mother," he said.  "I will turn the car.  We can explain
+everything to Jess on the way."
+
+As they sped down the road, Mrs. Hampton explained the reason for their
+hurried flight.  The girl was greatly pleased, and delighted at the
+idea of hiding in the wilderness.
+
+"It is so good of you to help me in my trouble," she replied.  "My
+father is a determined man, if he once gets his hands on me I shall be
+helpless.  But suppose he finds out where I am?"
+
+"It is hardly likely.  But if he does you can leave everything to me."
+
+For some distance they followed the main highway, and at length turned
+off upon a road leading back into the hills.  This was little used, so
+John had to exercise the greatest care in handling the car.  It was
+hard enough in day-time, but at night it was extremely difficult.  He
+had to drive very slowly, and at times branches of trees scraped the
+sides of the car.
+
+"This was once called 'The Rebel Trail,'" he explained to Jess after
+they had climbed a steeper hill than any they had yet encountered.
+
+"What a funny name!" the girl replied.  "How did it get such a name as
+that?"
+
+"It was used very often by the Loyalists in the early days as they
+travelled overland to the river from a settlement beyond the hills.
+The Loyalists, you know, were called rebels by the people in the
+country from which they fled.  When those who had settled back in the
+hills visited the ones along the river, they were often jokingly
+greeted by the words 'Oh, you rebels!' and in that way the path through
+the woods got its name.  Of course, that was long ago, and few people
+know about it now.  An old man once told me about it, and it always
+stuck in my mind."
+
+"I guess the name is very suitable," and Jess sighed.  "Another rebel
+is travelling over it now, for I am sure that is what my parents and
+others think I am."
+
+"A rebel in a worthy cause, dear," Mrs. Hampton comforted.  "It matters
+very little what people call you when you feel that you have done
+right."
+
+"And wouldn't you do the same if you were in my place?" Jess asked.
+"Wouldn't you rebel against marrying a man you despised and hated?"
+
+"I certainly should.  I would do almost anything rather than marry the
+man I disliked."
+
+Further conversation was interrupted by the sudden stopping of the car.
+John opened the door and stepped out.
+
+"We are here at last," he explained.  "This is where we take the boat.
+I shall leave the car here."
+
+It took them but a few minutes to carry their luggage to the lake and
+place it on board a small flat-bottomed boat lying upon the shore.
+With the women seated astern, John took the oars, and soon they were
+out upon the water.
+
+"This is a wonderful adventure," Jess remarked after they had gone a
+short distance.  "How still and mysterious everything is!  I was never
+in such a place before."
+
+"I hope you will not get homesick here," Mrs. Hampton replied, at the
+same time taking the girl's right hand in hers.
+
+"Not with you near me, Mrs. Hampton.  What lovely times we shall have!"
+
+"I hope so, dear," and the elder woman sighed.  "But here we are at the
+island.  You see, it is not far across."
+
+The house on Island Lake was built mostly of logs, and was a cosy
+abode.  It was comfortably furnished, and a rough fireplace was
+situated at one end of the living room.  Jess was overjoyed as she
+looked around after the lamp had been lighted.
+
+"What a delightful place!" she exclaimed.  "I never expected to find
+such a house as this so far in the wilderness."
+
+"My dear husband and I used to spend very happy days here," Mrs.
+Hampton told her.  "I used to keep house while he worked at the mine.
+We made very little money, but we were happy, and after all, that is
+worth more than gold.  When he died, I did not have the heart to
+disturb anything, but left the house just as it was.  John has looked
+after it, and if he had his way he would spend most of his time here."
+
+"And so should I," the girl enthusiastically replied.  "I know I shall
+be happy here.  Oh, I am so glad we have come."
+
+John was happy, too, and as he looked upon the bright, animated face
+before him, he longed to live there in the woods the rest of his life,
+if only he might have the one who was so dear to him always by his side.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+STRAIGHT TALK
+
+"I'm sartinly proud of ye, Eben.  I didn't think it was in ye."
+
+This was Captain Tobin's comment as he listened for the second time to
+his son's story of the night on the river, and the rescue from the
+falls.  Supper had been over for some time, but the family lingered at
+the table, and for once the dishes remained unwashed.  Eben was at last
+a hero in his own home, and his eyes sparkled as he noted how proud the
+members of his family were of his achievements.  This was an unusual
+experience for him, and his heart glowed with pride.  He did not mind
+telling them what he had done, and how the two men had helped him to
+hoist the sail.
+
+"Who were they?" his mother asked.
+
+"Oh, just two chaps who happened along in a motor-boat.  Guess they
+were mighty glad to find shelter from the storm."
+
+Eben glanced at his father as he spoke, wondering if he suspected
+anything.  But the captain gave no sign, so the boy was quite relieved.
+
+"And did the people on the wharf cheer when the tug brought you back
+from the falls?" Flo eagerly asked.
+
+"I guess so, though I can't remember much about it now.  It all seems
+like a dream."
+
+At that instant a loud rap sounded outside.  Flo sprang at once to her
+feet, and when she had opened the door, a man stepped across the
+threshold.
+
+"Does Captain Tobin live here?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, and he's right in there," Flo replied, motioning to the
+dining-room which opened off the little hall.
+
+The captain turned to view the visitor, and then attempted to rise.  He
+sank back, however, with a groan, for he had given his foot a slight
+twist.
+
+"So you are Captain Tobin, eh?" the stranger accosted.
+
+"Yes, all that's left of him," was the reply.
+
+"And you are the owner of the woodboat, the 'Eb and Flo'?"
+
+The visitor's abrupt manner irritated the captain.  He knew the man to
+be Henry Randall, for he had seen him on several occasions.  He never
+liked the man from what he had heard of him, and his repugnance was now
+steadily increasing.
+
+"You ask me if I own the 'Eb an' Flo,' eh?"
+
+"That's what I said."
+
+"Well, first of all, Mister, I want to know what bizness is it of yours
+if I do?  D'ye want to buy her?"
+
+"I should say not," was the impatient retort.  "My name is Henry
+Randall, and I want to know if my daughter was on board your boat the
+night she was supposed to have drowned herself off Benton's wharf?"
+
+"No, I didn't see yer daughter," the captain replied.  "I never sot
+eyes on her."
+
+Randall's eyes opened wide in amazement at this unexpected answer.  The
+word "liar" was on his lips, but with an effort he checked himself.
+
+"I am surprised to hear you say that you never saw my daughter," and he
+looked sternly at the captain.  "I have almost certain proof that she
+boarded your boat off Benton's wharf, and was concealed in the cabin
+while men were dragging the river for her body.  Can you deny that?"
+
+Exclamations from both Flo and her mother caused Randall to turn
+quickly around.  Mrs. Tobin had risen to her feet, and her eyes were
+blazing with indignation.  She was about to speak when her husband
+lifted his hand.
+
+"Keep calm, Martha.  Keep calm," he advised.  "Let me handle this
+gent."  Then he turned to Randall, "So ye say yer daughter ran away
+from home, eh?"
+
+"She did, and that's why I'm here."
+
+"What did she run away fer?"
+
+"Because she was wilful, and wanted her own way; that's why."
+
+"H'm," the captain grunted, "so that's how ye look at it?"
+
+"And why shouldn't I?  But what has all this to do with the finding of
+my daughter?  I didn't come here to be catechised in this way."
+
+"Well, I didn't tell ye to come, Mister.  If ye don't like yer
+reception, ye kin leave whenever ye want to.  No one'll interfere with
+yer goin', an' the door's right thar."
+
+Henry Randall was unused to such plain speech, and it angered him.  So
+accustomed had he been to having his own way and lording it over others
+that this was an unusual experience and hard for him to endure.  His
+face darkened and he looked sternly at the captain.
+
+"I am not in the habit of allowing people to speak to me in such a
+manner," he declared.  "I can make you pay dearly for your impudence.
+Do you know who I am?"
+
+"Sartinly I know, an' that's why I'm talkin' jist as I am.  I don't
+very often git roused up, but when I do it takes more'n you to stop me.
+An' I am roused at the way ye've treated that gal ye call yer daughter.
+Ye've been buyin' an sellin' so long that yer heart is nuthin' more'n a
+bank account.  An' ye weren't satisfied with tradin' in lumber, but ye
+even want to sell yer only daughter.  Thar, now, don't git riled.  Jist
+keep cool fer a few minutes 'til I'm through.  If yer tired standin',
+ye kin set down.  Flo, give this feller a chair."
+
+"I don't want a chair," Randall angrily retorted.  "I want to get
+through with my business here.  I ask you once more if my daughter
+sought refuge on board your boat the night she was supposed to have
+drowned herself off Benton's wharf?"
+
+"Didn't I tell ye that I never sot eyes on her?"
+
+"You lie, Captain Tobin.  I have definite proof that a girl was aboard
+your boat when you reached the stone quarry, and that she was later
+injured on the head by a stone, and brought by a young man, John
+Hampton by name, to his home.  Can you deny that?"
+
+The excitement of Mrs. Tobin and Flo was now intense.  They stared in
+speechless amazement, first at Randall and then at the captain.
+
+"Why don't ye go an' git her, then, if she's with John Hampton?" the
+captain asked.  "What are ye doin' here if yer so sartin about the
+matter?"
+
+"I'm here because there's nobody home there.  I visited Mrs. Hampton on
+my way up the road, and she told me that my daughter had never been at
+her house.  She said a girl had been injured at the quarry, but it was
+her own daughter.  She suggested that I go to the quarry and make
+inquiries, which I did.  I learned enough there to satisfy me that Mrs.
+Hampton lied to me, and that the girl who came up the river with you
+and who was afterwards hurt is my daughter.  And then when I come back,
+I find the Hampton house closed, and no one at home.  That's the
+situation, and it's enough to drive a man crazy."
+
+"It sartinly is most puzzlin'," the captain agreed.  "Strange, Martha,
+isn't it?" and he turned to his wife.  "But, then, perhaps they've all
+gone fer a car ride.  It's a fine night fer a spin."
+
+"But Mrs. Hampton told me that her son would most likely be home when I
+came back from the quarry," Randall explained.  "It seems to me that I
+am being deceived and checked on all sides.  I wonder what is the
+reason?"
+
+"The reason, sir, is very clear," Mrs. Tobin replied.  "The sympathy of
+all is with your daughter because of the way you have treated her.  I
+admire her for what she did."
+
+"Madame, madame, I am astonished at you," Randall declared.
+
+"You needn't be astonished at all, sir.  I have listened to this
+conversation, and see things in a new light.  I could not understand my
+husband's actions a few days ago, but now it is nearly all explained.
+Sam'l," and she turned to her husband, "did you have this man's
+daughter on board the 'Eb and Flo' the day you sailed by here without
+stopping?"
+
+"No, Martha, I did not," was the emphatic reply.
+
+Mrs. Tobin looked at the captain for a few seconds in silence.  Then
+she detected a peculiar expression in his eyes, and at once surmised
+its meaning.
+
+"But, Sam'l, did you have a girl on board?"
+
+"Yes, Martha, I did."
+
+"Then you have been lying."
+
+"No, I haven't.  This man asked me if I had his daughter on board, an'
+I told him I didn't.  That gal might have been his daughter once, but
+she isn't now.  Any man who would treat a gal the way this man treated
+that beautiful creature who tumbled into the cabin of the 'Eb and Flo'
+has no right to call her his daughter, so thar."
+
+"What fool-talk is this?" Randall impatiently asked.  "I know now that
+it was my daughter you had on board your boat.  What you think about my
+actions doesn't worry me in the least.  Your quibbling is childish and
+unbecoming to a man of your age.  You will change your tune, though,
+let me tell you that, when you are called upon to face the charge of
+being involved in my daughter's wild escapade."
+
+"Go ahead, Mister, go ahead.  Whenever ye want me, jist sing out."
+
+"Oh, I shall sing out, all right.  You needn't think I'm bluffing.
+When I undertake a thing I carry it through."
+
+"An' I s'pose ye'll carry through the persecution of that gal ye call
+yer daughter?"
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"Ye'll force her to marry that Lord's son, the feller with the wobbly
+knees an' brainless head?"
+
+"Yes, I am determined that she shall marry Lord Donaster's son.  My
+mind is made up to that, and nothing can change it."
+
+"But ye haven't got yer daughter yit."
+
+"Oh, that's merely a matter of time.  She may escape me for a while,
+but I shall get her sooner or later."
+
+"But s'pose somebody else gits her first?"
+
+"You mean young Hampton?" Randall somewhat anxiously asked.
+
+"I sartinly do.  He's hot on her trail, an' it looks to me as if
+they're mighty fond of each other.  Mebbe they're off now to be hitched
+up.  Ye kin never tell what notions young people'll take."
+
+"Then I'll tear them apart," Randall angrily declared.  "My daughter
+shall never remain the wife of an ignorant country clown.  But I don't
+believe she would go that far.  No doubt she is hiding somewhere.  Have
+you any idea where that might be?"
+
+"I don't believe she's on board the 'Eb an' Flo' this time.  Ye'll have
+to hunt elsewhere."
+
+"And I shall.  I've lost too much time already, and I should be in the
+city by now.  I have an important business engagement there.  Confound
+it all!"
+
+Without another word he turned and strode out of the house, slamming
+the front door after him.  There was silence in the room for a brief
+space, broken at last by the captain's chuckle of amusement.
+
+"Ho, ho," he laughed, "that feller got a dose to-night, didn't he?
+What d'ye say, Martha?  Got a big hand-out fer me now?"
+
+"No, Sam'l," was the quiet reply.  "I really can't scold you this time.
+You did what was right in saving that poor girl from such a brutal
+father.  But why didn't you tell me about it?"
+
+The captain shuffled uneasily, although his eyes twinkled.
+
+"I was really afraid to, Martha," he confessed.  "But I was wrong.
+I'll never do sich a thing agin.  The next gal who flops herself aboard
+the 'Eb an' Flo,' I'll bring straight home fer you to look after."
+
+"For pity's sake, Sam'l, I hope you'll never get into such a scrape
+again.  And you are not out of this one yet, from all appearance.  Mr.
+Randall is a hard man to deal with, and I feel sure that he intends to
+go to law about this affair."
+
+"He kin go to law, or to, or to----"  The captain longed to say just
+where, but he checked himself in time.  "If Randall wants a fight, jist
+let him come along.  If he gits me into court I'll tell him a few
+things I didn't mention to-night."
+
+"But it may take our place, Sam'l," Mrs. Tobin reminded.  "Mr. Randall
+is a rich man and money will do almost anything these days."
+
+"I don't care a hang, Martha, how much money he's got.  I've got right
+on my side, an' I guess that's never forsaken a man yit, not under the
+Union Jack, at any rate.  To save a gal from a brute of a father is
+worth a great deal to my way of thinkin'.  Hey, Eben, don't ye agree
+with me?  You had a hand in this."
+
+The captain turned as he spoke, but his son was not in the room.
+
+"Where in time is that boy?" the captain asked in surprise.  "He was
+here a few minutes ago."
+
+"He followed Mr. Randall out," Flo explained, "and he hasn't come back
+yet."
+
+"I s'pose he wants to see that the skunk got away without stealin' any
+chickens.  It's jist as well to be on guard when a feller like that's
+around.  Jist hand me my pipe, will ye, Flo?  I want a smoke to settle
+me nerves.  They've been upset a bit to-night."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+EBEN ATTENDS TO GRIMSBY
+
+During the conversation Eben bad been a silent listener.  But his mind
+was very busy, and he was doing some serious thinking.  Randall
+appealed to him.  He knew that he was a prominent business man, and he
+liked the brusque way he talked.  When, however, he learned that the
+Hamptons had carried off Jess, his heart filled with anger and
+jealousy.  He truly surmised where they had gone, for he knew how fond
+John was of the cabin in the wilderness, and it would be the most
+likely place where he would take the girl for safe keeping.  He thought
+of his encounter with the two down on the shore, and his eyes glowed
+with a fierce light.  He was no match for John in an open fight, he was
+well aware, so he must use other means.
+
+As he listened to Randall, and watched his every movement, the idea
+flashed into his mind that this was the man to deal with John Hampton.
+He longed to see the two together, and, unobserved, watch the
+encounter.  What fun it would be, and how great the satisfaction to
+witness the defeat of his rival!  That they would fight if they met, he
+had not the slightest doubt, for to his mode of thinking that was the
+only way to settle such a dispute.
+
+When Randall at length left the house, Eben slipped quietly and quickly
+out after him.  He was by the side of the car just as the owner was
+taking his seat and giving orders to the chauffeur.  Randall saw the
+dim figure loom up by his side, and demanded who he was and what he
+wanted.
+
+"It's only me," Eben explained.
+
+"And who's me?" was the curt query.
+
+"Eben, the captain's son."
+
+"Well, what do you want?"
+
+"I want a drive down the road.  Will ye take me?"
+
+"No, I can't.  I'm in a hurry.  Get away from the car.  I don't want to
+be bothered with anyone."
+
+He spoke to the chauffeur, and at once the engine began to hum.  But
+Eben was not to be thus defeated.  He jumped upon the running board,
+and thrust his head into the car, almost into Randall's face.
+
+"Ye'll take me if I tell ye where yer daughter is, won't ye?" he roared.
+
+"Do you know?" Randall shouted.
+
+"Y'bet I do."
+
+"All right, then, get in," and Randall pushed open the door.
+
+In a twinkling Eben was by his side, the door was slammed to, and the
+car was purring on its way.
+
+"Well, where is my daughter?" Randall asked.
+
+"I believe she's on Island Lake.  D'ye know where that is?"
+
+"No, I don't.  Where in the devil is it?"
+
+"Back in the hills.  The Hamptons have a cabin there on an island.
+Their coal mine is on the shore on the other side."
+
+"Oh, I know.  I've fished in that lake, though I haven't been there for
+several years.  What makes you think my daughter's there, boy?"
+
+"Guess it's about the only place John 'ud take her.  He's mighty fond
+of that cabin, an' would live there all the time if he could.  Most
+likely Mrs. Hampton's gone along, too."
+
+Randall made no reply, but sat lost in thought.  Eben enjoyed the
+drive.  It was no nice to roll smoothly along in the big, luxurious
+car.  He nestled back in the easy seat, and gave himself up to the
+enjoyment of the moment.  Some day he would have a car of his own just
+like this, with a chauffeur to look after it.
+
+"You must be happy, Mister," he at length remarked.
+
+"Happy!"  Randall roused from his reverie with a start, and
+straightened himself up with a jerk.  "What makes you think I'm happy?"
+
+"'Cause you've plenty of money, an' own a car like this."
+
+Randall laughed outright, although there was no mirth in his laughter.
+
+"And so you think money makes a man happy, eh?'"
+
+"It should.  Why, ye kin buy what ye like."
+
+"Look here, boy," and Randall's voice became more gentle than Eben had
+ever heard it.  "Money won't buy happiness.  It will provide one with
+many things, I acknowledge.  But it won't buy the great things of life,
+and that is where it fails a man in his time of need.  Do you think I
+am happy?"
+
+"No, I guess yer not, sir, from what I've seen of ye."
+
+"You're right, boy, you're right.  I'm not happy, and I have money.
+But, there, why am I talking this way to you?"
+
+"Mebbe, I know," Eben replied.  "Yer thinkin' of yer daughter, an' what
+she's done.  Isn't that it?"
+
+"It is.  How can a man be happy when his only daughter has run away
+from home?"
+
+"An' why did she run away, sir?"
+
+"Why?  Why?"  Randall paused, and stared straight before him.
+
+There was no more time to continue the conversation, for they were now
+almost at Grimsby's house whither Eben was bound.  He asked the driver
+to pull up and let him out.  The car soon stopped in front of the
+place, and Eben opened the door and stepped out.
+
+"Thank ye, sir, fer the drive," he said.
+
+"Oh, that's all right," Randall replied.  "And you feel quite sure that
+my daughter is on Island Lake?"
+
+"I wouldn't be a bit surprised.  Where else would John take her?"
+
+"It is reasonable and worth looking into, anyway.  And say, there's a
+boat out there, isn't there?"
+
+"Yes, John has a good one."
+
+"But suppose it's on the island if I should want it?"
+
+"Oh, jist holler, an' if he doesn't know who ye are, he'll row over fer
+you.  But most likely John will come back in the mornin', so he'll have
+to bring the boat over.  Ye see, he'll have to go home to look after
+the stock.  If ye happen to be around the lake when he's home, most
+likely ye'll be able to git the boat."
+
+"A good idea," Randall replied.  He then spoke to the chauffeur, and in
+another instant the car was away.
+
+Eben stood for a few minutes staring through the darkness down the road.
+
+"I wonder if he'll go to Island Lake?" he mused.  "If he does, Gabe
+needn't go, an' so he won't want me.  I'd rather be hidin' around in
+the bushes to see the fun.  I'd like to see John an' Randall in a
+stand-up fight, I surely would.  But mebbe it'd be better fer John to
+go back to the island an' not find his sweetheart.  Say, it 'ud be
+great to watch him ramp an' tear around."
+
+A cry of pain and fright from the house nearby startled him.  Wheeling
+sharply around, he saw that the front door was open and the form of a
+woman was falling down the rickety steps.  Surprised beyond measure,
+Eben hurried forward until he reached the prostrate woman.  She was
+moaning and sobbing bitterly, and making no effort to rise.
+
+"What's the matter?" Eben asked, bending over her.  "Are ye hurt?"
+
+"Yes, yes," the woman wailed.  "He hit me, and kicked me out of the
+house."
+
+"Who did?" Eben straightened himself up, while his hands clenched hard.
+"Who hit ye?"
+
+"Gabe, of course.  But don't go in; he might kill you.  He's in a
+terrible rage."
+
+With a bound Eben was through the door and into the house.  The room
+was a sight to behold.  Chairs and tables were upset, broken dishes
+were lying on the floor, and several frightened, half-dressed children
+were huddled in one corner.  In the middle of the room stood the master
+of the house, his moon-like face red with anger.  He retreated a few
+steps as Eben appeared.
+
+"Did you do that?" the latter demanded, shaking his right fist
+menacingly before Grimsby.
+
+"Yes I did," was the surly reply.  "And it's none of your d----
+business what I do in my own house.  Get out of this."
+
+Eben's only reply was to seize Gabe by his coat collar, and yank him
+suddenly forward.  Then he shook him as a dog would shake a rat, while
+Grimsby filled the house with his howls of distress.  He was a
+veritable coward at heart, and in Eben's hands he was as helpless as a
+child.
+
+"Ye'll kill me, ye'll kill me!" he wailed.  "Fer God's sake, let up."
+
+"I want to kill ye," his captor roared.  "Yer not worth livin'.  Take
+that, an' that, an' that."
+
+Eben had lost complete control of himself now.  The fury of his passion
+was let loose, and he shook and thumped his victim unmercifully.
+Grimsby's fear increased to terror, and he made frantic efforts to free
+himself.  He even fought and bit, but all in vain.  Eben held him firm,
+and at last pinning him with his body upon the floor he began to deal
+blow after blow upon the victim's face and head.
+
+There is hardly the shadow of a doubt but that Eben would have killed
+Gabe there and then, so intense was his rage.  But at this critical
+moment Mrs. Grimsby caught him by the arm and attempted to pull him
+away from her husband.
+
+"Don't kill him, don't kill him," she pleaded.  "Be careful what you
+are doing."
+
+This appeal brought Eben somewhat to his senses, and his hands relaxed.
+He hesitated for a few seconds, and then rose slowly to his feet.
+
+"He ought to be killed," he growled.  "He's a brute."
+
+"I know, I know," the woman agreed.  "But you mustn't do it.  It would
+be murder, and you would be hung."
+
+A grim smile overspread Eben's face, as he stepped back, and folded his
+arms.
+
+"Well, then, s'pose you kill him," he suggested.  "He tried to kill
+you, so it's better fer you to do it first."
+
+"No, no," the woman protested.  "There must be no killing here.  Get
+up, Gabe," she ordered, touching her husband with her foot.  "You must
+be thoroughly ashamed of yourself by this time.  Maybe this will knock
+some sense into your head."
+
+Very reluctantly the defeated man drew himself up to his knees, and
+then staggered to his feet.  His face was swollen where Eben's fists
+had fallen, and his eyes were wild with fear.  He edged away from his
+antagonist, and kept as close as possible to his wife.
+
+"Don't let him touch me again," he begged.  "He's not a human being,
+but the devil in the form of a man.  I never saw anything like him."
+
+"Don't be such a coward," his wife chided.  "If you behave yourself he
+won't hurt you."
+
+"Indeed I won't," Eben agreed.  "But look here, Gabe Grimsby, if ye
+ever lay hands on yer wife agin, an' I hear of it, I'll come an' tear
+ye to pieces.  D'ye call yerself a man to hit a woman, an' her yer
+wife?"
+
+"But she provoked me," Gabe defended.
+
+"What did she do?"
+
+"She stole my money; that's what she did."
+
+"You're a liar," his wife charged.  "It wasn't your money, anyway.  I
+merely took it back to where it belongs."
+
+"Ye did?" Gabe snarled.  "So that's where ye were, eh?  Why didn't ye
+tell me that before?"
+
+"I didn't have to, Gabe Grimsby.  If you'd acted like a man when you
+came home, I might have told you.  But, no, when you got here and found
+that I was away, instead of staying with the children you went off to
+the store.  Then when you did come home and found that supper was not
+ready because I just got back, you began to act like a demon.  If it
+hadn't been for Eben here, I don't know what would have happened to me."
+
+"An' he hit ye fer that?" Eben asked in surprise.
+
+"Yes, for that, and because of the money."
+
+"What money?"
+
+"Hush-money; that's what it was.  He dragged it out of Mrs. Hampton,
+that's what he did, the villain.  She paid him to keep silent."
+
+The light of understanding dawned in Eben's eyes, and he even smiled.
+
+"It had to do with the girl, eh?" he queried.  "Mrs. Hampton paid Gabe
+to say nuthin' about her, I s'pose.  She wants to keep her hidden from
+her dad.  I came here in his car, and I tell ye he's mighty mad."
+
+"Has he found her?" Grimsby asked, forgetting in his interest his
+battered face.
+
+"Naw, he hasn't found her.  But he will, though, if you don't git a
+hustle on.  He knows where she is."
+
+"He does!  Where?"
+
+"Oh, it's no use tellin' you.  What can you do?  You'll be in bed
+to-morrow nursin' yer face."
+
+"No, I won't.  Just tell me where that girl is, an' I'll send word to
+the city this very night."
+
+"Why should I tell ye, Gabe?  Ye don't deserve to be told after what ye
+did to yer wife."
+
+"I swear I'll never do such a thing again, Eben.  I lost my head, an'
+didn't realise what I was doing.
+
+"H'm, I guess ye nearly lost yer head when I got hold of ye.  If it
+hadn't been fer yer wife here I'd had yer head off by this time.  But
+come along outside, an' we'll talk this matter over.  Them kids ought
+to be in bed," and he motioned to the weary children over in the
+corner.  "Good-bye, Mrs. Grimsby; jist send me word if Gabe hits ye
+agin.  I'll fix him fer sure next time.  Come along, Gabe, I want to
+have a talk with ye."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE FOREST FIRE
+
+John Hampton was somewhat late in leaving the island the next morning.
+There had been many things to do, and he found the life so pleasant
+that he preferred to stay all day.  But it was necessary for him to get
+back home to look after the stock, and attend to many other duties
+around the place.
+
+"Do you think you can manage all right, John?" Mrs. Hampton anxiously
+asked as she and Jess accompanied him to the boat.  "I feel that I
+should go home too."
+
+"Oh, I shall have no trouble, mother," John assured, her.  "But I don't
+like to leave you two here alone.  I shall be back, though, as early as
+I can this evening."
+
+"We shall have a great time together, shan't we?" and Jess turned to
+Mrs. Hampton as she spoke.  "I am looking forward so much to this day
+in such a beautiful spot as this."
+
+"So you won't miss me at all, I suppose?" John queried as he looked
+lovingly upon the girl's bright, animated face.
+
+"Indeed we shall," Jess smilingly told him.  "But you would not want us
+to mope around all day, simply because you are not with us, would you?
+We shall look forward to your return this evening."
+
+"And don't forget the milk," Mrs. Hampton reminded.  "We forgot to
+bring any last night.  It was stupid of me.  And don't tell anyone
+where we are.  Keep clear of Mrs. Tobin, if you possibly can."
+
+"That's easier said than done," John laughed, as he pushed off the boat
+and sprang lightly on board.  "However, I shall do the best I can."
+
+In a few minutes he was skimming over the water, while he kept his eyes
+fixed upon the girl standing upon the shore, waving her hand to him
+until he had landed and disappeared from view.  How happy he was that
+morning, and his heart was very light as he boarded his car and started
+for the river.  He felt sure now of the girl's love, and he begrudged
+every minute he was away from her.  He would hurry through his work and
+get back to the island as speedily as possible.
+
+He had just reached the gate of his home when he heard someone calling.
+Looking around, he saw Mrs. Tobin running toward him and waving her
+arms for him to stop.  He smothered an exclamation of annoyance, as he
+pulled up his car.
+
+"Have you seen anything of Eben?" the woman asked.  "He left home last
+night, and hasn't been back since."
+
+"No, I haven't seen anything of him," John replied.  "But don't worry,
+Eben is well able to look after himself."
+
+"I suppose he is, but we are all anxious about him.  I thought maybe
+you'd seen him.  You just came up the road, didn't you?  Down to the
+city, I suppose?"
+
+"No," John curtly replied, as he started the car and drove on, leaving
+Mrs. Tobin standing gazing after him.
+
+"She didn't get anything out of me this time," John muttered.  "She'll
+be more curious now than ever to know where mother and Jess are."
+
+For a couple of hours John worked hard around the place.  He then went
+into the house for a lunch, which he ate in the kitchen.  His thoughts,
+however, were back in the hills, to the little cabin in the woods.  He
+pictured to himself the whole scene, and he longed to be there.
+
+At times during the morning he had paused at his work and looked toward
+the lake.  Although he could not see the girl of his heart's desire, it
+gave him some comfort to turn in her direction and gaze upon the hills
+which surrounded her.  He did this again when he came out of the house
+after his hasty meal.  But no sooner had he looked, than he uttered an
+exclamation of dismay.  The woods in the distance were on fire!  Great
+clouds of smoke were rolling across the land, and at times blotting the
+hills entirely from view.  The fire was off to the right, and perhaps a
+mile or more away.  But he well knew that between it and Island Lake
+was a large stretch of blueberry plains.  When the fire reached this,
+it would travel rapidly, devouring everything in its way.  Then it
+would sweep through a thicket of fir and spruce trees on the shore of
+the lake, and the flames would be sure to leap to the island, which
+here was but a short distance across.  And Jess and his mother were
+there!  They could not escape, for they had no boat.  And if they did,
+where could they go for safety?  The fire would reach them no matter
+where they went, for from all appearance it was making a wide sweep in
+its onward rush.
+
+"Confound Sam Lemon for starting that fire!" he growled.  "I feel sure
+he did it, for he told me the other day that he was going to burn that
+fallow of his.  I warned him to be careful, but he only laughed.  I
+wish I had hold of him now, the scamp!"
+
+John, however, knew that such lamentations would be of no use.
+Something must be done and at once if the women on the island were to
+be rescued.  Just what he could do he was not sure.  Anyway, if he were
+with them something might be done.  He could not leave them there
+without an effort to save them.  He was greatly excited now, so
+hurrying to his car, he sprang on board and started down the road.  He
+drove faster than usual, and in a short time reached the Rebel Trail,
+by which he had come that very morning.  Under ordinary circumstances
+he would have driven slowly and carefully over the rough way, for there
+were gullies formed by the rain, and rocks around which it was
+necessary to steer most cautiously.  But John was so anxious and
+excited that he threw caution to the wind and sent forward the car at a
+break-neck speed.  For a time all went well until he reached a small
+bridge, formed of poles, which had become very rotten.  The inevitable
+happened, for no sooner had the car touched the bridge than the right
+wheel crashed through, and in an instant the car was tightly jammed,
+the sudden impact hurling John against the wind-shield, which broke
+beneath his weight.
+
+Recovering himself as quickly as possible, he examined the car, and
+found the wheel so firmly wedged among a mass of rotten sticks, earth,
+and rocks that it could not be removed without assistance.  And,
+anyway, he did not have time, for every minute was precious with the
+fire sweeping steadily onward.  The only thing now left was to walk the
+rest of the way.  By the road this would mean over two miles, but
+across country, through the woods, and along the edge of the blueberry
+plains it was about one mile shorter.  He knew this route well, as he
+had travelled it often before he bought the car.  He did not relish the
+idea of the walk on such a hot day, especially as he would be forced to
+hurry as fast as possible if he would win out against the fire.
+
+Leaving the road, he plunged into a growth of young fir trees, made his
+way through these, and at length reached a valley where the trees were
+larger, and the underbrush was not so thick.  This would lead him to
+the level beyond where he could obtain a view of the fire, and learn
+the real nature of the danger.  The heat here was intense, for not a
+breath of wind fanned his hot forehead.  But steadily and rapidly he
+sped forward, and to his great relief reached, at length, the edge of
+the woods.  Here he stopped and viewed the situation.  Below him on his
+right was a stretch of country, covered with blueberry bushes, small
+fir, pine and spruce trees.  It was a desolate region, and the hot sun
+had parched the shallow soil which covered the rocks beneath.  In
+places these rocks protruded above the ground, and presented either
+flat surfaces or large cairn-like heaps.
+
+The instant John emerged from the forest he looked anxiously away to
+the right, and the sight he beheld filled him with fear and awe.  The
+forest was a seething mass of flames, and great volumes of smoke were
+rolling up into the air.  The roar of the fire, and the crashing of
+trees could be heard for some distance, growing louder each minute.
+The monster was speedily approaching, laying waste all before it.  In
+another half hour or so it would be through the heavy timber and out
+upon the plains where everything would be quickly blasted beneath its
+fiery breath.  Even now the wind, caused by the fire, was sending forth
+flaming branches, and wherever these fell they began to burn most
+fiercely.
+
+John realized that the sooner he was out of this place the better, for
+at any minute he might become encircled by a roaring furnace.  He was
+most thankful that the fire had not reached the lake, so he would be in
+time to assist the ones on the island in case of need.  The only danger
+would be from flying embers, but if there, he might be able to stamp
+out any flame before it had time to do much damage.
+
+As he hurried along the edge of the plains the roar of the fire became
+almost deafening, while the incessant crashing of trees added to the
+horror.  Never before had he experienced such a forest fire, although
+he had heard old men tell with almost bated breath of the wild fires
+they had witnessed, and of the destruction which had ensued.
+
+He had gone about half way to the lake, when, happening to glance to
+his right, be saw something slowly moving among the bushes some
+distance away.  As he looked, he noticed that it was a man, who seemed
+to be limping painfully among the bushes.  At times he stopped, glanced
+back, and then staggered forward.  Who could it be? he wondered, and
+what was he doing over there?  That the man needed assistance was
+certain, for at the rate he was travelling he would surely be overtaken
+by the fire ere he could reach the lake.  John was greatly puzzled.
+What should he do?  He must reach the island in time to save the women,
+and yet it was not right to leave the apparently helpless man on the
+plains to die.
+
+As he stood there uncertain what to do, the creeping figure among the
+bushes suddenly stumbled, and with a wild cry of despair fell headlong
+upon the ground.  No longer did John hesitate.  He sprang forward,
+plunged through the bushes, leaped over jagged rocks, and in a few
+minutes was by the side of the prostrate man.
+
+"Hello!  What's wrong?" he asked.  "Can I do anything for you?"
+
+Hearing the sound of a human voice, the fallen man moved, lifted his
+head, and looked around.  As be did so, John gave a great start and
+uttered an exclamation of astonishment.  It was Henry Randall!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+IN THE RING OF DEATH
+
+At first Randall did not recognise the young man who had so suddenly
+appeared before him.  He stared as if he beheld a vision, and his lips
+moved, although he uttered no sound.  His face was drawn and haggard,
+his eyes wild and blood-shot.  He was a far different man from the
+bustling and imperious lumber merchant of the morning.
+
+"What's wrong?" John asked.  "Can I help you?"
+
+"What's wrong?" the man repeated.  "Everything's wrong.  My daughter's
+gone to the devil, my foot's sprained, and the fire is almost upon me."
+
+"Well, let me help you, then," John replied.  "Come, get up, and lean
+on me.  We must get to the lake at once."
+
+Randall made a feeble effort to obey, but sank back upon the ground
+with a cry.
+
+"I can't walk a step," he groaned.  "Leave me here and save yourself.
+There's no time to lose.  O Lord, this is awful!"
+
+"No, I won't leave you here," John declared.  "Try to bear the pain for
+a while.  It will be better than to be burned alive.  Hurry up.  We
+must get to the lake to save your daughter.  She's on the island, and
+the fire will be there in a short time."
+
+"How do you know my daughter's on the island?" Randall asked.  Then the
+expression upon his face suddenly changed, and a new energy possessed
+him.  He struggled to his knees and faced the young man.  "Are you John
+Hampton?" he demanded.  "Are you the man who lured my daughter away
+from home?"
+
+"I am John Hampton," was the quiet reply.  "But I didn't lure your
+daughter away from home.  She left of her own free will."
+
+"You lie," Randall shouted.  "You cursed villain, I'll make you pay for
+your deviltry.  You brought all this trouble upon me, and I'll,
+I'll----"
+
+"There, now, don't get so excited, sir," John warned.  "You need all
+your strength, so if you don't make an effort to save yourself, you
+won't have a chance to do anything to me."
+
+"Get out of my sight," Randall shouted.  "I won't be saved by a thing
+like you.  I'd rather die first."
+
+To try to reason with this angry and half distracted man John realised
+would be useless.  And besides, there was not time.  The roar of the
+fire was becoming louder, and the flames were about to burst through
+the forest.
+
+Already to their left and right vast columns of smoke were pouring
+above the tree tops, and fiery tongues were licking among the bushes
+along the borders of the plains.  The situation was desperate.  He
+looked, and his eyes rested upon a pile of large boulders several yards
+away.  These were heaped upon a great flat portion of rock, whose
+surface was devoid of the least vestige of vegetation.  To get the
+injured man there was his only hope.  But when he offered the
+suggestion, Randall refused it with scorn.
+
+"That place is worse than this," he declared.  "Here it will be over in
+a few minutes, but there I shall slowly roast to death."
+
+"No, you won't," John replied, at the same time laying his hand upon
+Randall's shoulder.  "Come, trust me."
+
+"Leave me alone," was the angry retort.  "I'd sooner trust a snake than
+you.  Get out of my sight."
+
+John now knew that he had to take stern measures and act at once, for
+there was not a minute to lose.  Stooping, he caught the helpless man
+in a firm grip, lifted him from the ground, and staggered through the
+bushes.  Randall was an unwieldy weight, and he struggled and cursed
+like a madman.  At times John thought he would be forced to drop his
+burden and give up the attempt.  But the menacing danger nerved him to
+almost super-human effort, and at last he stumbled with his load upon
+the rocky surface.  Dragging Randall to the centre of the stone, he
+left him sprawling there, and sprang at once to the nearest clump of
+bushes.  Drawing forth a match from his vest pocket, he struck it and
+touched it to a dry bit of fine grass.  A small flame immediately shot
+up, which soon spread, and raced out among the bushes.  The same was
+done in several other places, and in a few minutes the two men were in
+the centre of a ring of fire, which enlarged and increased in fury as
+the flames seized upon the dry material on all sides.  The heat now was
+intense, and the smoke was blinding and suffocating.
+
+During the whole of this performance Randall was yelling frantically to
+Hampton, asking what he meant by bringing the fire nearer.  John,
+however, made no reply until his work was done.  Then he staggered to
+the excited man's side, and without a word lifted him again in his
+arms, carried him to the pile of boulders, and laid him down between
+two big rocks nearest to the lake.  Taking off his own coat, he spread
+it over Randall's head, and part of his body, commanding him at the
+same time to keep still, and stop struggling.  This warning was given
+none too soon for the next instant a terrific roar rent the air, as the
+fire burst from the forest and flung itself upon the plains.  Nothing
+could John now see, for the smoke was thicker than ever.  The heat,
+too, was becoming more intense, and for relief he dropped upon his
+knees and covered his head with a portion of the coat which he had
+placed over Randall.  This was only a brief respite, however, for
+burning brands were now falling everywhere, and one lighted almost on
+top of them.  Then others followed in quick succession, so he was
+forced to stand on guard above the injured man.  Desperately he fought
+the shower of flaming death, hurling aside each ember ere it could
+alight upon Randall's body.  The heat now was almost unbearable.  His
+hands and face were scorched, and his hair singed.  How much longer
+could he fight the demon? he wondered.  Would its hot breath lessen, or
+would it increase and devour him?  The roar of the fire was appalling.
+On all sides it was raging and so dense was the smoke, and so overcome
+was he with his strenuous exertions, that he felt his strength rapidly
+weakening.  Again and again, he nerved himself to the contest, and
+flung aside the falling embers with the desperation of despair.  At
+last, after an almost superhuman effort, he flung out his hand to ward
+off another burning missive, when all power deserted him, and with a
+cry he fell forward full upon a large bolder.
+
+He was aroused by a drop of moisture upon his cheek.  Then another, and
+still another, and he knew that the blessed rain had come to his
+relief.  Oh, how good it was to lie there, and feel the refreshing
+shower upon his hot face and hands.  He knew, too, that the rain would
+quench the fire for a time, at least, and make it possible for him to
+escape.  He must reach the island to find out about his mother and
+Jess, and how they had fared.  The rain by now had developed into a
+regular downpour, and the raging fire had been quenched as if by magic.
+The dense volumes of smoke no longer rolled over the land, and as John
+looked out upon the blackened plains a scene of desolation met his
+eyes.  The forest on every side was in ruins, even to the lake, a
+glimpse of which he could see through the stark flame-swept trees.  But
+how far beyond had the fire extended?  That was the question which
+filled him with anxiety.  Had it reached the island, which here was but
+a few yards from the mainland, or had it been checked by the lake and
+the rain?  This he must find out, and at once.
+
+With difficulty he rose to his feet, for he was bruised and sore, and
+stepped over to where Randall was lying.  Pulling away the coat, he
+laid his hand upon the man's shoulder, shook him, and told him to get
+up, as the danger was over.  A peculiar muttering sound was the only
+response, and as John dragged back the prostrate body from between the
+boulders and looked upon the man's face, he was astonished to see the
+strange vacant expression in his eyes.  Then his lips began to move,
+and he stared fearfully around.
+
+"Don't let it get me!" he cried.  "For God's sake, keep it away!  Look,
+look, it's coming!"
+
+"Come, come, sir, you're all right," Hampton soothed, certain now that
+the man's mind was somewhat unbalanced by the fearful ordeal through
+which he had recently passed.  "It is raining hard now; don't you feel
+it?  The fire is all out, so you have nothing more to fear."
+
+But Randall clutched him frantically by the arm, and pointed across the
+plains.  "See, see; there it is!" he cried.  "It's coming this way!  It
+will burn me alive!  Ob, save me!  Save me!"
+
+John now realised the helplessness of the situation.  It was necessary
+for him to hurry to the island, and yet he could not leave this
+demented man alone on the plains.  The more he talked and reasoned, the
+more violent Randall became, begging most piteously to be saved.  It
+seemed strange to John that this helpless being lying there could ever
+have been the Harry Randall of whom he had beard so much, and who but a
+short time before had cursed him so bitterly.  Of what avail now were
+his power, wealth and wrath?
+
+As John stood and wondered what to do, feeling keenly his own
+impotence, a shout to the right startled him, causing him to turn
+quickly in that direction.  And as he did so, he saw several men
+hurrying toward him.  As they drew nearer, be recognised them as
+neighbours, men he had known all his life.
+
+"For heaven's sake!" the first man exclaimed, as he reached the spot.
+He ceased, and his eyes grew big with astonishment as he glanced down
+upon Randall.  "Is that him?" he asked.
+
+"You know him, then?" John queried.
+
+"Hen. Randall, ain't it?"
+
+"Yes, all that's left of him.  But how did you know he was here, Jim?"
+
+"Oh, a feller came for us in a car.  Said his boss was out here
+somewhere, and he was afraid the fire had overtaken him.  Guess Randall
+must have got lost.  But we couldn't do anything when we did come.  If
+it hadn't been for that rain the fire would have done terrible damage."
+
+"It's done a great deal already," and John motioned to Randall, who had
+ceased his pleadings, and was lying still upon the ground.  "He's had a
+hard time of it.  His ankle's sprained or broken, I don't know which,
+and he's crazy."
+
+The four men of the relief party looked curiously upon Randall, who
+presented a wretched appearance with his blackened face and rain-soaked
+clothes.
+
+"D'ye think he'll get over this?" Jim Shaw asked, turning to John.
+
+"Not if he stays here," was the emphatic reply.  "You men must take him
+out of this at once.  I've got to go to the island.  Mother's there."
+
+"Your mother's on the island!" Jim fairly shouted the words.  "Why, no
+one could live on the island before that fire.  Good Lord, man!  She
+must be burned alive!"
+
+For a few seconds the five men stood and stared at one another.  The
+horror of the situation silenced their tongues.  John was the first to
+speak.
+
+"You look after Randall," he ordered.  "I must get to the island and
+find out the worst.  Perhaps the rain checked the fire in time."
+
+He then turned and hurried across the blackened waste.  He tried to
+keep calm, but his heart beat fast, and a great dread possessed him.
+What if his mother and Jess were both dead!  The thought was appalling.
+It drove him forward like a hound.  He leaped over sticks and stones in
+his headlong speed, dashed through the burned trees, and sprang out
+upon the shore of the lake.  Here he stopped, and as his eyes rested
+upon the island a cry of despair burst from his lips.  The fire had
+reached the place and swept it from end to end!  But what of his mother
+and Jess!  Were they alive? or were their charred bodies now lying
+exposed to the pelting rain?  He called again and again at the top of
+his voice, but received no reply.  The silence was ominous, for from
+where he was standing anyone, even in the middle of the small island,
+should be able to hear.
+
+The one thing now for him to do was to cross that narrow strip of water
+and find out just what had happened.  The only way to get there was to
+swim, for his boat which he had left that morning at the upper end of
+the lake could not have escaped the devouring flames.  He could see
+that the fire had passed over the very place, close to the water's edge.
+
+Tearing off his shoes and vest, in another minute he was into the lake,
+and headed for the island.  He was a good swimmer and under ordinary
+circumstances the swim would have been mere child's play.  But he was
+weak after his fearful exertions, and his clothes impeded his progress.
+But still he struggled forward, and at length, wearied almost to the
+point of exhaustion, his feet touched bottom, and he staggered heavily
+out of the water, and fell upon the shore.  Again he called, but
+received no reply.
+
+After a few minutes' rest, he regained his feet and groped his way
+along the shore until he reached the spot where he had landed the women
+the night before.  Fearfully he turned his eyes up the path leading to
+the house, and as he looked, his heart sank within him.  Nothing
+remained of the building but a few black sticks, from which small
+wreaths of smoke were issuing.  He walked slowly up the path like one
+in a dream, and stopped before the ruins.  But no charred bodies did he
+find.
+
+And as he looked, a new hope seized him.  The women must have fled to
+the water for protection.  Perhaps, even now, they were somewhere on
+the shore, most likely at the farther end of the island.
+
+Encouraged by this thought, he hurried back to the landing, and made
+his way down along the shore.  He kept a sharp outlook, but no sign of
+life met his view.  As he advanced, nothing rewarded his efforts, and
+despair once more seized him.  The women could not have escaped from
+the island without assistance, he was certain.  And it was hardly
+likely that any rescuer would be on hand in the time of need.  Perhaps
+they had rushed into the water, and driven by the fury of the flames
+had gone beyond their depth.  All this came into his mind as he turned
+the lower end of the island and viewed the shore to his right.  He
+stopped and cast his eyes toward the mainland, but everywhere was the
+same scene of black desolation.  It was wonderful how fast and far the
+fire had travelled before being checked by the rain.
+
+Continuing his walk, he moved slowly along the shore until he came
+abreast the spot where the cabin had stood, and on the opposite side of
+the island from the landing.  There was no need for him to go any
+farther.  The women were nowhere in the vicinity, he was sure.  They
+must have been drowned!
+
+But perhaps they had been overtaken by the fire in their rush to the
+water, and their charred bodies even now might be lying among the
+trees.  It was a fearful thought, which paled his burnt cheeks, and
+caused him to tremble violently.  Should he search for them? he asked
+himself.
+
+"I can't do it!" he groaned.  "Oh, God! this is terrible!"
+
+He buried his face in his hands, and sank down upon the ground, his
+soul writhing with the agony of an overwhelming despair.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+IN THE NICK OF TIME
+
+"What a lovely place this is!"
+
+Jess was standing close to the water looking across at the opposite
+shore.  Mrs. Hampton, seated upon the bank, thought she had never
+beheld a more beautiful picture of grace and maidenly charm.  Her heart
+thrilled as she watched her standing there.  She was her own child, and
+no one had any right to take her away.  Her face, however, became grave
+as she thought of Henry Randall.  He was a determined man, she was well
+aware, and he would exert every effort, and spend money without stint
+to get control of the girl he believed to be his daughter.  She felt
+that affairs were nearing a crisis now.  But she would fight, and, if
+necessary, divulge the story of her own wretched sin.  It would be a
+startling revelation to the two young people, she was certain, but she
+fondly cherished the hope that they would readily forgive her for her
+dark deed of the past.
+
+"Do you think John will come back early?" Jess asked, as she came and
+sat down by Mrs. Hampton's side.
+
+"He will return just as soon as he can, you may depend upon that," Mrs.
+Hampton smilingly replied.  "I hope he won't neglect his work to get
+here."
+
+"And will he go home every day?"
+
+"He will have to, so long as we remain here."
+
+"Why can't we stay here all the time?" Jess impulsively asked.
+
+"How could we live, dear?" and Mrs. Hampton looked fondly upon the
+girl's animated face.  "You have never worked for a living, so have no
+idea what it means.  If we stay here long without caring for the place,
+we shall all starve, and that would be worse than going back to
+your--your parents, would it not?"
+
+"But it is so nice here, and I am very happy."  Jess gave a sigh of
+contentment, and looked out over the water.  "I wish we had a boat,"
+she continued, "so we could go for a row.  The lake is like a mirror,
+and how wonderfully the trees are reflected in the clear depths.  It is
+all like pictures I have seen."
+
+This conversation took place as the two remained by the landing after
+watching John disappear among the trees on the opposite shore.  At
+length they went back to the house, and busied themselves with washing
+the breakfast dishes, and tidying up the rooms.  When this was at last
+finished, they again went out of doors, and strolled along the shore on
+the other side of the island.  From here Mrs. Hampton pointed out the
+mine on the mainland, partly concealed among the trees.
+
+"My husband spent much of his time here," she explained, "and hoped
+that some day the mine would be properly worked.  But there doesn't
+seem to be much chance now of anything being done.  The place is
+becoming overrun with bushes, so John says."
+
+"Is there plenty of coal?" the girl asked, as she looked across the
+water.
+
+"I understand there is.  My husband told me that there is an abundance,
+and I always had confidence in his judgment.  But many people thought
+he was visionary, and in some unaccountable way they considered his
+mine a joke."
+
+"What a shame!" Jess declared.  "They knew the coal was there, though,
+didn't they?"
+
+"Oh, yes.  But, you see, my husband did not have the capital to develop
+the mine, and people of means were unwilling to have anything to do
+with the undertaking, owing to the difficulty of getting the coal to
+the market.  My husband always planned to have a little railway built
+into the lake.  He knew that it could be done, for he had a route
+surveyed at his own expense.  But that took the last cent, so there was
+nothing left for further development.  I really believe the failure of
+his plans hastened his death."
+
+"And would no one lend him money?" Jess asked.  "Why didn't he come to
+my father?  He has plenty of money, and so has mother."
+
+"Your father was appealed to time and time again, but he would do
+nothing unless my husband sold out his entire right to the mine for a
+small sum, which, of course, he refused to do."
+
+"And is my father like that in business?"  The girl's eyes were wide
+with surprise.
+
+"We found him so, at any rate.  But come, dear, let us not talk any
+more about this.  It is a very painful subject to me, and I did not
+intend to bother you with my troubles."
+
+They continued their walk along the shore, around the lower end of the
+island, and up the opposite side.
+
+"I believe we are going to have rain before long," Mrs. Hampton
+remarked, as she paused and looked at the sky.  "I did not notice it
+before."
+
+"What a black cloud that is over there," Jess replied.  "Why, it looks
+like smoke."
+
+Mrs. Hampton turned, and as she did so, she gave a cry of dismay, and
+laid her right hand impulsively upon her companion's arm.
+
+"It is smoke!  And the wind is blowing it this way!  See how it is
+rolling toward us.  Someone has started a big fire over there, and it
+may do a great deal of damage, as everything is so dry."
+
+"But we are safe here on this island, are we not?" Jess anxiously
+asked.  "The fire can't surely cross the water."
+
+"It can come through the air, though.  Burning brands may soon be
+falling on all sides, and wherever one alights another fire will be
+started.  We may have a shower of them here, even before the fire
+reaches the lake."
+
+"What are we to do, then?" the girl asked.
+
+"I do not know except to seek refuge in the lake.  The water is deep
+around the shore of this island, so we could not go out very far."
+
+"Perhaps John will come and take us off," Jess suggested.
+
+"Let us hope so, dear," and Mrs. Hampton placed her right arm lovingly
+around her daughter.  "John will come, if possible, we can be assured
+of that.  No doubt he has seen the fire before this, and is hurrying to
+our aid now.  But, look, isn't the smoke getting thick!"
+
+"And what is that roaring sound?" Jess asked.  "It is growing louder."
+
+"It must be the fire; it's getting nearer all the time."
+
+"Oh, what shall we do ?" the girl cried, clinging now to Mrs. Hampton.
+
+"We must keep close to the lake, dear, and, if necessary, take to the
+water.  We can wade out as far as we can, and may be able to escape
+much of the heat of the flames."
+
+Little was said for a while as the two stood there listening to the
+roaring of the fire, every instant expecting it to leap across the
+island.  Neither did they have to wait long, for soon the air became
+filled with blazing cinders.  They fell with a hissing sound upon the
+water and along the shore.  In a short time the upper end of the
+island, was on fire, and they could hear the crackle and roar as it
+rushed through the underbrush, blasting the pine and fir trees in its
+path.
+
+"It is almost upon us!" Mrs. Hampton cried, clutching Jess fiercely by
+the arm.  "Let us go to the lower end of the island.  Perhaps we can
+get out upon the rocks there.  Anywhere is better than here."
+
+Hurrying along the shore as fast as possible, they soon reached the
+place, and with difficulty made their way over the rough boulders which
+lifted their heads above the surface of the water.  But they could go
+only a few yards, for when the outer rock was reached, they were forced
+to stop, as the water was deep beyond.  And here they huddled, clinging
+to each other, every minute expecting the fiery monster to burst forth
+upon them from the nearby forest.
+
+As they crouched here and waited, they often turned their eyes across
+the lake to where the boat was lying on the mainland.  So thick was the
+smoke that the opposite shore was greatly dimmed.  They wondered what
+could be keeping John.  He was their only hope now, but he must come
+soon or it would be too late, they felt sure.
+
+It was not long, however, before this avenue of escape was almost cut
+off.  With white faces, and fast-beating hearts they saw the fire
+sweeping along the shore of the mainland straight for the small boat.
+Intuitively they both uttered a cry of despair, and stared with wide,
+straining eyes as the flames rolled onward, every minute drawing nearer
+to the landing.  The fire now raged behind them, as it was raging on
+the mainland.  But still they looked shoreward.  Even at the eleventh
+hour John might arrive.  What he would do if he did come they had not
+reasoned out.  Neither did they realise that nowhere on that lake could
+anything live, ringed in by such a fiery furnace.  They imagined that
+out upon the water they would find refuge from the flames, so John with
+the boat was their only means of salvation.
+
+Soon, however, all hope of escape was abandoned.  The fire was almost
+to the landing, and great sheets of flame were leaping high over the
+very spot where the boat was lying.  As yet it was untouched, but in a
+few minutes it, too, would be swept away.
+
+And as they looked, they beheld the form of a man leaping, so it
+appeared to them, right out of that wall of fire.  Jess started and
+leaned impetuously forward, and stretched out her arms as if to save
+him.
+
+"It is John!" she cried.  "Oh, he'll be burned!  He'll be burned!"  She
+buried her face in her hands to hide the terrible scene from view.
+
+The next instant she lifted her head at Mrs. Hampton's startled
+exclamation.  As she looked, she saw that the man on the shore had
+reached the boat as the flames were licking around it, and had sent it
+reeling into the water.  Seizing an oar, he drove the craft out into
+the lake, just as the fire swept over the very spot where a minute
+before it had been lying.  Then he seated himself and began to row
+straight for the island.
+
+"He doesn't see us!" Jess exclaimed.  "He is heading for the landing."
+
+Acting upon the impulse of excitement, she rose to her feet, and
+balancing herself with difficulty upon the rock, she called aloud three
+times.  As the third call sounded forth, the rower paused, and glanced
+around to his right.  At once the boat swerved to the left until its
+bow pointed straight for the pile of rocks.
+
+"He sees us!  He sees us!" Jess cried.  "It must be John, and he will
+save us!"
+
+"While watching the approaching boat, Mrs. Hampton was listening most
+anxiously to the fire sweeping down upon them from the rear.  The air
+overhead was black with dense volumes of smoke, and already she could
+feel the hot breath of the on-coming monster.  A more ominous roar than
+ever caused her to turn partly around.  There stood the trees, gaily
+dressed in their robes of green, unaware that in a few minutes their
+beauty would be gone, and they would be left mere gaunt and shrivelled
+spectres.  From their low position, and protected by the trees, the
+vast clouds of smoke did not greatly affect them, but swirled high
+above.  This could not be for long, as already the woman had caught the
+first glimpse of the fire among the trees.  Would the boat reach them
+in time?  That was the question she asked herself, as she looked again
+in its direction.  The rower was straining every effort, and he was now
+but a few yards away.  On and on rushed the boat, and as the rower
+turned his face toward the women they were startled to see, not the one
+they had imagined, but Eben Tobin.  There was no time, however, for
+questions now.  As the boat neared the rocks, the boy rose to his feet
+and reached out a fending oar.  There was a bump, a grating sound, and
+a roar from Eben.
+
+"On board, quick," he ordered.  "The fire's on top of us!"
+
+Quickly the women obeyed, and scrambled from the rock into the boat,
+nearly capsizing it as they did so.
+
+"Set there, an' be still," Eben commanded, as he pushed away from the
+shore, seated himself, and again dipped the oars into the water.  He
+headed the boat around the lower point of the island, and rowed hard.
+So taken up were the women with watching the fire, that they hardly
+looked at their rescuer.  Had they done so they would have been greatly
+shocked.  The hair had disappeared from his head, his face, arms and
+hands were red and swollen, while his shirt was entirely charred across
+his chest and shoulders.  His blood-shot eyes, and the haggard
+expression on his face told their own tale, although he gave no outward
+sign of his suffering.  He rowed as he had never rowed before, for the
+lives of the women depended upon his exertions.
+
+Eben had been rowing only a few minutes when the fire reached the lower
+end of the island.  It burst with a mighty roar from among the trees,
+and hurled its flames out over the rocks where the women had been
+huddled but a short time before.  They shivered as they watched the
+fearful sight, and silently clung to each other.  But even now they
+were not beyond danger.  The flames, as if angered by losing their
+human prey, reached out over the water in a final effort to seize the
+fleeing ones.  Showers of blazing embers were poured forth, and fell
+around the boat, and at times upon the occupants.  The women were now
+kept alert and busy extinguishing these brands by hurling the largest
+overboard, and by dashing water with their hands and a small baling can
+over the others.  The heat was intense, and at times almost unbearable.
+The smoke, too, was blinding and suffocating.  This, added to the heat
+and the roar of the fire, made their position a veritable inferno, from
+which there seemed no way of escape.  So far as they could tell the
+country all around them was aflame.
+
+Eben uttered no sound, but pulled strongly at the oars.  Occasionally
+he turned his head in an effort to see the mainland toward which he was
+urging the boat.  The fire was sweeping down along the shore, and he
+could tell by the sound how far it had advanced.  In a short time it
+would be opposite them, and if thus caught between the flames on the
+shore and those on the island their fate would be sealed.
+
+Almost instinctively now Eben guided the boat, and in a few minutes
+more it grated upon the beach and brought up with a jerk.
+
+"Get out quick," the lad ordered, as he threw aside the oars and leaped
+ashore.
+
+Without a word the women immediately obeyed, and no sooner had their
+feet touched the ground than their rescuer caught each by the arm with
+a firm grip.
+
+"Come," he gasped.  "Guess we're in time."
+
+They hurried up the bank, which here was quite steep, and in another
+minute Eben halted, before an opening in the side of the hill.
+
+"Gee!  I struck it right," he panted.  "It's the mine.  Bend yer heads
+an' come on.  I'll show ye the way."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+IN URGENT NEED
+
+When Thomas Hampton laboured so hard in opening up his mine on the
+shore of Island Lake, he little thought in what manner it would one day
+be used.  He had toiled through long weary months, working with pick
+and shovel, until he had drifted one hundred feet into the side of the
+hill.  He had shored up the roof of the mine with poles he had cut and
+dragged from the forest, until everything was secure to his entire
+satisfaction.  He had the coal unearthed and ready to be brought forth,
+but little interest was taken in his efforts, and he had no money to
+carry on the enterprise.
+
+"We shall come into our own some day," he had told his wife not long
+before his death.  "The mine will be used, and success and fortune will
+be ours."
+
+Mrs. Hampton thought of these words as she and her companions sat
+huddled there in the darkness at the farther end of the mine.  It had
+been hard groping their way thither, for the ground was rough, and they
+had no light to guide their steps.  But they were thankful for this
+refuge, and it was good to sit there and rest.
+
+"Guess the fire can't reach us now," Eben remarked.  "Wish to goodness
+I had a match, so's we could see what kind of a place this is.  But I
+left my vest in the car, and the matches were in the pocket."
+
+"What car?" Mrs. Hampton asked.
+
+"Lord Fiddlesticks'."
+
+"You mean Lord Donaster?"
+
+"I guess that's his name, but dad calls him 'Fiddlesticks'."
+
+"And you were with him?  Where was he going?"
+
+"Why, he was comin' here, of course.  Where'd ye think he was goin'?"
+
+"What was he coming here for?" Jess sharply asked.
+
+"To see you, I guess."
+
+"How did he know where I was?"
+
+"H'm, he found out all right.  Ye can't hide from him fer long.  He
+thinks a lot of you, he sure does."
+
+"Where is he now, then?"
+
+"Oh, he skedaddled when he saw the fire.  He was 'most scared t' death."
+
+"So he left you alone to save us?" Jess asked.  "There was a note of
+tenderness in her voice.
+
+"Oh, I didn't mind.  He'd only been in the way.  He's no good."
+
+"And you came right through the fire to help us!  We would have been
+burned alive but for you."
+
+"I'm glad I was in time.  Oh!"  Eben tried to smother the groan, but in
+vain.  The intense excitement on the lake while seeing from the flames
+had kept his mind from his burns, but now in the darkness and stillness
+of the mine it was different.  His sufferings increased, and he felt
+like screaming with the pain.  He could sit still no longer.
+
+"You stay here," he ordered, "while I go an' see how things look
+outside."
+
+"Be careful of yourself, and keep out of the fire," Mrs. Hampton warned.
+
+"Oh, I'll be keerful," Eben faintly replied, as he groped his way along
+the dark passage.  "I won't run no risk."
+
+Left alone, the women talked about the fire, and the bravery of their
+young rescuer.
+
+"Eben is certainly a hero," Mrs. Hampton remarked.  "How can we ever
+repay him for what he has done for us to-day?"
+
+"He must have done it for your sake?" Jess replied.  "I am sure he
+didn't do it for me."
+
+"Why not?" Mrs. Hampton asked in surprise.
+
+"He doesn't like me.  I feel certain that it was Eben who threw the
+stone which hit me that night at the quarry.  And then when he came
+home yesterday and met John and me on the shore he was very angry.  He
+picked up a stick and threw it with all his might.  It hit John, but I
+really believe it was meant for me."
+
+"This is all news to me, dear," Mrs. Hampton replied as she pressed the
+girl's hand in hers.  "What reason has Eben for disliking you?"
+
+"I don't know.  But he has acted very strangely ever since those two
+men were injured at the quarry.  He was so pleasant and agreeable
+before that."
+
+"John met you there that night, did he not?" Mrs. Hampton asked.
+
+"Oh, yes.  We were together all the next day, and had such a happy
+time."
+
+"But what of Eben?"
+
+"I didn't see him at all, and when we went down to the boat in the
+evening he wasn't there.  I asked for him, and one of the workmen said
+he had run away when he saw us coming.  The rest of the men thought it
+was a big joke and had a great laugh."
+
+Owing to the darkness Jess could not see the smile that flitted across
+her mother's face.  Mrs. Hampton was somewhat amused at the girl's
+simplicity, although to her the reason for Eben's strange behaviour was
+quite apparent.
+
+"Eben doesn't dislike you, dear," she told her.  "He loves you instead,
+and loves you so much that he is jealous of John because he thinks he
+has taken you from him."
+
+"Eben loves me!" Jess exclaimed in surprise.  "Why, I never thought of
+such a thing."
+
+"I know you didn't.  But I believe it is true, nevertheless.  And I
+don't blame the boy, for how could anyone help loving you?"
+
+Before Jess could reply a peculiar muffled sound drifted into the mine.
+It startled them, for it was like a cry of someone in distress.
+
+"It must be Eben," Mrs. Hampton declared, as she rose quickly to her
+feet.  "Let us go and find, out what is the matter."
+
+It did not take them long to grope their way to the entrance, for as
+they advanced they were guided by the light from the opening.  Smoke
+was hovering about the mouth of the mine, and the air felt somewhat
+cool.
+
+"It is raining!" Jess exclaimed.  "The fire is all out."  Then she gave
+a cry of fright as Eben's body, huddled upon the ground, met her eyes.
+Mrs. Hampton had seen it, too, and was first by the boy's side.
+
+"Is he dead?" Jess asked in an awed voice.
+
+"No, he is alive," Mrs. Hampton replied as she felt his pulse.  "But
+look at his face!  Isn't it terribly burned!"
+
+"And his hands, arms, and body!" Jess replied.  "Oh, the poor boy!" She
+dropped upon her knees by his side, and took one of the swollen hands
+in hers.  "He must have been burned when he leaped through the fire at
+the landing," she continued.  "And he must have been suffering all the
+time while he was rowing us here, and we were too much excited to
+notice it.  Now I understand the meaning of that groan in the mine.
+Oh, what are we to do?"
+
+"I am afraid we can do nothing," Mrs. Hampton replied.  "The fire has
+destroyed the boat, so we cannot cross the lake.  The only thing to do
+is to leave you here with Eben while I go for assistance."
+
+"Perhaps John will soon be here," Jess suggested.  "He must be very
+anxious about us."
+
+"But he won't know where to find us."
+
+"He will come to the island, anyway, and will search everywhere for us.
+Perhaps we shall be able to see him and call to him.  Suppose we wait
+for a while.  You cannot walk to the river."
+
+"I can do more than you imagine," was the quiet reply.  "But it is just
+as well to wait awhile.  In the meantime we must get this poor boy
+under shelter.  Let us carry him into the mine."
+
+As carefully and tenderly as possible the two lifted the unconscious
+lad and bore him into the opening of the mine, where they laid him down
+upon the ground.  With his head on her lap, Jess wiped away the
+moisture from the red swollen face.  Tears streamed down her cheeks as
+she watched him, and noted how his hair had been burnt away, and his
+features distorted with pain.
+
+"You poor boy!" she murmured.  "You did it all for us, and we can do
+nothing for you now."
+
+"We must do something," Mrs. Hampton declared.  "I cannot wait here and
+let the boy die without making an effort to save his life.  I can go to
+the other side of the lake, anyway, and be at the landing when anyone
+comes.  John will surely be there soon.  I hope nothing has happened to
+him."
+
+At these words an expression of fear appeared in the girl's eyes as she
+turned them upon her mother's face.
+
+"Perhaps he tried to reach us and was caught by the fire!"  Her heart
+beat fast, and her face became very white.
+
+"You need not worry, dear," Mrs. Hampton comforted.  "John has common
+sense, and would not run any useless risk."
+
+"But he would run any risk for us, I am certain," Jess declared.  "He
+would not think of himself when he knew that we were in danger.  He
+would go through anything for us."
+
+"I know that, dear," and Mrs. Hampton looked lovingly into the girl's
+sparkling eyes.  "But perhaps he did not know of the fire in time.
+Most likely he was very busy about the place, and had little idea that
+we were in danger.  I shall go now, for there is no time to lose.  You
+watch by the poor boy.  I don't like to leave you alone, but there is
+nothing else to do.  I could not think of sending you, for you would be
+sure to lose your way."
+
+Hardly had Mrs. Hampton ceased speaking ere Jess pointed excitedly
+across to the island.
+
+"Look, look!" she cried.  "Somebody is over there.  He's standing on
+the shore, though he doesn't see us.  I believe it's John!"
+
+Laying Eben's head gently upon the ground, she sprang to her feet,
+hurried down to the edge of the lake, and called across the water.  As
+she did so, the man on the island started, hurried forward, and looked
+over to where the girl was standing.
+
+"Are you both safe?" he shouted.
+
+"Yes," Jess called back.  "But we want help."
+
+"All right, I'll be there in a minute."
+
+The next instant he was into the lake, and headed straight for the
+island.  Jess watched him with the keenest interest, her eyes aglow
+with admiration.
+
+"Isn't he a great swimmer!" she exclaimed, as she turned to Mrs.
+Hampton, who was now standing by her side.  "I know he would come,
+didn't you?"
+
+"Yes, if he possibly could," was the reply.  "I am so thankful he is
+here, for he will be able to help us get that poor boy home."
+
+It took John but a few minutes to swim across that narrow portion of
+the lake, and when his feet at length touched bottom he waded ashore,
+the water running in streams from his body.  But the women thought
+nothing of his personal appearance, so delighted were they to have him
+with them.
+
+"Mother!  Jess!" he panted.  "How did you get here?"
+
+In reply, Mrs. Hampton pointed to the partly-burned boat, and then
+turned toward the mine.
+
+"Come," she simply said, "I want to show you something."
+
+She led the way, with Jess and John following.  The latter could not
+keep his eyes off the girl's face.  He could hardly believe it possible
+that she was alive, and looking as beautiful as ever, although somewhat
+pale.  He was like a man who had awakened from a horrible dream, and
+found that it was not true.
+
+Mrs. Hampton stopped at the entrance of the mine and silently motioned
+to the prostrate boy.
+
+"Why, it's Eben Tobin!"  John almost shouted the words, so great was
+his surprise.  "How in the world did he get here?"
+
+"He came in the boat, and saved us just in the nick of time," Mrs.
+Hampton explained.  "But for him we would not be here now."
+
+"But what is wrong with him?"
+
+"He is so terribly burned that he is unconscious.  He leaped right
+through the fire at the landing, pushed off the boat, and came to our
+rescue.  We were so excited that we did not know he was so badly burned
+until a short time ago.  He never said a word to us about it.  But we
+must get him home at once.  How can we do it?"
+
+John dropped upon his knees by Eben's side and examined his burns.  He
+could tell at once how serious they were, and that something must be
+done immediately.  And as he knelt there, the boy moaned and his body
+trembled.  Then his eyes opened, his lips moved, and he muttered words
+which the anxious watchers could not understand.
+
+"We must get him home before he recovers consciousness," John declared,
+springing to his feet.  "He does not realise his sufferings in his
+present condition.  But should he come to out here it will be fearful,
+for we can do nothing to relieve his pain."
+
+He turned and looked toward the remains of the boat, and then off into
+the forest.
+
+"You stay here out of the rain," he told the women.  "I want to see
+what can be done.  I must build a raft of some kind to take us across
+to the landing, as it is impossible to carry Eben around the lake."
+
+"Oh, let me help you," Jess pleaded.  "Make some use of me."
+
+"But you will get soaked, and your clothes and hands dirty," John
+replied.
+
+"That won't matter.  I don't mind the rain, and I can wash my hands and
+clothes."
+
+"Very well, then," John assented, much pleased at the true spirit of
+the one he loved, and also anxious to have her with him.
+
+In a few minutes they were down by the lake examining the boat, to find
+out how much it had been damaged.
+
+"It is not so badly burned as I thought," John remarked.  "The bottom
+is all right, and the sides are only partly injured.  If we can get
+several good-sized poles to place underneath, it should carry us all
+right.  I guess we can find them over there," and he motioned to his
+left.  "If I only had an axe it wouldn't take me long to make a raft
+that would hold a horse."
+
+Together they made their way into the forest a short distance from the
+mine.  The fire had left desolation on all sides in its onward sweep.
+Everything was black, and the tall trees stood gaunt and bare.  The
+underbrush had been burnt, so without much difficulty John was enabled
+to find a number of sticks lying upon the ground, which he knew would
+serve his purpose.  It did not take the two long to carry them back to
+the landing, and in a remarkably short time they were placed under the
+boat and securely fastened with willow withes, which served instead of
+a rope.  When the work was finished, John stepped on the raft, pushed
+it from the shore, and tested it thoroughly.
+
+"It is perfectly safe," he announced, "and will carry us all."
+
+In a few minutes they were on board and out upon the lake, with Eben
+lying upon the bottom of the boat.  John had found a long slim stick,
+and with this he poled.  But when the water became too deep he paddled
+with one of the oars which had escaped the fire.
+
+Little was said at first as they moved slowly forward toward the lower
+end of the island.  Jess sat by Eben, with his head resting upon her
+lap, while Mrs. Hampton was seated near by.  John was facing her, and
+at times their eyes met.  Words were unnecessary to express their
+thoughts, for love has a silent language all its own, which lovers
+alone understand.
+
+As they came near the lower end of the island, Jess pointed out the
+exact spot where she and Mrs. Hampton had taken refuge.
+
+"It was on that big rock," she explained to John.  "The fire was almost
+upon us when Eben arrived.  We thought it was you at first, for we were
+expecting you, and wondering why you were so long in coming."
+
+John made no immediate reply, but paddled steadily forward.  He had
+said nothing about his experience on the plains, and he disliked to
+tell of it now.  He was not sure how Jess might receive the news of her
+father's narrow escape and sad condition.  He also knew that he would
+have to answer many questions, and would be forced to tell of his own
+part in the rescue, a thing which was adverse to his nature.  But he
+would have to do so sooner or later, so it might as well be now as any
+time, he thought.  Then, as briefly as possible, he explained the cause
+of his delay, and how he had hurried to the island as soon as the men
+had arrived from the river.
+
+While John was speaking, Jess watched him intently, her heart beating
+rapidly, and her face very pale.
+
+"What was daddy doing there?" she asked when he had finished.
+
+"He was looking for you, so I gathered from what he said.  He became
+lost, and sprained or broke his ankle as he wandered around.  Then the
+fire came, and he was stumbling across the plains when I happened to
+see him."
+
+John said nothing about the manner in which Randall had treated him,
+and made light of his wild ravings after the fire had subsided.
+Perhaps his distraction was only temporary, he reasoned, so it was just
+as well not to give the girl any unnecessary worry.
+
+Jess sat for a while lost in thought, and John was relieved that she
+did not ask any more questions.
+
+"Poor daddy!" she sighed.  "I am sorry for him, but I hope this
+experience of his will teach him a lesson.  He has been needing it for
+some time."
+
+"Are you not afraid to go back to the river?" John asked.  "Perhaps
+your father will be more angry than ever, and blame you for his
+trouble."
+
+"I am not afraid now," was the low reply.  "All that daddy can do or
+say will make little difference to me after what I have undergone
+to-day.  I am going to him as soon as I can, and have this whole matter
+settled.  I am sure he will not want me to marry Donaster now after the
+cowardly way he ran away and left us to our fate.  But even if he does,
+it won't matter to me.  Perhaps I was foolish to run away as I did.  It
+might have been better if I had stayed at home, and asserted my rights.
+No one, not even my parents could have forced me to marry such a thing
+as that against my will.  There will be no running away after this, I
+can tell you that.  The matter will be settled once and for all as soon
+as I see daddy."
+
+The decided tone of the girl's voice, and the look of determination in
+her eyes pleased the young man who was watching her.  He liked what she
+said about Donaster, knowing that her censure was just.  He knew what
+he would do with the coward should he ever catch him prowling around.
+He just longed for some pretext to get his hands upon the fellow.
+
+As they drew near the landing, they saw a car come down to the shore
+and stop.  Several men stepped out, who waved encouragingly to the
+voyagers.  John recognised them at once as the ones who had come to his
+aid on the plains.  He was very glad to see them, and thankful when at
+last the raft grounded upon the shore.  Without any questions the men
+lifted Eben from the boat, and laid him gently in the auto.
+
+"The women and you, John, can come with me," the driver announced.
+"There's another car outside for the rest of the men.  We had a hard
+time getting through, so thought it best not to risk two cars."
+
+In another minute they were on their way.  Jess rode in the front seat,
+while Mrs. Hampton and John sat behind, and supported the still
+unconscious lad.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+CONFESSION
+
+It was a beautiful afternoon as Henry Randall sat in a big easy chair
+under the shade of a large apple tree at the back of the Hampton house.
+He was very weak from the terrible experience through which he had
+passed almost two weeks before.  He was slowly recovering, and his mind
+was now as clear as ever, for the cloud had lifted on the second day
+after the fire.  His foot was still painful, and he could not yet bear
+to touch it to the ground.  He liked this place at the rear of the
+house.  It was quiet and hidden from all inquisitive eyes of passers-by
+on the main highway.
+
+The fire around Island Lake, and the thrilling escape from death of
+Henry Randall and the two women had stirred the country for miles
+around.  For days it was the principal topic of conversation in
+numerous homes, at the church door on Sunday, and other places where
+people were in the habit of congregating.  Although John Hampton was
+accorded much commendation for saving the life of the lumber merchant
+on the blueberry plains, it was Eben Tobin who received the unstinted
+praise of all, in so nobly rescuing the women from the island.  Every
+day anxious inquiries were made for the lad, and all were greatly
+pleased to learn of his steady improvement.  The doctor, however,
+reported that it would be months before he could fully recover from his
+serious burns, and that his face and body would be scarred for the rest
+of his life.
+
+The city newspapers made much of the affair, and the day after the fire
+contained special articles, with big headlines.  The fact that Henry
+Randall, a leading citizen, was one of the chief actors, and that he
+was searching for his daughter who had taken refuge in the wilderness,
+created a sensation.  It was the first knowledge that the public had
+that the girl was not drowned, and every scrap of information was
+seized upon with avidity.  That it was a love-affair of no ordinary
+nature was quite apparent, and this added to the intense interest which
+prevailed.  Great credit was given to John Hampton and Eben Tobin for
+their part in the rescue, although it was hinted that the former was in
+a large measure responsible for the trouble.
+
+Henry Randall made no comment about these newspaper articles when he
+was able to read them.  Had they appeared three weeks before he would
+have been very indignant, and would have angrily resented the intrusion
+into his family affairs.  But he had changed greatly since then.  His
+blustering, dominating manner had disappeared, and he would sit by the
+hour beneath the shade of the old tree, either gazing straight before
+him, or intently watching the birds, bees, and butterflies, which
+flitted and buzzed on all sides.  He spoke but seldom, and seemed to
+take very little interest in the world of business of which he had but
+recently taken such an active part.
+
+Whether this change was due to weakness Jess could not tell.  That he
+did not once refer to her escapade and the trouble she had caused,
+surprised her not a little.  She waited upon him faithfully, at first
+almost day and night, and he seemed pleased to have her by his side.
+But she feared lest when he recovered his former strength his old
+imperious manner would return.  She longed for him to remain the quiet,
+gentle, unassertive man that he now was.
+
+Not until the second week after the fire did Mrs. Randall visit her
+husband.  She had wanted to come as soon as she learned of the
+accident, but owing to her nervous disposition the doctor ordered that
+she should stay at home.  She would only be in the way, and her
+presence would be bad for the patient, so he explained.  When finally
+she did come, she was very restless, and it was difficult to know what
+to do with her.  She became hysterical when she saw her husband lying
+so still and white, and she furiously upbraided Jess for her rebellion,
+and the trouble she had brought upon the family.  But after a few days
+she quieted down, took an interest in the family affairs, and seemed to
+enjoy being out in the open.  She became greatly attached to Mrs.
+Hampton, whose calmness and gentleness of manner won her affection.
+
+"I wish I were like you," she one day confided, as she watched Mrs.
+Hampton at her work.
+
+"In what way?" was the smiling reply.
+
+"Nothing seems to worry you in the least.  No matter what happens, you
+remain perfectly unruffled.  Now, I am altogether different."
+
+"Perhaps I have my troubles, too," was the quiet response.  "But I try
+to keep busy and not worry too much about them.  Perhaps you have too
+much idle time on your hands."
+
+"That may be so," and Mrs. Randall sighed.  "You have a clear
+conscience, at any rate.  But I, oh, you have no idea how I have
+sinned.  I am sure that I can never be forgiven for what I have done.
+If you knew what I have done, you would spurn me as one unfit to stay
+in your house another minute."
+
+"Does your husband know about it?" Mrs. Hampton asked.  She understood
+quite well to what this woman was referring, and only with an effort
+did she maintain her composure, although her heart beat fast.
+
+"No, he has no idea of what I have done," Mrs. Randall replied.  "I
+dare not tell him.  Oh, it is terrible to have to bear this burden
+alone!"
+
+Glancing out of the window, Mrs. Hampton saw Randall beneath the tree.
+She knew that some day the truth would have to be told, and no time
+seemed as opportune as now.  It could not be delayed much longer, she
+felt certain, and the sooner the revelation was made the better it
+would be.
+
+"Your husband is all alone," she remarked, turning to her visitor.
+"Suppose we go and sit with him for a while.  I have some sewing to do,
+and it will be much nicer out there than in the house."
+
+Mr. Randall smiled as the women came and sat down by his side.  He was
+pleased to see his wife looking better than she had for years.  The
+city paper, which had arrived at noon, was lying unopened on a little
+table by his side which Jess had placed there to hold the books and
+cigars which she hoped he would use.  She had left him to go with John
+and the hired man into the hay field.  She was never happier than when
+out in the open, and John was always delighted to have her with him.
+Their hearts were full of love, and the world seemed filled with peace
+and joy on this beautiful summer afternoon.
+
+As the two women sat under the shade of the tree and talked, Mr.
+Randall listened for a while in a somewhat absent-minded manner.  At
+length be reached out his hand and took the newspaper from off the
+table.  He read first the financial news which interested him most of
+all.  Then he turned over the pages and glanced carelessly at the
+events of the day.  The various accounts of political meetings,
+murders, and local incidents had little or no appeal to him, and he was
+about to lay the paper aside when something caught his eye, which
+arrested his immediate attention, and caused an exclamation of surprise
+to escape his lips.
+
+"What is it, Henry?" his wife asked.  "Anything special?"
+
+"I should say there is," was the emphatic reply.  "Donaster has been
+arrested for forgery."
+
+Mrs. Randall gave a startled cry, and leaned excitedly forward.
+
+"Arrested!" she exclaimed.  "How terrible!"
+
+"Yes, it certainly is," Randall replied, as he rapidly scanned the
+article.  "He is not the son of Lord Donaster, for there is no such
+person by that name.  That fellow is an impostor, and his father is a
+shoemaker in the United States.  His real name, so this paper says, is
+William Lukie, and the police have been on his tracks for some time for
+forging the names of several prominent business men.  So that's the end
+of that rascal, and I'm not sorry."
+
+Mr. Randall put down the paper, leaned back in his chair and closed his
+eyes.  Mrs. Hampton had let her sewing drop upon her lap, and her eyes
+were fixed full upon the invalid's face.  She was thinking rapidly, and
+her heart beat fast, for she had made up her mind that the great
+revelation must be made at all cost.
+
+"So your daughter, then, will no longer be troubled with that man," she
+remarked as casually as possible.
+
+"Certainly not," Randall replied.  "It has been a very narrow escape."
+
+"And you wanted to force her to marry him last fall, did you not?"
+
+"We did, we did, fools that we were."
+
+"Then Jess was right in taking matters into her own hands."
+
+"She really was; I see it now.  That girl has a great deal of common
+sense."
+
+"I suppose you will let her choose for herself after this?"
+
+"The man she wishes to marry, do you mean?  H'm, I guess she has chosen
+already, from every appearance.  I'm satisfied, if you are.  I
+certainly would like to have John as a son.  He would be a great help
+to me in my business.  I wish I could say the same about my own boys."
+
+"And if they should marry, you would get another son, while I should
+get a daughter.  It would be a satisfactory arrangement on both sides,
+would it not?"
+
+"It certainly would.  Nothing would please me better."
+
+Randall was greatly surprised as Mrs. Hampton rose suddenly to her feet
+and stood before him.  She was trembling violently, and she laid her
+hand upon the table for support.
+
+"What is the matter?" he asked.  "Are you sick?"
+
+"No, no, I am not sick.  But I want to tell you something--a
+confession.  Listen.  John is your own real son, and Jess is my
+daughter.  There, now you know the truth."
+
+A startled cry from Mrs. Randall followed this announcement, which
+caused Mrs. Hampton to wheel suddenly around.  Mrs. Randall had sprung
+to her feet, and was standing before her.
+
+"What did you say?" she demanded.  "That John is our son?  Is it true?
+Tell me, quick."
+
+"Yes, it is true," Mrs. Hampton replied.  "John is your son, and Jess
+is my daughter."
+
+For an instant it seemed as if Mrs. Randall would fall to the ground,
+so overcome was she at this startling announcement.  She stared at Mrs.
+Hampton as if she had not heard aright.  Then she placed her hand to
+her forehead and sank upon the ground, while tears streamed down her
+cheeks.
+
+Mr. Randall gazed at the two women in amazement.  He looked first at
+one and then at the other.
+
+"What is the meaning of all this?" he demanded.  "John my son, and Jess
+your daughter!  For God's sake, explain!"
+
+With face as white as death, in a low voice, broken with emotion, Mrs.
+Hampton revealed to the astounded man the entire story of the exchange
+of the two babies in the hospital almost twenty years before.  When she
+had finished she stood silently before Randall, waiting for his reply.
+What would his answer be? she asked herself.  Never for an instant had
+he taken his eyes from her face as she related the pathetic story of
+motherly shame.  Would he now scorn her and his wife, and spurn them
+from him as unworthy of the name of women?
+
+Presently Randall gave a deep sigh, and turned to his wife.
+
+"Is this story true, Helen?" he asked.
+
+"It is true, Henry, true in every word," the woman moaned, lifting her
+tear-stained face to his.  "But forgive us, for the love of heaven
+forgive us!  We have sinned, but we have suffered.  Oh, it has been
+terrible!"
+
+So vehement was her emotion that she rose and stood once more before
+her husband by Mrs. Hampton's side.  An intense silence reigned for a
+few seconds, and then Mr. Randall motioned them to sit down.
+
+"You need not get so excited," he told them, as wearily they both sank
+down in their chairs.  "I am amazed at what I have just heard, but I
+hope I am not brute enough to increase your agony.  You both have
+committed a great sin, but you have suffered enough, so I gather, to
+atone for the past."
+
+"And you forgive us?" his wife eagerly asked, looking at him with
+tear-dimmed eyes.
+
+"Certainly I forgive you.  What else should I do?  But why did you not
+tell me about this before, Helen?"
+
+"I was afraid, Henry.  And you know you would have condemned me had I
+told you even a month ago."
+
+"I believe you are right, Helen," was the quiet reply.  "But I have
+changed a great deal since then.  I have been at death's door, and see
+things in another light.  And besides, I would not have known then
+where and who my son is.  But I know now, so that makes all the
+difference."
+
+In Mrs. Randall's eyes appeared an expression such as her husband had
+not seen there for many years.  It thrilled him, and carried him back
+to the first happy year of their wedded life.  Rising to her feet, she
+came swiftly toward him, knelt by his side, placed her arms about his
+neck and gave him a loving kiss.  Tears were in her eyes, but they were
+tears of joy now, and her heart was happy.
+
+Mrs. Hampton was about to steal quietly away and leave the two alone
+with their new-found joy, when the sound of voices coming toward them
+caused her to hesitate.
+
+"They are coming!" she announced, "and we must tell them!  What will
+they think?"
+
+Across the field came the young lovers, talking and laughing in the
+gayest of spirits.  Their faces were flushed with vigourous exercise,
+and every motion of their bodies betokened abounding health.  Life was
+very sweet to them on this bright summer day as they advanced toward
+the silent group anxiously awaiting their coming beneath the spreading
+branches of the friendly old apple tree.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+JOY AT EVENTIDE
+
+It was early that evening as Jess kissed her father and advised him to
+go to sleep at once.
+
+"You are tired, daddy, after the excitement of the day, so you need a
+good long rest."
+
+"I suppose I do," was the reply.  "But it will be somewhat hard to get
+to sleep after the events of the afternoon.  Isn't it wonderful, Jess,
+what a change has come over your mother?  I never saw anything like it."
+
+"A great burden has been lifted from her mind, that's the reason.  And,
+daddy, you forgive me for what I did?"
+
+"Certainly, dear, certainly.  But I am not your father any longer,
+remember."
+
+"Oh, yes you are," and the girl smiled.  "Just behave as you have since
+your accident, and I wouldn't change you for any man I know."
+
+"Be careful, be careful what you say, Jess.  I am not altogether blind
+and deaf."
+
+A rich flush overspread the girl's cheeks, and her eyes sparkled as she
+turned them upon her father's face.  She understood the meaning of his
+words.
+
+"I want you always as my father," she replied; "that is what I mean.
+But, there, you cannot get to sleep if I stay here and chatter."
+
+"Where are you going, Jess?"
+
+"Over to see how Eben is getting along."
+
+"That is good.  And you will tell him what we were talking about this
+afternoon, will you not?  I hope he will agree to my plan."
+
+"I believe he will, daddy, and I am so glad you are going to do
+something for him.  He is a fine boy, and we owe him much for what he
+did at Island Lake."
+
+Giving her father another kiss, Jess hurried downstairs and found John
+waiting for her upon the verandah.  It was a beautiful evening, calm
+and mild.  The western sky was aglow with the glory of departing day,
+and the shades of night were slowly stealing over the land.  The two
+spoke but little as they walked, slowly across the field toward the
+Tobin house.  It was the first time they had been alone since they had
+heard the wonderful news that afternoon under the apple tree.  They
+longed to speak about it, and yet a natural reserve restrained them.
+They both felt that the time had now arrived when the great question
+must be decided, and this thought affected their free and easy manner
+of the past.  But they were happy in each other's company, so words
+were unnecessary.
+
+They found Eben lying in an invalid's chair upon the verandah, with the
+captain sitting by his side.  He was still very weak, and the marks of
+the burns were visible upon his face.  He smiled as the visitors drew
+near and sat down upon the steps.  His old jealousy and animosity
+toward John had disappeared.
+
+"How are you feeling this evening?" Jess asked.
+
+"Somewhat better, I guess," was the reply.
+
+"He's a great deal better, Miss," the captain declared.  "I'm merely
+judgin' by the way he eats, fer that's allus a sure sign with Eben of
+jist how he's feeling."
+
+The captain was in excellent spirits, for his foot was almost well, and
+he was hoping to be back upon the river in a few days.  He was also
+greatly pleased at what Eben had done at Island Lake, and the praise he
+had received, especially in the newspapers.  In fact, the latter were
+almost worn out, so often had he read the articles, and shown them to
+every person who came to the house.
+
+"Yes," he continued, "Eben's appetite's all right, an' I expect it'll
+be hard to keep him filled, when we git back on the boat."
+
+"I don't want to go back on the boat," Eben replied.  "I'm sick of it."
+
+"Ye'll have to git over yer sickness, then," the captain reminded.  "I
+can't git along without ye, an' what is there fer ye to do if ye don't
+go on the boat?"
+
+"Oh, I'll find something, dad.  I'm not worryin' about that now."
+
+"How would you like to study civil engineering?" Jess asked.
+
+Eben looked at her with surprise, wondering whether he had heard
+aright.  Then he smiled, somewhat wistfully.
+
+"I mean it," Jess insisted.  "Father is willing to send you to college,
+and pay all your expenses.  Isn't it great?"
+
+"Great!"  Eben fairly shouted the word, weak though he was.  "Send me
+to college to be a civil engineer!  Say yer jist foolin', ain't ye?"
+
+"Indeed I am not.  Daddy is willing and ready to do all he can to help
+you, so there."
+
+"But what am I to do?" the captain demanded.  "If Eben goes to college,
+I'll be left alone on the 'Eb an' Flo.'  Guess I might as well close up
+bizness, too."
+
+"Oh, daddy will make that all right, Captain.  We talked it over this
+afternoon, so if you agree to let Eben go to college, he will arrange
+with you about the boat.  Daddy is very much interested in the scheme."
+
+"H'm, it seems to me he's changed a great deal since the night he was
+here asking about you.  He was like a roarin' lion then."
+
+"He has changed, Captain, until I hardly know him.  I believe it was
+his narrow escape from death which did it.  He is so gentle now, and a
+real companion.  I am so thankful!  And you will agree to let Eben go,
+won't you?"
+
+"Guess we'll have to see Martha an' Flo, Miss.  They'll have the most
+to say.  But mebbe they'll agree, fer they'd like to see the boy git
+on."
+
+"Where do I come in on this?" Eben unexpectedly asked.  "I'm goin' to
+college, no matter what anyone says.  I'm old enough now to think fer
+myself, an' I'm goin' to."
+
+"Tut, tut, Eben," his father chided.  "Ye needn't git on yer
+high-horse.  Sartinly yer goin' to college.  Yer ma an' Flo'll agree.
+I'll jist go after 'em.  They're doin' the chores.  We might as well
+git this matter settled while you're here, Miss.  It'll smooth things
+somewhat to have you present.  You kin explain to Martha better'n I
+kin."
+
+The captain stepped off the verandah, and limped around the corner of
+the house in the direction of the barn.  No sooner had he disappeared
+than Eben leaned eagerly toward his visitors.
+
+"Yell both forgive me, won't ye, fer throwin' that stone?" he whispered.
+
+"At the quarry, you mean?" Jess asked.
+
+"Yes, that, an' the stick on the shore.  The devil got into me, I
+guess."
+
+"Certainly I forgive you, Eben, for what you did to me, and I know John
+will do the same."
+
+"Indeed I will," the latter agreed.  "You have made up for all that
+many times over.  You risked your life for my mother and Miss Randall.
+We can never repay you."
+
+"I don't think I'd a done it but fer that stone, Miss.  Ye see, I
+couldn't git it out of my mind, so I wanted to make up in some way fer
+the harm I did.  That was my only chance."
+
+"And were you really thinking of that when you came through the fire to
+save us?" Jess asked in surprise.
+
+"Yes, Miss, I was.  I'm awful sorry fer what I did.  I was a big fool,
+all right."
+
+Just then his father returned, so nothing more was said about the
+matter.
+
+"They won't come," the captain announced.  "They say they're not
+dressed to receive company, an' I guess they're right.  Martha does
+sartinly git on queer togs when she looks after the barn an' the
+chickens.  I wish to goodness, Miss, ye'd slip out an' surprise her.
+It'd be a fine joke."
+
+"Oh, that wouldn't be fair," Jess laughingly replied.  "I wouldn't like
+for anyone to do that to me.  We can come again."
+
+Having bidden the captain and his son good-night, the young couple
+strolled down through the field toward the shore.  The darkness had now
+deepened, but before them flowed the river, touched with the last rich
+rosy tints of the departed sun.
+
+"Isn't it beautiful!" Jess exclaimed, as she stopped and looked out
+upon the water.  "This is a perfect ending of a perfect day."
+
+"It has truly been a wonderful day," John replied, "but I am not sure
+yet about the perfect ending.  That remains to be seen."
+
+"In what way, John?  Could anything be more perfect than this?"
+
+"Come, and I will explain," was all the young man said, as once more
+they moved forward,
+
+They passed along the path leading to Beech Cove, and when near the
+shore, they sat down upon an old log which years before had been
+stranded upon the beach.
+
+"This is where Eben threw the stick," Jess remarked, as she looked
+around.  "He has changed a great deal since then.  He was not one bit
+jealous of you to-night."
+
+John laughed as he nervously tore off a splinter from the log and broke
+it into bits.  "I had two rivals then, but now I have none.  One has
+repented of his own free will, while the other will trouble you no
+longer.  Are you glad?"
+
+"I suppose I should be," the girl slowly replied.
+
+"And it will not be necessary to run away from your father now, and
+work for your own living," John continued.  "So that matter is settled."
+
+"But I have no father now," was the low response.  "You have taken my
+place, so if I don't work I shall have to depend upon my own mother for
+a living, and I could not think of doing that."
+
+"But you will have plenty, Jess.  Your father, I mean my father.  Dear
+me, I am all mixed up.  Suppose I say, 'Our father'?  Anyway, he wants
+me to go to the city, and help him in his business, which he says is
+too much for him to manage alone.  He told me this afternoon that he
+would do what he could for the developing of the mine, and feels quite
+sure that he will succeed.  Now, if we change places everything will be
+terribly mixed up.  There is only one way out of it, Jess, and you know
+what that is.  You must be my wife.  It is you I want more than
+anything else in the world.  I asked you once before, and you told me
+to wait.  But now I can wait no longer.  Oh, Jess, tell me that you
+love me, and will be my wife."
+
+For a few seconds an intense silence reigned.  Then the girl, her eyes
+misty with tears, turned her face to her lover's, and laid her hand in
+his.
+
+"Take me, John," she simply said.  "I am yours."
+
+With his face radiant with joy, John enfolded her in his arms, and
+pressed his lips to hers.
+
+"I agree with you now," he whispered, "that this is a perfect ending of
+a perfect day."
+
+"And the beginning of many perfect days, let us hope," was the girl's
+low, happy reply.
+
+
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Jess of the Rebel Trail, by H. A. Cody
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #15382 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15382)