The four men stared at him In a complex of humors, but Cara cried out spiritedly : "Tliut she shan't be, and 1 care not who'd persecute her. Besides, 'tis ridiculous, Mr. Sopher. The poor creature has no English." "Yet we all heard her speak," Governor Gov-ernor Tompkins pointed out temperately. temper-ately. "She speaks English as well as anj of us, your excellency," Feliowes Interjected; In-terjected; "but there's no great mys tery to It She was Id need of era ployment ; she was told Miss Inglepin would accept ouly a Portuguese; and lest she should lose her place shr pretended pre-tended Ignorance of English. She abandoned her ruse because because she hnd her mistress' happiness at heart." He looked straight at Cara, and after a moment of IndeclsloD she let her eyes meet his. "1 owe a debt to Mary McCarthy," Feliowes added gently. "She showed me what I was too blind to see." The answering light that shone In Cam's face drew hlra forward a step before he could check himself. "Humph." grunted the governor ''1 must gel back to Government house. You might come wltb me. Joshua." "Mind If I come, too?" asked Ben. "Glad to have you," answered Joshua, Unking arms wltb him. In the doorway his excellency paused, and seized hold of Sopher's shoulder. "You. too," be commanded. "But, your excellency, 1 am on duty 1 In charge of Captain Feliowes' escort and " "You come along as Feliowes attorney," attor-ney," advised the governor. "He'll ''Hub! I'll thank ye not to be conu-lln' conu-lln' me witn an outlandish furrlner the shape of a I ar'l of salt pork!" "Shore," drawled Jell, "but ye kin say this for a fat woman. She ain't so short In her temper." "Any woman 'ud be short-tempered with a tight-mouthed ninny hadn't niore'D hoss talk on his tongue I Git along, dol Wbo else come with Squire?' "Nimrod Sopher. The rest o' the Babylon fellers stayed Into the city Spendln' prize money." "They would," the widow observed grimly. "Anyone else?" "That mahog'ny-colored feller, Tom, n' his nlggermau only be ain't Tom's nigger do more 'cause Squire Feliowes or mebbe 'twas Miss' Feliowes It's kinder hard to make out haow they done it bought him off o' Tom." Mrs. Rhodes' eye brightened visibly "Do tell I" she cried. "Why thatair Tom must have a heap o' money Jeff." "But money doan't never do a sailor no good," asserted Jeff. "And the best of 'em air uneasy fellers, alius up 'n' away, Jest when ye figger ye got 'em tied daown." "I'd like to see the man, sailor or no, could git away from me, short ' the Heavenly trump," commented the widow. "Waall. oaow. If 'twore me. rhar wouldn't be no need to keep him from gittin' away," propounded Jeff. "1 had It on my mind quite a time. M'randy. to talk things over with ye. "Save yer breath," advised Mrs. Rhodes. "Did ye hear baow much prize money Tom got?" Jeff's response was unintelligible, and be turned to the task of unharnessing unhar-nessing his team; but the widow reached out a lean arm, and grap-1 pled him to her. "None o' that with me, Jeff Biggie," she ordered. "Answer my question.' "Uaow'd 1 knaow? Ask him yer self." "As If ye didn't worm Into every bit o' news along the road," she scoffed, j "Haow much?" j After a hopeless wriggle, Jeff answered an-swered sullenly: "They do say squire give Tom all j bis share o' the prize money." "Squire's share? Glory be I Bui haow much?" "Four-five thousand dollars." Her arm fell beside her. "Land's sake! All that money fol a nlgger-man?" "Squire 'n' Mis' Feliowes air purtj fond o' Cuffee." "Oh, Cuffee's a good nigger 1 But-All But-All that for him I I vuml And Tom Innercent as a cradle babe!" Her head sank Id reflection, whll Jeff regarded ber more anxiously than before. "1 got a ter'ble hunger, M'randy," be said. "Haow 'baout a snack to : mmm f . i ffl i nu ArlEiurl). j 3 KovvdtMi Smith f O O I 8 Copyrlcht. 132J g ARTHUR D. HOVVDEN SMITH fi jj WNU Service Y CHAPTER XV Continued 24 "l still don't understand," said Fel lowcs, shaking his head. "You were a nun, anyway?" "Sorrn a nun. Unless ye call me ' nun that was housekeeper for the ', Irish Nuns at Lisbon, and that same by token Mother Seraphlmi that was horn Margaret Gllhnoley, third daugh tor to ould Squire Gllhooley av the Iteolts In County Donegal, would have me come wld her when she fuk Xhe veil for a hit av company and hlanhanderln by times she wasn't prayln' But that was before 1 got tne growth or me appeytlte. an shure. says she, I'd ate the convent nut av Its funds If I went on. But was 1 to blame that the dear God give me a stomach above nuns' fare?" "So you left the convent for Miss lnglepln's service?" "That I did, and maany's the time I've been down on me two shlnbones. thankln' the blessed saints that slnt a folne. lovely, young leddy the like ov her " "But didn't she know you were Irish?" Feliowes interrupted, his suspicions sus-picions reawakened. The duenna eyed him shrewdly. "Not she I 'Twas a Portuguese she wanted. One that knew the way av the counthry, and Mother Seraphlna says, says she, me young leddy wouldn't be satisfied wld " "Was that honest?" "And why not?" snapped the attendant attend-ant "How was a chit of a girrul to know what was betther for her? And I'll thank ye not to miscall me. that's been a good friend to ye, for all yer black scowls, and murtherin' rages, nnd the blood ye've spill on the right band and the left." - - "I'm sorry," Feliowes apologized, genuinely bewildered. "But you mustn't blame me " "Arrah, and 'tis nobody else I'll blame, and me young, leddy asettiu -FT fWM mm UDlkM iffl mi eat?" She didn't hear him. Her eye was scanning the Inn structure with a calculating cal-culating efficiency. "Mebbe 'twould be a good scheme to change the name," she murmured. "Ye jest changed It," objected Jeff "1 knaow, but the war ain't goin to last much longer. And folks wou'l think much o' sojers. "The Sailor's Rest I' That 'ud be a good one. Kind er appealin', too. Make a man feei to home. Course, we'd need a nen sign, but that pig fits Into any pictur' and a handy mau " M'raudy, ye ain't tixin' to throw mt over?'" gulped Jeff. "Ye ain't goin to go 'n' tangle yerself with this leettle, hairy sailor that wont draw two sober breaths ashore?" "I'll thank ye to keep a civil tongut In yer head where Tom's consarned.' the widow retorted briskly. "And 1 ain't throwin' ye over thar aln'l nothin' betwixt us to throw, Jeft Rig gle. Jest 'cause I've let ye order u raound like I was yer wife, which the dear Lord knaows I'd never dream ol bein'. not while thar was a single oth er man left able to draw britches onto his legs, ain't no reason why ye should presoom to try to boss 'n' bother me. (Jit along, naow I Unhltcb them hosses, 'd' bed 'em daown. If ye want a bite, tliar's a ham in the cold cupboard, 'n' tire for a dish o' fpa." "But whar ye goin', M'randy?" he wailed as she started to sail out of the yard. "Goin ? Why. of course, I'm going to see what I kin do for squire 'n' Mis' Feliowes." "Figgerin to marry Tom right off?" lie snarled. "Mebbe he'll have some-thin' some-thin' to say for hlsself." "He's a sensible man, Tom Is," she retorted. "And thar's more to a sailor sail-or 'n' thar is to a stage driver." Bitterness welled up in Jeff's heart. "Yes, and niore'n one wife most gen'rally." "Not if he's married to M'randy Rhodes," the widow returned, undis-luibed. undis-luibed. "I calc'late to keep a man so busy he won't hanker after sin which is what I'm goin' to tell Mis' Feliowes. Not that squire ain't a decent, young man, but men air men. and all Nimrod Sopher's law learnln' won't change em." THE END. Here, Rekindled for Him, Was the Subtle Glamor That Had Lured Him From Pr renha to Lisbon. not require assistance here or I miss my guess." The door closed behind the four, and as if the click of the latch had been a signal Cara rose from ber chair Her eyes were brown pools, flecked with star-glint, and It seemed to Feliowes Fel-iowes that he was sinking gradually, gratefully, Into the Infinite mystery of their depths. Here, rekindled for him. was the subtle glamor that had lured him from I'eretiha to Lisbon, and from Lisbon aboard the True Bounty, Its embers glowing rosier with every breath he drew. He leaned toward her. and suddenly she was In his anus, hei lips lifted frankly to his. "Forgive me," he whispered. "Ah, dearest " her fingers stroked his laconted back "I have your stripes to answer for, however Inno cent I was." "They're but scars," be protested. "So they're not scars on your memory." mem-ory." she murmured, and nestled closer. CHAPTER XVI Mrs. Rhodes Makes Up Her Mind "Easy, I'etel Whoa, thar, Haul I" Jeff Higgle caught the thong of his whip around the bult, and climbed crcakily down from his seat- as the Widow Rhodes emerged from the side door of the General Armstrong into the spring twilight of the Inn yard "Late as usual," she sniffed. "B'en stopin off ag'ln to see that hussj daown to Floyd Jones', hey?" "Alius b lieve the wusst ot a man daon't ye?" Jell countered. "Anyone ud be late, carryin' the load I did." "'Taint noticeable," she remarked, peering into the coach's empty Interior. Inte-rior. "Set em off back a piece," affirmed Jeff. "Squire's to home." Mrs. Rhodes became alert "Lion Feliowes? Home? Why, ye footless loon I Keepln' all the news hack from a body !" "Naow. uaow, M'randy. ye ain't give me tne to flap my Jaw, I was ail sot to tell ye, and " "Go on. lummox! Tell me! Has he got his health? Uaow'd he do prl-vateerin'?" prl-vateerin'?" "Done tine. Married." "Married !" The widow's tone was falsetto. "Aprivateerin'7 Be ye crazy?" "Shore, he's married. Thatair Miss Inglcpin was up to Chafer's. Reck' led ?" "Waall, 1 turn," exclaimed the widow. wid-ow. "Guess 1 better git my bonnet, n' hustle up to the Manor. They'll tie needin' help niore'n likely." "Oh, they got upleuty help," Jeff as surtd her. "Thatair l'ortygee woman only she ain't l'ortygee, she's Irish, name o' McCarthy, and talks nigh as rnvich as ye do, M'randy " wld the salt tears on her cheeks, all for t lie way ye mishandled her, wan inlnile for kissln' and the next for hangin'l Think shame to yerself. sorr, that have spread misery wid yer hate, and won't see love when It comes In yer path, but turrn yer back on It, and go off to seek God knows phwnt I" She paused to catch her breath, per tiaps to give him an opportunity to answer- but he was speechless, fum-Wing fum-Wing for comprehension of her words . "Ah. as shure as me name's Mary McCarthy that was hojsekaper to the Irish Nuns, and lor hunger sint out to wait on the swatest young leddy ullve, 'tis ye are the fool av the worrit I" The beady, black eyes as stimed a sympn:hy at odds with the spirit of the declaration. "God fur give ye. sorr." she went on softly, "do ye have to be told tls lust yersell she loves?" "I'm afraid you don't know what you're talking about," Feliowes protested pro-tested unsteadily. "Aliss Inglepin was very fond of Captain Collishawe ille deserved her affection. That's .why I foel so bad over his death." "Oh, my glory," exclaimed Mary McCarthy. " 'Tis a babe in arrms ye orel Ain't ye got the slnse to know she turrned down poor Capt'ln Col lishawe for yerself? That was why ,she made sucb a todo over him and to her credit A kind, gentle lamb wouldn't do a hurrt to aany maan which Is more nor the best av them deserve 1" With a strength none would have (Suspected, she clutched one of Feliowes Fel-iowes elbows, and started to propel him back to Front street ; but almost immediately she released him. "Shure ye can run faster nor me that's weighteil wid belly fat," she said "Go on tad! .'ut the spurs to yer flanks, and make haste to ber. There's nothin' the like av tears to wipe chine the sorriest slate. So be alsy and on yer way." He obeyed mechanically The crowd In front of the Inglepin warehouse had Increased In size with the arrival of the governor, and made room fot him reluctantly until Donk and Kaehes recognized him. and aban (Kmed theii reminiscing to brandish musket butts and bayonets and shout importantly : "Stand aside, good people I Stand aside for Squire Feliowes I" Cara. mournful and perturbed, sat at her uncle's desk. Joshua on one side ot her, Ben-on the other. The noveniot was stamping back and forth in front ot the window, while Sopher orated with keen appreciation of the distinction of his audience. "and i can but asseverate once " again your excellency, that as the womiin passed me I distinctly beard tier s;i--or possibly 'twould be preferable pre-ferable to employ the word mutter 'All. t!s hungry ye'll be this hour to-:c:oi to-:c:oi :c. . .Mary Mcl 'arthy !' " "She'll not be, then," asserted Fel l"Wl-S I