Show f by ST 5 GEORGE her of tittle U si M II 11 ons the sp ser der t s well web sr dr jacki jacks T adow M H si so caprice etc copyright 1801 1901 street and smith new now york it R VI VT captain brand of the He spasia the young girl heard her companion make this declaration with an interest she did not attempt to conceal many times that thought has come to me hut but I 1 dismissed it as unworthy lie ile brought several things my father had with him when he went away and be he resembled the only picture I 1 bad had of my father that Is in a general way you could not wot expect very much after his cruel years of hardship in the desert besides he knew all about our family matters the quarrel with mammas people on account of her marriage and many little things con necked with the past I 1 shall devote myself to the task of discovering the truth heaven alone knows who he is or how he came into possession posse solon of the facts he has used to such advantage but I 1 intend to sat iffy my curiosity in that respect at any cost something tells me iou nill sue aeed eed she said eagerly so that char he ile flushed with pleasure thanks tor for your faith in me it will vill go a great way toward assisting me of course you would be gratified should I 1 find the means to expose him as an imposter 7 9 so long as I 1 still believe him to he be what he claims I 1 cannot find it in my heart to turn against him he has told me so many awful stories of the cruelties practiced upon them that I 1 sometimes feel as though possibly his mind had been a little affected and that he could hardly be held account able for his actions charlie seized upon a slender cue quick as a flash to discover a able point ah ali he said eagerly you speak of their suffering among the arabs then he had a companion in exile I 1 imagine oh yes three at first but later on there was only one left and the name do you remember yes it was his mate ben hazen ah ali that Is a substantial point from which to work our friend it if an imposter may be very cunning but I 1 doubt it if he has been able to cover his tracks so that we may not learn mor something of ben hazen s past ship ping books and shipping masters may tell the story of identification if all else falls by the way what does he bay say became of ben hazene he ile was shot while defending a woman against her in human master and died of his wounds well the incident may be true enough but the chances are that it was vas your own father who gave up his life in this chivalrous fashion and that what papers he had hidden on his ills person he confided to his fellow prisoner in the hope that at some day he lie might escape and carry the news to those he loved in old england arline heard him with both wonder and delight her confidence had apparently gone out to him in the start and now she felt it growing he was so earnest so positive that his logic seemed to have the faculty of convincing others there Is 16 one thing I 1 meant to ask you ton gave me the wrong card by a singular accident but at the same time intimated that you were known by an other iother name than arline brand at the hotel yes I 1 should have explained when my aunt adopted me I 1 assumed her name of wallis and as her title was hereditary and could descend to the next of kin after her demise I 1 be came lady arline wallis As such I 1 have been sometimes known charlie cringed somehow at this it seemed to raise a wall between them wealth and title what few or binary young englishmen dare aspire to win a bride from behind such ram parts never before had charlie stuart wished tor for fame and fortune as novi no nothing could be too grand to lay at the feet of such a royal princess and while he was nas thus battling with bis ills thoughts she suddenly caught aught r his arm he ile is out yonder I 1 heard his laugh laughl now come to the door mr stuart and take your first look at captain brand of the He Hesp spasia asla be fore you meet him face to face nothing loth charlie followed her to the door whence they could look into the office of the hotel several men were in sight but al most instinctively his gaze settled upon one who seemed to command general attention and no sooner had charlie clapped his eyes on this re individual than he uttered a little ejaculation of surprise and pleasure possibly he had seen this same io in qua elous olous captain brand of the hespa eia sla under other and more exciting cir cum stances tell me he said quietly to the girl who was hovering over his der have you given him any lars as to how you chanced to escape from the steen dungeons 9 only that just in the nick of time I 1 was discovered by some tourists who had come down to see the awful place tor for themselves I 1 my name was not mentioned to the best of my recollection not at all ail good then it if I 1 meet the ogre you can introduce me as one of your friends 1 trust such la Is only the truth buy shy ay iy an old old friend let us 1 aa say tor or detal etal whom you have always e ea feelings of profound it shall be as you say I 1 am surls you have some motive in this action I 1 certainly have truth to tell I 1 believe I 1 have seen this gentleman be fore under other conditions I 1 shall know to a certainty after I 1 have been in his society a while at any rate there Is reason to hope for the best shall we go out and meet him asked arline yes indeed the fates have decad ed that calta n brand and I 1 shall come together for a trial of strength and it might just as well take place now as later I 1 am ready so they went ent out the ex sailor quickly sighted them and bore down clown with all sails set as he would have nautically expressed it charlie played his part well he ile met the captain in a bluff friendly manner just as a young man might wish to receive the father of a lovely girl he admired plainly captain brand found no es reason tor for alarm he set out to be even more jovial and debonair debo pair than usual with the idea of creating a good impression on his daughters old friend whom he wished to study at clos range when he s tout to enteria entertain cap tal tain brand of the hespa la was a howling success relating the most as bonishing toni shing incidents connected with his long captivity in the desert bis his perils on the sea and the deer deen fountain of love for v if ife e and child that had sus tallied him through all h a trials char ie was no mean actor himself thanks to the splendid control which he was able to exercise over h s facial muscles although he now had not the least doubt as to the fellow being a fraud of the first water charlie felt that he owed it to arline s respect for filial at af faction to prove this fact this was the task he cut out for himself he laid his little trap captain brand was so much edgag ed with his flow of oratory and the charming of this friend of the family that he did not notice the pit so deftly dug thus almost without an effort charlie had him admit that he knew considerable about valparaiso in chill and had been there in the course of his wanderings many years 0 in charlies mind this settled the matter he was confident he knew with whom he had to deal and when the time came he would be ready to tu dare all in defying the adventurer while they sat thus speaking of the sights of antwerp there came a messenger from the hotel office inquiry ine for mr charlie n gentleman outside desired to see As he went directed by the clerk to the spot where he would find the gentleman who had asked lor for an im mediate interview on serious business he was making up his mind to tell the whole story and enlist his favorable consideration tor for arline so that when the denouement came the doughty captain could be taken care of judge of his surprise then when upon coming upon the party who wished to see him he found it was no other than artemus barnaby with his honest face clouded with an air of the darkest mystery it did not require much prophetic skill on charlie s part to tell that his erratic friend had news of some im tor for him he ile pressed a forefinger on his lip 11 to indicate dead silence when he found that charlie had recognized him charlie stood there waiting while the other crept on his tiptoes to the corner in the regular orthodox stage fashion and looked this way and that to assure himself that there could be no eavesdroppers near then he approached his friend his warning finger still on bis his lips reaching the other he placed his lips close to charlie s ear and solemn ly said the coast is clear I 1 see it Is said charlie aloud what I 1 am about to disclose to you will give you a cruel shock my boy shock away then only make haste I 1 am about to make a disclosure that will I 1 regret to say knock away the foundations of your belief in hu inanity manity ah ali a serious thing indeed does th s d re concern the world at large or one individual specimen of mankind one shining light then fire anay and be hanged to you artemus assumed a look of extreme gravity although charlie was sure he heard a chuckle you have met the father of the 5 oung lady of the steen dungeons athe The hotel clerk has been entertaining me with a wonderful story of his return to life aid civilization it reads like a romance and would find a worthy niche in my notebook only my dear boy it is so very ancient a veritable stage chestnut as it were but let that pass I 1 imagine this captain brand is a character worth knowing something unique I 1 could hear him out yonder and the dulcet tones of his voice were soothing enough to conjure with yes remarked charlie he Is a wonderful man and could charm most mo t people by the quaint manner of hl his speech artemus again bent forward beware of captain brand be e whispered and then sprang back to O 0 note the stunning effect of his ar art no rl but 11 lit charlie though interested re fused to be stunned why what has he done he Is a bold bad man charlie was inc ined to say amen to that b it he kept his own counsel us yet seeking more uhl see here you have hays known this wonderful modern baron munchausen at some past date he said artemus nodded it would be impossible that two such men child ever exist yes I 1 knew him where in new york whenn let me see scratching his head as a comedian must always do when desirous of arousing memory ah ali yes just a little more than two years ago bui but at that time he swears ears he waa was in the heart of africa a prisoner at dahomey well he lies coolly charlie liked that it was so fresh and original at same time so very emphatic who was he when you knew him he asked determined to get down to the facts now A fourth rate actor on his uppers halt half of the time one cf of these howl ing barnstormers a heavy villain of the piece at home in uncle tom a cab n or ten nights in a barroom he WES was the joke of the season on the rialto in gotham I 1 even thought se bously of utilizing him in my great play as the seedy actor who carries the my mys tellous secret with him through five acts but when he found there was a chance of him being im zed his price for sittings went away up and I 1 discovered something better than Hani fatter good heavens was that bis his certainly not what they call all heavy tragedians of the barn storming variety let me see ing a finger alongside his nose a la Is irving now I 1 have it bend your head lower for that fellow has keen ears it was frederick erick davenport ma ala cauley indeed very suggestive consider ing his occupation in life what a man he is to be sure capable of hav ing so many names and filling such various stations in life why when I 1 knew him tour four or five years ago be he was called captain nathaniel kedge what you knew him then I 1 saw him that Is I 1 am almost dead certain it is the same man and I 1 expect to prove it presently where was thise in south america in Valparaiso 9 come what makes you ask that in surprise I 1 remember him talking of being concerned in a little war scare that oc burred down there he has always been the same boaster you know well that seems to prove the iden city I 1 never in all my life heard af t so stupendous a rascal say what was he doing down in santiago or was it valparaiso 9 the latter on the coast the most enterprising city along the pacific south of san francisco what was he doing well about the last I 1 saw of him he was dancing a scottish horn pipe yes he has his merry moments when the liquor is in but this was a unique affair before an audience that must have numbered thousands god that would spur even so poor an actor to do his best and captain nathaniel did his very best if as you say he has been an actor as well as a miner sea captain captalia coffee planter speculator and heaven knows what not he certainty certainly had the chance of his life to bring out bravos however I 1 don t think he took half as much interest in the affair as some of the rest of us did he didn t eft eab I 1 never knew he was acquainted with modesty kow how was that asked artemus eagerly well said charlie dryly you see he was being hung to be continued |