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The Wingham Times, 1916-11-09, Page 7November 9, 1916 THE WINGI-IAM TIMES pica al LINKED BY FATE BY CHARLES GARVIS ilelzkWORIA 6C p NIR 4.1111.. The moon shone in regal splendour , on one of the most beautiful spots on , this beautiful earth. It was one of the islands which lie • off the eastern shore of Australia. A ;-gentle breeze stirred the foliage, the waves lapped in on the golden sands and broke gently on the rocks, mak- ing a music as soft and soothing as the breeze; the opalescent light lit up the scene and turned it into a dream of fairyland. And a man stood on the beach, and looking round upon this fairyland, , cursed it fluently under his breath. Ho was young and well made; one . of those good-looking young men which the public schools and the 'varsities turn out with machine -like regularity. He was an athlete and strong, but in the moonlight he look- ed wan and pale and infinitely weary, with the weariness of doubt., anxiety . and sleepless nights. His serge suit was tatterd and torn and shrunk by the water and the sun, and his shapely head was covered by a battered hat made of • leaves. As he stood looking moodily,bofore Lim, there came from a rough hut, .,at a little distance from the beach, another young man. He was by no means an athlete, but small and thin land bent, and he worn the remains ...of a black serge suit of clerical cut; tor h •en p -on to bancoughed as he t�chest and cod his fs .•Itame along slowly and painfully. The two men looked like charac- - ers in an old fashioned farce; but there was tragedy here. For these two men, with sundry other persons, !were all that remained of the crew e.nd passengers of the vessel Alpina, Which 'eight days previously had been wrecked off the coast of this unin- .'habited island. The Reverend Arthur Fleming „crawled to his companion's side. "You ,have seen nothing, Manner- ing?" a he asked; not as one with .hop •' an answer in the affirmative,shuta•, if the question were a formu- la whicli had grown into a 'habit. Vane Mannering shook his head. "No," he said, gravely; "and I am afraid we're not likely to. In my opinion, this beastly land is ono of the numerous groups which is quite scut of the line of shipping. The fact that the Alpina lost her course prov- •_es that, I think." "You mean that there is little hope sof rescue?" said Arthur flaming in a. low voice. "Very little chance," assented iKanncring. "Of course, I can't say for .certain. If they had taught me geography at Eton or Oxford, in - •stead of Latin and Greek, .and ' sev- seral other still more useless things, I might give a guess as to where wo aro; but as it is I've no idea. If there had been any chance of our be- ing picked up, we should have sight- ed a veesol before now. In all prober bility we shallbe left to die of star- vation—well, not of starvation, per- haps, say ennui—in this cursed isl- and." Fleming's lips opened to murmur, "Bless and curse not;" but he re- frained. It was scarcely the moment for reproof; and, indeed, his grati- tu•le to his companion helped to check him; for the party owed their lives to Vane Mannering, whose en- . ergy, alertness, coolness and pre- rsence of mind had brought them from the doomed ship. "Have you seen the .Doctor and Miss Nina?" asked Mannering, after • a pause. filled up by Fleming's hol- Is eough. ['She is in their hut; I saw her go in half an hour ago. The Doctor is ' .still wandering about the island. The way that girl bears up, Mannering, fills Inc with admiration and rover- .ence. She is herr all alone with us men; she has suffered all the priva- tions, that terrible journey in the boat Froin the ship, all the dreadful uncertainties of our position with some i1ig more than heroism; for hero always suggests to my snind CIIAPTER, I. was a clergyman. He was ev- er and more wan than the man sands, and he pressed his thin 1N: TO DICES HADIN BURDOCK BLOOD BITTERS CURED. it EMI and soTf'asser Iona shebeen t has not only fearless, but cheerful and self. -reliant, and yet trustful. I tell you, Mannering, when I think of her my heart goes out in gratitude to God for His creation of sex. Who would have thought that such a slim bit of a girl, who seemed all gaiety and lightness of heart, would have proved such a noble char- acter!" Mannering nodded. "She is still keeping well? I was afraid she might get a touch of fever, such as the rest of us have had." "She had a slight attack," said Fleming; "but she seemed to throw itMIwith a courage as great as her patience and self-denial. The Doctor is about the same; he is still very weak and his mind seems cloudy, but he insisted upon going out; and he has taken his hammer with him to knock off bits of rock, and so on." "Let him," said Mannering, briefly; "it will amuse hire and keep him from brooding on the situation. I wish I could go and knock off pieces 'of rock, instead of standing idly here!" "How can you talk so, my dear Mannering?" he said. "You have been our leader, our sole support; you have worked indefatigably from morning to night. But for you we should all be lying at the bottom of the sea there; wo owe our lives to your energy, your pluck, your won- derful power of endurance.". Mannering shook his head. "I have done little enough," he said, mood- ily. "You ought not to bo out here, Fleming," he added, as Fleming's cough shook his frail figure. "I'm all right. It'svery warm in the hut; and I don't cough any more out hero. We'll both turn in present- ly. "Why, don't you smoke?" "I gave my last pipe to the Doc- tor," Mannering replied, casually. "Ho wanted it worse than I do." The strident sound of a concertina floated unmusically from one of the three huts, and was followed still more unmusically by loud voices and laughter. 'The men seem merry to -night," remarked Fleming with a sigh. "Yes," said Mannering. "I gave out a tot of rum to each man this evening, I wish—" 1Ie hesitated, and Fleming looked up at hire quietly. "I wish they weren't here," con- tinued Mannering. "They are an ele- ment of danger, Fleming. Up to the present they have behaved fairly well, for it is only since the last day or two they have begun to grouse; but how long will they continue to behave well? For instance, how long will they be content to let me deal out the rum? They know where the keg is. I could not prevent their get- ting at it." "They're—they're not all bad," suggested Fleming. "They have stood by us up to now." Mannering nodded. "No, they are not all bad; but there are one or two black sheep amongst them. I mistrust that Lascar and the other stoker, Munson. He is always ha• resigning the rest. I saw him skulk- ing round the Doctor's hut' last night. If they were Englishmen one would not have any misgiving; but —!" He shrugged his shoulders. "We man our ships with the scum of the earth, Fleming, just as we fill the East End of London with aliens to take the bread out of the mouths of our own poor." The noise from the men's hut grew louder. "I think I'd better go and see what they are do- ing," he said. He and Fleming approached the hut quietly and looked in. Some of the six men were lying full length on the ground, others seated on stools roughly constructed of the limbs of the pine trees. In the centre of the hut stood the keg of rum, and Mun- son was drawing some of the red liquor into a can. They had all been drinking freely, and were flushed and excited. Fleming groaned as he saw the keg, and Mannering's face grew stern; but he uttered no sound, and g3'ipped Fleming's arm to warn him to silence, for the Lasear was speak- ing. "Ve are what you calls 'pals,' " he was saying in his thick, sibilant voice, his black oyes rolling evilly on the faces of the listeners. "Ve are bele' played vithl It 1511 thish Mish- ter Mann'rin' that ish triekin' us; 'im and the Padre, ah, and the 'Medi- co, too! They hob the money. T Who speak know it. I saw thish man paste the box to the Medico as he got in- to the boat," "The box of medicin9 and instru- ments!" whispered Fleming. Mannering nodded grimly. He was listening intently and scanning the faces of the men keenly, "That's true; I saw 'em," said Munson. And some of the others mut- tered assentingly. "The box wash full o' money, gold, jewels, too, perhaps. '1'hathh so! You, ad know ze les do give their jewel-. lery to ze purser to take care of. Eh, vhat! Thatsh box -was full of di - mints. An' it fielongsh to us, eh, vhat ,you say?" "To us; sill of us, yes!" grunted Munson. "To us who manned ze boat, who— voekeditktslaves puttin' x550 ;houses; to us, ze laborers, ze broth- tors of toil, ze zalt of zo earth!" "That's so," assented one of the mete. "Pass round the rune again, Lasky." The Lascar emptied the can at a draught, refilled it and passed it to the man next him: then he 1, ant for- ward and whispered, huskily: :'Xt ith it . �ho a';3. tent..Ii;L ii i, That grand old remedy,' Burdock 'Blood Bitters, has been on the market ,for over forty years and we claim, with= ,out any fear of contradiction, that there is net another medicine on the market. to -day that can compare with it for the .cure of all -disturbances of the stomach. Mrs. S. Turpin, Colborne, Ont., writes: '"I am Writingto say that I have used your Burdock Btodd Bitters. For a long period 1 suffered with indigestion, and nothing I took ever gave fns nay rebel, only for a short time. I bought several everal bottles of B. B. B. from our druggist, Mr. nriffs, and can honestly say I can eat or drink anything I want without experiencing Any bad after-effects, t may say that it is the only medicine it ever got any relief from." I3urdocic Blood Bitters is manufacturer) only by Tun T. Mn atixx Co., Limited, "Toronto, Ont. unti r th6• bird` of th5 girI;' - I sale Mishter Mann'rin' put it there. Ve will go, ve will all go and git it, and share it man to man!" Some of the men sprang to their feet unsteadily; but one or two were not so prompt; and a voice said, lazily: "There's no hurry; let's' have our drink first." Mannering cautiously drew Fleming away. "There is no time to lose," he said, gravely, when they had got out of hearing. "You will give them the box, show them that it does not contain any gold?" said Fleming, with the tough he had been repressing with diffi- culty. "No," said Mannering quietly. "They would not be convinced; be- sides it would be a fatal weakness. Flo you think"—he paused a moment and his lips tightened—"that they would he satisfied? Some of them might, but not the Lascar and Mun- son. They are brutes, beasts; and you know the effect of the first taste of blood on such wild beasts. They would want More—everything, per- haps." He paused and Fleming fol- lowing Mannering's thought, pictur- ed the young girl in the hands. of these men and shuddered. "What will you do?" he asked, as a man asks his leader and comman- der. "Show fight," said Mannering as quietly as before. "We have the only firearms that were saved—a couple of revolvers and a gun." "I can manage a revolver; but, oh, Mannering, if we could avoid blood- shed!" murmured Fleming. "We'll try," said Mannering. "It rests with them. You agree with me it would be unwise, indeed, a crimi- nal folly, to yield to them? They would not stop—There is Miss Nina." Fleming nodded and bent his head. "You are right—as you have bieen all through, Mannering," They had been approaching the hut which Mannering had, with his own hands, built for Doctor Vernon and his daughter, and he signed to Flem- ing to knock; but Fleming shook his head. "No," he said; "you will do it bet- ter than I, Mannering. She looks up to you, relies on you. You will give her courage. I—I am not a coward, I hope and trust; but I should let her see the—the dread that snakes mo cold at this moment, and you will not. No; you!" Mannering nodded and knocked at the rough door of the hut. It was opened by a young girl. She was very beautiful, with a beauty which is indicated by expression as much as regularity of feature. Her eyes were of the dark grey which at times be- come violet, her hair was of a soft black, and the gods had. given her the mouth' which, when it smiles, wins men's hearts. But she was not only young but innocent of vanity or self-consciousness, and her eye's lit up and her lips smiled with frank plea- sure as she saw who it was. "Oh, good evening, Mr. Manner- ing!" she said with quiet cheerful- ness, and her voice rang like a low note of music in the pine -perfumed air. "Will you come in? My father is out; he went out for a stroll—Is any- thing the matter?" - She did not start or turn pale, but stood, in her stained and patched serge dress, calm and attentive. Mannering knew enough of women to know that with this one, young as she was, the proper course was the direct one. IIis eyes rested re- flectingly for a moment on her lovely face, on the small, shapely head with its soft, black hair'resting on the forehead and wound into a knot at the back, then he said: "I am afraid there is, Miss Nina." He had grown to call her by her Christian name; shipwrecked people are apt to be slack on extreme points of etiquette, "The men are getting --impatient. They entertain the absurd idea that we have smuggl' ed the specie and valuables from the ship in your father's medicine chest FOR sarlonic laugh. 1.short, "I.o Padre speaks softly, as ze Padre always do• Veil, then, let one i LIVERiSHNESS" I of us go into the Medico's but—" USE P. IL,BURN'S LAXA-LIVER PILLS THEY NEVER FAIL TO DO GOOD, Mrs. J. Shellsworth, Halifax, N.S.; writes: "I take pleasure in writing you concerning the great value I have re- ceived by using your Milburn's Laxa- Liver Pills for a sluggish liver. When my liver got bad I would have severe head- aches, but after using a couple of vials of your pills I have not been bothered with the headaches any more," 1 Milburn's Laxa-Liver Pills clean away all waste and poisonous matter from the system, and prevent as well as cure all complaints arising from a liver which has become inactive. Milburn's Laxa-Liver Pills are 25e. a vial, or 5 vials for $1.00, at all dealers, or mailed direct on receipt of price by Tet; T. Mu,nuiN Co„ Linutrnn, Toronto, Ont. gravely; of crourgrt siEe Tiie7--t1Tiat Mannering had lied. Fleming took it gratefully; it was to him as ruin was to the men. "Mr, Mannering has told you?" be said in a low voice. Nina nodded. "Yes; I am sorry. But I hope it wilj all be over before father conies hack. lie is not well; he is feverish—and--he has been wandering a little in his mind. 13e has taken the gun— I am sorry!" Mannering touched Fleming on the aria, and they went out and to their own hut, got and loaded their re- volvers, and, returning to the beach, sat down as if for a quiet talk. They had not to wait long. "Take it coolly," murmured Man- nering, as the six then came out of the hut. Some of them walked un- steadily, one of then[ was singing; but the Lascar and Munson were still sober, though evidently excited by the liquor. Mannering rose and slowly went to meet them, walking in the direction that put hint between them and the Vernons' hut. "Good evening," he said; "want anything?" "You ask ze polite question, sur, and ve giv you ze polite answer. It ish zo little box in 50 hut zere," re- plied the Lascar with a mocking bow. Mannering raised his brows with simulated surprise. "Anybody ill? ']'ho box contains medicine and instruments of various kinds," he said, quietly. The Lascar showed his gleaming teeth in a sardonic smile. "Ish zat so?" he retorted, with an incredulous jerk of his hand. "Vo vill see—" "I think not," said Mannering, so quietly that Fleming's heart throb- bed with a tribute of admiration. "You will take my word for it. I see that you have got the keg of rune—you have broken your prom- ise—" "To ze devil wiz your promise!" the Lascar broke in. "Vy should you keep all ze best of ze swag ve bring away from ze ship? You keep ze rum, ze box of gold, ze girl!" he leered evilly, and moved forward as if to pass Mannering. 1lfannering drew his revolver. "Stop where you are!" he said, grimly; there was a spot of red on his hollow cheeks, and a light in his eyes which spoke of the just rage which had sprung up in his heart like a flame. Fleming stepped forward and held up his hand. "Men; I want to speak to you!" he said, fighting with his cough. "You know what Mr. Mannering has done for us,t But for hint— But surely you don't want me to remind you! And surely you cannot suspect that he—we—have any idea of taking any advantage of you. .The chest contains only medicine and instru- ments, as Mr. Mannering said. You were wrong; very wrong, to take the keg of rum; you would be acting wickedly if you were to follow the advice, the leadership, of this man, who is as much indebted as the rest of us to Mr. Mannering." Some of the men exchanged glan- ces bus ,.lite , sans cut in with a She glanced at the box under the roeigh bed. —"And—and they -aro coining for it presently, I think." "And you will not give it them?" she said, quietly, as if she had road his face upon which her beautiful eyes were fixed. "No; they'd want more," he said. "And we must make a stand at the outset. There may be a little noise and—trouble, so I came to warn you, You will 'not be frightened? Mr. Fleming and I are armed; the men are not; and i have no doubt they will cool oft when they find we. are resolute," "I see," she said, "No, I shall not be frightened; that is, not more than I can help." Her smile, surely the sweetest ever smiled by woman, Ilieknred across her lips and shone in her eyes. "No," he said, "you have display- ed such pluck, such—oh, I cannot ex. press myself!" he broke off as if in despair. "Oh, but you have!" she said, with the faintest bl sh. "I was just mak. g some tea •ill you have a cup?' 1n o , 6 e tin �V the meat 6cCd at Mannering gyq on the tire, and gauged its contents. "'Thanks, no. X have Just had same." Generally, Mannering, with all his faint!, was a truthful matt. "But Mr. Flemming—he is outside•j` Ile beckoned Fleming in, and Nina nouui r out 4 cup f)1 teal for.. tea .fi 1 dimaimmisamimmaimiedas The Army of Constipation - Is Growing Smaller Every Day. CARTER'S LITTLE LIVER PILLS ate responsible—they not oat), give relief — theypermanently cure Constipa- tion. Mil- lions use then for ailfom. _ mess, indirection, Sick ltleaiacht, Sallow Skin. Small Pill, Small Dose, Small Priam, Genuine muabe.r Signature 1 r,lp.,,n.r 6i lemprosimmurvipiiimprieve Ho moved forward, but Mannered covered biro, saying: "Not a step," The Lascar pulled up and looked Mannering up and down. "You speak bravely, Slighter riiann'rin'! You 'ave tate gun!" lie made an insolent gesture with his facile and eloquent hands. "If you had only ze little knife like zis, wo would settle the matter, ah, so ker- vickly! You are ze one coward!;' Then Mannering did a foolish thing—the foolish thing which Eng- lishmen individually and collectively so often do; he gave away his ad- vantage. It was inexcusable; but, ah, well, let the man who has meek- ly borne the taunt of a Lascar and been called a coward pitch the first stone; I will not; and I have an idea that the reader will not. Mannering looked into the rolling eyeballs for a moment or two; then he said: "See her now, men. If it's a fair fight between us and I win, will you take my word and go back to your hut quietly, not only go back but leave that man's lead?" The men looked at each other and whispered. They were more or less drunk and therefore impressionable, and they were longing for the kind of fight Mannering indicated, Don't blame them. In the House of Com- mons a "personal" matter will All the benches; and any sort of 'duel has a fascination for every man with red blood in his veins. "Yes, fight it out; we'll see fain play!" shouted a man, thickly. Mannering beckoned to Fleming. "Take my • revolver," he said, aloud, "and shoot the first man who attempts to interfere—" "Mannering! Mannering! You will not do it! I implore, I beseech you!". cried Fleming with solemn earnest- ness. Mannering quickly stripped off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. "No use, Fleming; I must. Either that pian or I must be master. They'll follow the victor like sheep, you'll see. It will end the trouble—" "But, Mannering, these men, these Lascars, are adepts at the knife," urged Fleeting almost frantically. Mannering shrugged his shoulders. "I learnt a trick or two when I was in Malacca," he said, quickly, "Got a handkerchief?"' Fleeting shoo!: his head. The door of the Vernons' t.ut opened and Nina came quickly down to then[. Her face was white as death, her eyes were like "the violets steeped in dew," her lips, white as her face, Were set tightly. "Mr. Mannering, you must not!— you will not!" She looked into his eyes and saw that her appeal was hopeless. "Then—then—there is a handkerchief!" He took it, bound his bowie knife to his wrist and held it out to. Flem- ing. Fleming hesitated;, the girl caught the wrist and tied the knot Mannering wanted. "Thanks," he said, coolly. "Now go inside—and shut the door." She obeyed; and, leaning against the wall as if to still her throbbing heart, looked between the logs. Munson had bound the Lascar's knife to his wrist, and th.e two men confronted each other. The moon shone down on them in placid mock- ery of such poor stuff as human emotions; the soft breeze wafted the perfume of the pines across the men's heated breath; the sea sang to the golden beach; the delicious night was full of beauty. To poor Fleming, even in that intense moment as he stood revolver in each hand, there flashed the lines: "Where every prospect pleases and only man is vile." The Lascar's face seemed to glow as if with the reflection of fire; the Englishman's was white and set with the calm of courage and resolution. "Conic on," said Mannering; and, as he spoke, the Lascar sprang at hi in. If there is anything more exciting than a "knife fight," I do not know it. It is cat -like in the rapidity of its movements; it is soul -thrilling in its moments of doubt and uncertain- ty; it is • awe-inspiring in its pauses, rushes, wrestlings. The two men crouched, sprang, caught at the wrists of the hands that held the knives, struck, parried and avoided the gleaming blades by swift, almost imperceptible swaying and glidings of the bodies. The Lascar was as agile as a snake and bent, dipped and attacked with sinuous force; but Mannering, though lacking this facility of movement, possessed the qualities of strength, endurance and the cool eye, and by the exercise of these he parried the terrible attack. The men, sobered now by the in- tense excitement, looked on in breath. less excitement. Fleming, forgetting theta and clean forgotten by them, suffered the revolvers to droop in his s n c shaking hands. g And the girl for whom this awful fight was being fought—what a pre- sumptuous idiot I should be if I attempted to set down her emotions! Suddenly a short cry, a gasp, rose from the men and was echoed by Fleming: the Lasear's knife had cut a gash in Mannering's shoulder. + "Oh, stop! stop! For God's sake, stop, Mannering!". cried Fleming. But neither the combatants nor the other spectators heeded—they prob- ably did not hear him. Mannering felt the cut of the sharp knife, felt the blood running down his shoulder and side; but he set his teeth and forced himself to remain calm; everything depended, he knew, upon his keeping, his head; not his life only, but the girl—the sweet, in- nocent girl. Ah, now he must not lose his head! He draw back a moment, -and the Lascar, with a hideous smile, pcess ed on to him, It was what Manner- ing wanted. With a sudden swerve, a movement of the leg and the strong, steel -like left arm, he threw his op- ponent to the ground, and in an in - :dealt was on top of him with a knee like iron pressing into his chest, Ile tralsaiLlsinssarms - tlies.reilectsgt.knife Children Cry for Fletcher's The Kind You Have Always Bought, and which has been in use for over 30 yeas, has borne the signature of a,,,,„, ---and has been made under Iiia per- sonal supervision since its infancy. Allow no one to deceive you in this. All Counterfeits, Imitations and "Just -as -good" are but Experiments that trifle with and endanger the health of Infants and Children—Experience against Experiment. What is CASTORIA Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare- goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is pleasant. It contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotic substance. Its age is its guarantee. It destroys Worms and allays Feverishness. For more than thirty years it has been in constant use for the relief of Constipation, Flatulency, Wind Colic, all Teething Troubles and Diarrhoea. It regulates the Stomach and Bowels, assimilates the Food, giving healthy and natural sleep. The Children's Panacea—The Mother's Friend. GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS Bears the Signature of In Use For Over 30 Years The Kind You Have Always Bought THE CENTAUR COMPANY. NEW YORK CITY. gleamed in The -moonlight, the La= car's wavering life hung in the bal- ances. A shudder ran through the spectators, a cry arose from Nina— she had come to the door., While one could count ten the knife poised above the Lascar's heart. 'Then, be- fore the other inen could interfere, Mannering had wrenched the knife from the Lascar's grasp and flung it behind hint; then he tore the band- age from his own arm and sent his knife flying with the other. "Get mil" he said, removing his knee. The Lascar sprang to his feet, dazed, uncertain. Mannering waited a second or two, then he said: "Now, we'll fight it out English fashion." The Lascar was no mean boxer—he had picked it up from his English messmates—and with a flickering smile he threw himself into position. This second fight shall not be de- scribed. Suffice it that the Lascar was as a child in the hands of the man who had carried all before hila with the gloves at Christchurch. Again and again and Lascar came on—let us give him his due—to re- ceive the terrible punishment, but at last a well -aimed blow from Manner- ing—who was now enjoying himself amazingly—sent the Lascar to earth with the sickening thud some of us know so well. Mannering, panting and wiping the sweat—it had flowed like water— from his swollen face, stood over him for a moment in silence; then he beckoned to the men. "Take him to the hut," he said. Then, as they picked up the uncon- scious pian, Mannering added, quite quietly: "I think that .settles it. If not, if any of you would like to try your hand—" The polite and ltheral offer was de- clined with thanks. "That's all right, sir," said oue man, the best of the bad lot. "It was a square and fair fight, and bli' me if he ain't got what he deserves." "Well,then," said Mannering. "You understand that I'm master here— someone has to be, you know,—and that if I find any man pass the line of that tree"—he pointed to ono a hundred yards from the Vernons' hut —"well!" They went off, bearing the Lascar, and Mannering, turned to Fleming, who was clinging to his arm. "Mannering! Mannering! You are hurt! You are bleeding! Oh, Man- nering, how—how nobly you fought! It was wicked, very wicked, but—oh, how—how I admire you for it! God forgive mo!" CHAPTER II. Nina came from the hht, not run- ning, but with a graceful swiftness. 1' er face was still paler, but her eyes sere glowing under their dark lashes. "Are you—are you hurt?" she ask- ed in a low voice, which She was, womanfully, trying to keep steady. "Thanks, not at all, or very lit- tle," said Mannering, going for his coat, "Oh, Mannering, how can you say so!" exclaimed Fleming, reproach- fully. "He is badly cut. Look at the blood! It is of no use putting your coat on, Mannering; you must have that dreadful wound dressed." "It is too slight to be called n wound," said Mannering, casually. "Come to the hut," said Nina in the tone a Woman uses to a man When she means to be obeyed. They went to the Vernon'S hut, and she poured some water into a tin and examined the knife slash. "It• is an. awful cut," she said be- tween her white, even teeth. "I --I don't know what to iio," "Oh,we'll just,wash it , ' said Mannering, lightly. y'it will be all right; it 18 nothing. She .shuddered slightly as she bath- ed athed the flowing blood from the wound, nit her hand was quite steady, and it nits only her• beautiful Iipa that - '? riim glad you did not kill him, though—though at one moment. I almost wished— How strong you must be!" she said in a low voice. "I did not know you were look- ing," said Mannering, reluctantly. "I told you to shut the door." "I did—oh, I did! but I looked be- tween the logs," she said, with sud- den meekness. A shadow fell across the threshold and the Doctor entered. He was an old man, bent and feeble, but at that moment in a state of suppress- ed excitement which lent him ficti., tious strength and vigor. "Nina, where is Mr, Mannering?, Oh, there you are!" he said, peering at them under his white and shaggy, brows. "I've got news, great news, for you Mannering. What are you. doing? What is the matter?'L he broke off to enquire. Nina lifted her eyes from het work,, "Mr. Mannering has been hurt— the men, father. They wanted to steal the chest, and—and Mr. Man- nering—" "Eh? What? No matter!" he in- terrupted, impatiently. "Some quar- rel, I suppose. Let me see." He put the girl aside gently and looked at the cut. "Knife, eh? Flesh wound only. Give me a piece of linen. Tear it off the sleeve of the shirt. Why did you quarrel? At such a moment, ween. you need all your strength and cool - MSS. \lunnering, hlemin;.," he con- tinued, as he deftly staunched and bandaged the wound, "1 have made the most extraordinary discovery. A. pin, Nina. Tut, tut. haven't 'you a safety pin?" She found one and gave it to hint. "Pin it here." Fier cool, soft fingers touched Man- nering's arae gently, pityingly, tend- erly. "That's right. You will do very well. Next case. Eh? What? 'Thought I was in the ward. How did you get the hurt? No [natter! Mannering, see here!" He turned to the empty box which served as a table and turned out the contents of his pocket upon it. "Look at those!" he exclaimed in a tone of suppressed 'excitement. "Look at them! Ito you know what they are? Wait! Shut the door!" Nina wised the door and came back to the group; but though the casual observer would have said that she was looking at the apparently ex- tremely commonplace stones on the table, she was really looking, side- ways, at Mannering. "See what t hey are!" said the Doctor, in a thick, tremulous whisp- er. "Take up one of them; examine it!" Mannering mechanically took up one of the stones. Ile was thinking of the amen, wondering how long they would remain quiescent. amenable. "Well?" demanded . Doctor, im- patiently, Itis face 11... flushed with excitement as well as fever, and the sweat stood in big drops on hie wrinkled forehead. Mannering raised his brows depre- catingly. 'They look like ordinary stones, Doctor," he said. Doctor Vernon uttered a cry of int- patient contempt. "Tut, man, where were you edit[- cated?" he retorted, impatiently. 'They are gold gnome. Gold, golds 1 tell you! Bush!" Ile glanced aa+ xiously towards the door. "It's gold. We aro rich—beyond the dreams of asttrire!" He uttered the dear old hackneyed phrase hoarsely, unctuously. "I found them in the valley be- tween the ridge of !tills, south by southwest. There is gold there, I tell you, gold in immense quantities!}: (fold!" His s blu dshbt eyes5s peered citum. on. to the other with feverish excitement„ and his hanging under lip tremblect as if he had been st'ru&k by palsy. riming and Mannering looked at. each other significantly. The giant* said, "He is mad;" (Tb BE CoNt1NuED.);