Amends for All.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 134, 7 June 1911, Page 9

Amends for All.

CHAPTER I. HUE AND CRY. Ine man ran as only those run whom m awfiiJ fate pursues. His face was pale and drawn; he went with, great jtaps and bounds; obstacles in his way l e seemed to crash through as ihough id were not aware of them. Once wheo lie fell he jumped up and rushed on without even the loss of a second, plough his hands were torn and his IQOiith was bleeding -where he had cut. it against a stone on the ground. Behind lum the whole trail of his pursuers was visible, following with shout and cheer, and some even with laughter, an though it were nil a jest, this desperate swift flight and hot pursuit. Kirsi oi all. those who followed there was, as if to lend to the scene a touch of vulgar comciv a very ';<t policeman, pulling and Wowing. mid yci wonderfully keeping ]ji3 position, and just behind him ami overtaking him fast, ran a lean, dark man. whose forehead was marked with gil open wound.

There were wide woods on the right iand °i" U le fugitive in which he might easi) v have found a secure hiding-place. There was a river on his left which he jnjirlit have swum, and found a refuge ma tangle of lanes and hedges and high garden wails. But in his blind fear, his One idea the. need for flight, his one knowledge his consciousness of the fact that his pursuers pressed him fiarrlly. he tan straight on ( straight down the white straight rond. Even the hare with, the <jpgs behind her will turn and twist, but thjs unhappy hunted creature seemed to have no thought left hut that of simple $peed. Even when he came to the hill, from the top of which, with somore eye-s, Edward Thorold .watched his flight, he neither paused nor hesitated, nor thought of a Jay round, but hurled himself against it as against an enemy his sole hope lay in instantly eonquefinsr. His speed hardly slackened as he rushed up U, nnd v his figure emerged on the summit against the sky-line a shouting from below toid that he was seen. It seemed that the sound of the shout isas like a pur to him, for the next two bounds he made were swifter and longer than ever; and then Thorold stepped fyrai the vyayside and stood before him, and with a sob of despair the fugitive Jell flat at his feet.

It had been Thorold's full intention \o hold him trad pive him over to his pursuers. For his drrss was hideous, and .{ho mark of the broad arrow stamped all it showed at, once who and what he iras and why ho fied. But in this sudden pitiful collapse there was something that touched Thorokl, though he heid himself a hard man, with, a sense of compassion; and also there rame swiftly D\to his mind a memory of the: errarui OB which he himself was bent. This jtyor rogue arouching at his feet was tufting, but the only person in all the ,2 tte.wrld for whom he careel might in a diy o; two be forced to sha,rd this jjfiorsliittker's peril and despair. d ffirf up," he said roughly to the fogi,!*frf/.-". get-up., I'll not-atop-youV' ■:■ But all the motion that the man made ps to spread out Ms arms feebly and Jay them about TJiorolA's feet. Thorold was thinking of himself, a cold ji«Ti man, but he found this gesture infinitely pitiful. From over the hill MMpded the tumult of the pursuit, and Thorold frowned in anger and contempt; it seamed so poor a thing that such a {out should pursue this one poor miserable frightened creature. Bending, he {aught hold of him and dragged him Roughly, to his feet and looked at him. $here was an odd contrast between the 4.W0, for Thorold was an unusually tall and strongly-built man, very upright, and With a trick of holding his head high that gave most people the idea that he was intenself proud; while the fugitive was short and slimly built, with slender limbs and small hands and feet. But what . fhorold noticed morp was that he was young—>not much more than twenty— with fair hair and soft blue eyes like a girl's. Edward Thorold was secretly proud of being held a hard man, but something seemed to stir in his heart as Iβ remembered another lad of twenty Vfith fair hair and soft eyes like a girl's. If he were in trouble and danger and ijisgrnce—w ha could help him? Who? "Now, you," be said roughly, "do you Want mc to hide you?"

UncompreheDdincrlv, the other blinked tacanllj-, and Thorold swore at him in * rage. "If you can't help yourself "he fowled. • "For dear God's sake, help m<>." burst put the fugitive, with a great sob; "oh, ??Iy help mc, and I'll " "Don't whine,' said Thorold roughly; ■don't -whine and don't make- promises; inero nothing T hate more than promises except whining. Come. - ' He took him by the arm and led him I'few steps down the hill to where a ftotor car stood by the roadside. "See that?" he asid. Now, just wten. Something has gone wrong, and I stopped a minute to find out what. Here." He took out a leather motorWg jacket and a cap. " Put those on," jje said, "and crawl under the machine, Sat on your hnnk, not on your f.w?e, you «01. That's right. Keep your legs well P«t of sight, for I have no trousers to Wer you. See that bolt, well, unscrew We nut and take it out, and then put it Pack again. Make as much noise as you Jjn, and now and then hammer a bit— Jtat's right. Ah, there they come, but "op cool." The fugitive obeyed these instructions ■V>th both f,peed nnd intelligence. ThoWitook off his own mat, nnd began to *ork very industriously at the upper T*rt of his maciiinp while from beneath it tMie the busy tapping of the hammer of Ws fugitive whom he was snatching H«n the law's Ion? arm. .These arrangements wrrn birely com?!«ed when the first wave of the. purwere bursf over the crest of the hill, foremost was the lean, dark man with Vie wounded forehead, for the fat poliee--s*n who had stuck so long and so gal™My to the chase, had been finally If.f h ? the hill. He was now seated inn font of h - groaning loudly, and % persuaded he must 'have lost at But tl f st ? nn < hlr '".S thr lnet half hour. W though he and oilers had fallen out, SSL 1 " 0 " ! Ud join Oil in - oi »= tlls Wlth tl)n two mpn work . at ,'■% lean, dark leader shouted excited4? n Wh ' ch Way thp fu ? it! ™ had

«wHEi " went down on hi? ~'CW as if to spenk to his companion. tok£r, d ,'*■ , s!r '" s, ' ni ' tpf l the tall ate!? ck,: dcmEd y° ur as -

BY E. R. PUNSHO.M.

{Author of "The Choice," "The Spin of the Coin," etc., eto.l

"Im not good at running," said Thotold briefly. "What the mischief are you doing with that bolt, Jones?" he added to his companion. "Why didn't you stop him?" demanded inspector Lock. -Why don't you catch him " retorted Ihorold. '■1 believe,' , cried tne Inspector, "that your sympathies are with him." "I confess," returned Thoroid, "that I see little difference between a rogue in uniform and a rogue out of uniform." The Inspector went pale with an"er— he ha.d been red before—and made a step forward, but Thorold, not paying the least attention to him, handed down to his almost invisible companion another wrench with a brief order to tighten up some nuts. "I shall remember your conduct, sir," said the Inspector, and he ostentatiously moved to look at the number of the car. '■WeU, if I were a thief catcher, which, Unnk heaven, I am not," returned Thorold, "I should try to catch my thieves instead of enjoying friendly chats by the wayside, but no doubt you know your own business best." Inspector Lock bestowed on him a look of the utmost fury, but without saying anything more turned away to resume the pursuit. While pausing tn speak with Thorold he bad been signalling to each new batch of pursuers who came up directing; each group to take a slightly different direction, so that they were spread put fan-wise all over the slope of ' the hill between the river and the woods. The summit of the hill itself was by now comparatively deserted save for an occasional straggler; and as whatever trifling thing had been wrong with the car had long boon put right. Thorold took his seat .arinin and prepared to start. Without waiting for an invitation the fugitive climbed in after him, and with a gesture half contemptuous, half careless, Thorold tossed him a nig to hide the conspicuous livery of his legs, the leather coat and cap completely hiding the rest of his prison attire.

The machine was already in motion, and Thorold listened with a satisfied ear to the regular throbbing of the. engine— like the healthy beat of a strong man's blood—but a3 he started up the hill, his companion made a sudden clot'eh. at his arm. "For God's sake, sir," he cried; "not that wny, that's the way I come." "My man," answered Thorold, "if you touch my steering arm again I shall chuck you into the road. If this 13 the way you came it is also the way I am going, and I assure you I have no idea of changing my road for your sake. You can get out if you like, you know." ''You're a 'ard man," muttered the coDvict with a sniffle. "I have been called so," answered Thorold indifferently, and then as he caught a sudden, sideway glance his companion shot at him, he gave a grim laugh. "I have just saved you," he said, "from a pretty tight corner—-and saved you at' some riak, too; and I'll guarantee thpre are few people you hate more in the world than mc at this moment." "Xo-rsvell," muttered the cojn/siefc as the keen, hazel eyes fixed on him seemed to pierce to his innermost feelings; "well —you're a 'arm man, sir." Thorold laughed again—his laugh was vuriously harsh with little trace of merriment in it, an unaccustomed laugh as though it were a function of his being: that found itself seldom used—and he increased the speed of his motor. There were still a number of men who had either dropped out of the pursuit or were hurrying to join it, who were scattered abou,t the road they were following. Many of them glanced at the passing motor-car driven by the big, stern-look-ing man with the small, shrinking figure —machinist or chauffeur, presumably— at his skip, but no one dreamed that here was the fugitive for whom they sought.

When Thorold reached the spot at the foot of the hill where the fat policeman still sat and panted, he brought his car to a halt, heedles3 of the shiver and palsy of utter fear that /ell at once upon his companion. "I say," Thorold called to the policeman,' , what's all this about? who is it they are after?"' "It's the Catford-street murderer, sir," answered tbe stout policeman between his heavy panting breaths. Even Thorold, impassive, as he was, started as he heard this and understood it was a murderer he had rescued, and who sat at his aide. He felt rather than saw how livid had gone hi 3 companion's face, and how his teeth were clenched in agony to keep back the sobbing scream that bad risen in his throat. "The Catfordstreet murderer," repeated Thorold slowly; "oh, a murder, then?" "Yes, sir, Joe Green, by name, sir," answered the policeman; "he was let off with a reprieve, and they gave him a life sentence instead. Two days ago he escaped from Dartmoor Prison under cover of a fog, as 1 daresay you read in the papers, sir, but, lor', he 'adn't no chance, sir. Hβ was seen here and there, and when he jumped on a luggage train he was seen getting off near here. So Mr. Lock and mc what "were investigating the Frellgarth burglary went after him and collared him. But he's slippery as an eel, and if you'll believe mc, sir, be jumped through the window of the train and was off. But we shall soon nab him again, sir." '"I should think it very likely," said Thorold with a grim smile, while the wretch beside him shook and quivered in the extremity of his panic. "He's a, desperate fellow, sir, though small to look at," the policeman continued; "that's how he done us, sir. You see, sir, he is built very small and slender like—just like " The policeman's glance wandered uncertainly to Thorold's companion. •'Just like my chauffeur," said Theobald pleasantly. "Yes, sir," agreed the policeman; "uncommon like him, and so he wriggled the handcuffs off—they being much too big for him —and dived through the carriage ■window. Went through it like a shot. Now mc," said the stout policeman pathetically, "I struck." "Ah," said Thorold gravely, "now that was too bad. But you couldn't help it." "No, sir, that I couldn't," agreed the policeman eagerly, "and I'm nothing if not zealous —often and often have I been called so; only three months ago com* Tuesday next' Sir Willoughby in open court says, speaking of mc, says 'c, 'Our zealous" and efficient constable, 'Tggins,' 'c says; but the language of Inspector Lock, sir, -was shocking—shocking. The things he said, sir, with mc stuck there in the window was nothing less tii.an insulting, sir, downright insulting." "Too bad," said Thorold sympathetically j

"He tried to shove mc through," the zealous Hjggins continued, full of Ma ,woes," and he enreed; and he tried to pull mc back and ie swore, and after all he didn't manage no betteir hisself; for when I was out at last, and. he got through., he tumbled over the rails and cut his forehead open, so as it was mc what 'eaded the pursuit:"

"Zealous again," said Thorold, with a pleasant smile, "and I must say if that was your Inspector Lock who spoke to us at the top of the hill, he seems a most uncivil person. I considered his behaviour most insolent." He leaned over from the car and slipped half-a-crown into the constable's ready palm. "Well, I sincerely hope you will catch your man," he said, as he nodded farewell. "Oh, well catch 'im all right," said Higgins, touching his helmet as the car moved on. For a mile or two they drove in silence, and then Thorold stopped in a lonely part of the read. "So, he said slowly, "you are the Catford-street murderer?" "Well," muttered Green sullenly, his eyes alight with furious rage and iear; "well—what's it matter to you what 1 am—was " "Some people might have a prejudice against assisting a murderer," said Thorold quietly. "I was just wondering whether to return and hand you over to the police." "Oh, you are, are you?" Green muttered, and his hand 3tole softly to his breast beneath his coat, while his nervous smile turned into a wolfish, grin, showing a set of broken amd discoloured teeth. But Thorold watched him with a deep contempt. "Be careful," he said with sudden sharpness; and after just one glance at him that seemed to measure him as a possible opponent, Green's expression changed as he appeared to decide that Thorold was too strong for him. Instead he began to whine and whimper. "You're too 'ard' for mc, sir," he whined: "lor," sir, you wouldn't give a poor bloke up what, never 'armed you; you wouldn't never be so cruel, sir? If you knew what I'd been through, sir. you'd be sorry for mc, sir, as 'as lived the life of a dog." "Very appropriate, too, I fancy," interrupted Thorold; "but stop that whin--1 .ing. I don't like it. Tell the truth, mind. What -was this Catford-street murder? Who was it you murdered?" Cireen gasped, and seemed for the moment to choke, and' with one hand he sawed violently in the air. "Oh," he stammered, "to ask mc that," and hie livid face was terrible to see. "The word is more to you than the deed, as it is with most men," commented Thorold scornfully, "well, tell mc to whom it was that the—accident occurred?" ''Ah, you are just a devil," muttered Green thickly; '"you want to drive mc mad—why?" "Because," answered Thorold grimly, ■'if it Tvas a woman or a child, I am going to turn round and take you back to the police." "It •wasn't," said Green eagerly, "and he 'it mc first—that was proved at the trial, so they let mc off with a lifer. He out with his knife and I 'it him one with the poker, and then another to make sure, and another to make him lay quiet, but along of hia bitting mc first they let mc off with a lif?r —'as for mc I 'it 'im three times tout 'ow was I to know as that -would put his light out? so they let mc off with a lifer. Oh, lor'," ke went on, beginning to whine again, "if you knew what I have been through—everything reg'lar as clockwork—no streets, no nothing—no chat, no pals, no change— only the same thing over and over again for ever and ever world without end. Amen. Sir, sir, you've saved mc once; sir, have pity on mc, sir."

"Pity is folly," said Thorold , . "I didn't save you because I pitied you, but because—l never knew I was so great a fool—because your eyes reminded m« of some one else. But if the man you killed—if it "was in a fight, it's no con' cern of mine. Every man must look after himself in this world, and if the police want you they can find you for themselves." "God bless you, sir," said Green fawningly, "God bless you sir, for your kindness to a poor unfortunate fellow what never meant no 'arm to no one, and if ever you're in a 'ole, sir, may some one " "There, shut up," said Thorold, briefly. "I 'want none of your thanks. Shut up and jump out." "Jump out," gasped Green; "why, ain't you goin to save mc? Jump out! Why, they'd nab mc again in a minute!" "What is that to mc?" asked Thorold even more harshly than before. "Jump out, I tell you." "But—'but," istajmmered Green, his incredulous amazement changing to a perfect frenzy of hate and rage and fear; "you've tijajgun 'elping me—you ought to, you must, go on. You ain't no right to throw mc off like this when once you've begun a- 'elping mc!" "Haven't I?" said Thorold scornfully; "do you suppose that because I got yon out of one hole I'm to carry you about with mc any longer than I can help? Come, jump out, unless you want to be ■thrown out." But Green screamed aloud in tbe madness of his rage and his despair, and he snatched a bare knife from his breast. "Take that," he hissed, as his knife swung up and down; "take that, you dcvil —that—and .that." (To Tie continued dairy.)