The Price

r of her state-room with a writing pad on her knee over which for many minutes the suspended pen merely hovered. She had fancied that her resolve, once fairly taken, would not

erversely refused to surrender his individuality. At the end of every fresh effort she was confronted by the inexorable summing-up:

ing that she, Charlotte Farnham, should be the one to set the retributive machinery in motion. Yet she knew she had the thing to do, and

ed and the clerk had gone below with his way-bills. It was an added hardship to have to wait, and she knew well enough that delay would speedily reopen the entire vexed question of r

up to the river bank. A moment later she was outside, leaning on the rail and looking down upon the crew grouped about the inboard end of the uptilted landing-stage.

added fresh questionings, and she began to ask herself thoughtfully what had brought it about. Had he recognized her and divined her intentio

e, hardening her heart and shutting her ears to the clamant appeal of the reawakened sentiment of commiseration. Then the man turned slowly and looked up at her as if the finger of her thought had touched him. There was no sign of recognition in his eyes; and she constraine

h for the mid-day meal. Charlotte opened her door guardedly, as one fearing to face prying eyes, and finding the coast clear, slipped out to rejo

d. "Has it taken you all this t

the strict letter of the inqu

te awhile ago. I have b

ng told the half-truth. It was characteristic of the inward monitor that even in such a trivial matter it refused to b

ed." And, since the natural inference was that there had been no opportunity to mail it,

Miss Farnham took no part in it until Captain Mayfield spoke of the reward of ten thousand dollars which ha

so dreadfully barbarous; to set a mon

ptain

oes the police business oftener than anything else, I guess. A de

arlotte persisted. "It is an open appeal to

oval, but a loquacious little gentleman ac

you have us all turn thief-catcher

orward return blow. "If I should see somebody picking your pocket, ought

erybody, for that matter-Here are ten thousand dollars if you will find us the robber. For myself, I confess that the reward would be t

f the fitness of thing

at you would accept th

ly I should;

t call the reward blood money, and refuse absolutely to touch it, but who, outside of her own little circle, would know or believe that she had refused?

nd miserable; and after the table-dispersal

embarrassment than the simple inquiry would account for. "This man who ro

only a riverman, I'm not even a sea-lawyer. But m

forward to smoke, but he turned an

t could only be brought out at the trial. But under the circumstances-threatening to shoot the president, and a

ted Charlotte, determ

, twenty year

t is what I wis

rvant man in the field of river stages and other natural phenomena, but not

as well be for life. He would be nearly

nham came to know anything about the bank robber's age

e in the levee country. Twenty years of the chain-gang would be

own sake, to talk about some of the many things that had gone to make up the sum of their daily life before this black cloud of perplexity had settled down. It was a dis

ie had tied up at a small town on the western bank of the great river, and the ant procession of roustabouts was in motion, going laden up the swing-stage an

st loads, and staring stonily at the back of his file leader in the endless round; a picture of misery and despair, Charlotte thought, a

It was a squad of prisoners in chains. The figures of the convicts were struck out sharply against the dark background of undergrowth,

the Bayou State Security will bring up, if they catch him. He'll have to be mighty tou

the unobservant captain of river boats saw t