rough with you. I'm only just begun." The Captain
intercepted him. "You set there, or I'll set you. This trader, Rogers,
got onto your little game afore you set sail, and tried to get you
arrested. But you'd covered your dirty tracks. He caught you, though,
and made you sign something----"

"That would not stand in court. I can prove that I was forced to sign a
false statement at the point of a gun."

"Thanks, Jim. I'm glad I ain't got to prove to you that you done the
signing." Carefully choosing his words, the Captain continued. "That
feller you had hiding with you that night done some signing, too. I got
hold both them papers. I found that other feller and made him dance the
devil's tune. He done some purty things for a missionary of the Son of
God. His name was Means.

"You know the rest of the yarn, how Adoniah was taken off on one of them
floating hells, called a convict-ship. The thing was nearly wrecked, and
he was making his escape after swimming to land when he turned into a
mission place for a bite to eat. He come face to face with that fat
missionary who got you out of the country. Instead of feeding him, and
giving him decent clothing, like a Christian ought to do, he took him to
the officers. They put him in a dungeon. For nigh onto two years he was
kept there. Then this Rogers feller got hold of a lawyer with as much
heart as brains, and they got him out. The old lady said he wa'n't much
to look at when he come out. They sent 'em over here, thinking it would
be good for Adoniah's health. But he was all wore out, and couldn't hold
a job. He was a heap too proud to beg or ask help. Not wanting to
disgrace his family name with the damned record you give him, he changed
his. The old lady said it was about then that they lost track of 'em. I
got the rest of the story from Harold on my way home to-night from
Edna's place. That's why I was late.

"Adoniah and his family lived in them dirty streets of lower East Side.
He was a wreck, and Emmie tried to work to keep things up. Both of 'em
died, starved to death, while you and that damn missionary was getting
fat on the money you stole. You had busted up the firm so Rogers
couldn't help none then, even if he'd found 'em. The little boy they
left was found by some neighbors. He was 'most starved and nearly
froze. He was living with an old janitor woman, and she was sending him
out on the streets to sell papers! Think of that, Jim Fox! A little boy,
five years ol