It was a day of excitement for Hopeville, and for James and his wife in particular. Quick as a flash the news spread that the young smith who had made such a sensational escape from prison, and was being tried for burglary, had suddenly returned to face the justices. The rumour brought the pompous Simpkins bouncing along, and in a trice he had apprehended Jack.

"At last!" he cried in triumph. "Back you come to the jail."

"Stop, constable, I am a lawyer. I hold in this bag certain evidence of Mr. Jack Kingsley's innocence," exclaimed the lawyer, stepping forward. "My client hands himself over to the authorities of his own free will. We will walk to the office quietly, if you please."

The lawyer's air of authority, and Jack's obvious elation, cooled the ardour of the constable, and, seeing that recourse to harsh measures might lead him into trouble, he surlily agreed to accompany them to the station. Once there, Jack was placed in the dock, for the justices happened to be sitting; and within an hour he was set at liberty, on bail. There is no need to describe how he was again put on his trial, and how, within two days of its commencement, he was acquitted, and discharged, amid the cheers of the populace. Indeed, he was become a hero, for Steve's tongue had been wagging more than it had ever done before. The people of Hopeville knew now that the young smith was not only entirely innocent, but that he was a lad after the real heart of an American, and one of whom they ought to be proud. Moreover, he was rich. Yes, Jack was rich, and proved it; for when he set his face again for California he left James Orring and his wife comfortably housed in a place of their own, with a goodly sum to keep them, and a man installed in the smithy to help with the work. His mother and other friends had also tasted of his generosity, while the constable and he had buried the hatchet, and were become fast friends.

Jack returned with Steve to the mine in California, and, when it was sold, went back to New York State. But he did not idle his time away. He set up a number of smithies throughout the country, and managed them ably. When he was not travelling between one and another, he devoted all his time and energies to a special hobby. Recollecting his own strange and anxious experience, Jack studied the records of all criminal cases where the evidence had been contradictory and there seemed a possibility that an innocent man had been convicted. Expert lawyers and detectives advised him, and though he was not often successful, yet it is pleasant to have to relate that, now and again, in the course of years, he was able to bring relief to some poor fellow. Thus did he make good use of the gold he and Tom and the others had obtained in California. He married in due course, and lived to a fine old age. To-day there is no name held in higher esteem or remembered more kindly than that of Jack Kingsley.

By CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON

The Great Aeroplane. A Thrilling Tale of Adventure.
Indian and Scout. A Tale of the Gold Rush to California.
A Hero of Sedan. A Tale of the Franco-Prussian War.
How Canada was Won. A Tale of Wolfe and Quebec.
With Wolseley to Kumasi. A Story of the First Ashanti War.
Roger the Bold. A Tale of the Conquest of Mexico.
A Knight of St. John. A Tale of the Siege of Malta.
With the Dyaks of Borneo. A Tale of the Head Hunters.
Foes of the Red Cockade. A Story of the French Revolution.
John Bargreave's Gold. A Tale of Adventure in the Caribbean.
Roughriders of the Pampas. A Tale of Ranch Life in South America.
Jones of the 64th. A Tale of the Battles of Assaye and Laswaree.
With Roberts to Candahar. A Tale of the Third Afghan War.
A Hero of Lucknow. A Tale of the Indian Mutiny.
A Soldier of Japan. A Tale of the Russo-Japanese War.
In the Grip of the Mullah. A Tale of Adventure in Somaliland.
Under the Spangled Banner. A Tale of the Spanish-American War.
In the King's Service. A Tale of Cromwell's Invasion of Ireland.
A Gallant Grenadier. A Story of the Crimean War.
With Rifle and Bayonet. A Story of the Boer War.
One of the Fighting Scouts. A Tale of Guerrilla Warfare in South Africa.
The Dragon of Pekin. A Story of the Boxer Revolt.
With Shield and Assegai. A Tale of the Zulu War.