Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-01-13
VOL. ".

vate desk ls answered.
One who II his friend aud mine showed
il 20. me only to clear himself, Esther.
They lay equally under suspieioA.s nay
father said, "I pondered long as to the
best way OF approaching the subject then
| decided TO open il first 10 the eldest. l
hardly know why | was so stunned hy the
circumstances. They both knew the cash
was Shorts both knew that | knew IL
neither said anything, What was 20 be
done 2''
Let that night go; il was horrible
night to me, L did npp tails long with
father. He saw | was IN and sent me %
bed did not sleep, for all of kind Aunt
Hetty's uneaSiness and her faF-away re-
marks ON my ailnent, though | more than
suspected she knew all.
| determined to be At breakfast next
day, though my head ached as though il
would split, and there was james, pale A. a
ghost. He had an interview with father,
who had set up in the parlor waiting for
him after left the night before, though
didn't know il then. and it had ended with
these words: " Then, james ii il is all As
YOU say, and the time ever. comes, you can
make things clear and fair; come back, and
you shall have my daughter, She loves
You, and she is like her mether--if she
loves once. she loves forever ~
Henry Schoolcrah looked eiAhlrrassed
pained, restless. Why should he not, and
yet be innocent, even II lin my passion,
saw fit in some vague way not TO be ex-
planned. 10 transfer the offence at issue
from the one loved TO him.
was not. promised my father, 10 hint
TO James that Henry had said aught con-
meeting him with the outrage. IL was
through tears ofb blood rs itwere, father said,
that he wrung from him the confession
that he also suspected James Scott.
Il can't tell. my father had represent
ed him rs saying, 6 il had had the same
temptation, engaged to your daughter and
TOO poor to marry her, perhaps 6r many a
rear, how Il would have been with me, SO
L doesn't become me TO blame him."
Then they agreed between them 10 sen6
poor james away. and never, never TO
breathe beyond themselves what had oc-
cured, what had separated him and us.
But james anticipated. He was not
sent away, because he took the stand at
once, as soon as my father opened the sub
jet TO him. that it was unfit he should
remain any longer under taint Of suspicion.
lie had No means of proving his innocence,
b, said. He had missed moneys from the
time the first inroad had been made ON the
store capital he knew il lay between
Henry and himself, the going oft; he was
fre Of the offence, but since the money
WIS found i'm his desk, though BIO was not
aware of its presence there until my father
showed it TO him the had counted and put
it back again, he would leave and 20 his
WY t18#
After breakfast the morning following
mr horrible night, James rose from the
tale with fearful stiffness in his manner,
and hollow tone in his voice, and said.
Esther, wish TO speak 70 you alone"
Neither he nor had partakeR of the meal
an-thing TO speak of, and he seemed 10
knsw that | had gone 10 il only to meet
hin, as he had for the sake Ct coming in
contact with me. How dead pale be was,
ane old-lookingi Why, he might almost
have passed for my father.
What was James going 10 tell me ?
Would he make confession Of his guilt or
deH the vile charge .out-and-out? That
reflection of Henry's stuck TO me-, must
owl-the temptation of having TO work
bari for years, it might be, before he could
tax, me wife, he loving me as he did all
theKhile, and the fear of possible influ-
enc from my father in Henry's behalf; for
james knew how that matter stood. Oh
it vas likely TO be the death Of me! |
huriedly thought Of this first trouble Of
min as passing from room to room.
Tie long and short of James story was
thatwhich has already been told. Ii re-
freshd my faith to hear from his own lips
=" Is God lives, Esther, speak truly. i
knoy nothing Of this rnattsr.s / promised
TO bdieve in his truth, and did and when
we Iarted it was in full faith that God
woul defend the right, and bring my dar-
ling guiltlessness out clear in the face of
all acusers.
We must have believed in one another.
you will say, because we were not to write
or hdd any intercourse. My father said
this irSt, and complained Of his cruelty
at th time, as did to james. when | told
him II it; but he, generous like himself
said hat was right. believe he thought
wa such an inexperienced creature that
he E1uld give me an opportunity to know
my own mind for sure in the matter.
| wondered if Hepry would renew has
suit ome. Now began to ponder to my
self when James had gone. hadn't many
week to wonder. He was very delicate
at firt, must say but somehow Fenry
appeared to be under artificial excitement
at tines. | could not tell what, and one
Of thse times the old story came from him
again and met with just the same result
as bebre. / wondered if he hadn't bred a
lie and told il to James hurt, and il the
act wasn't preying on his mind to make
him at as strangely as he now acted at
intervals. / wondered next If my own
brain might not be slightly affected by
the shock had received; nobody seemed
to nobce his queer ways but me; so, per-
haps, be hadn't them after all. So much
Cor me and my wonders.
/ didn't bother much 10 find out II my
mind vas not visibly tae worse, as I think
il wa; my body certainly was. | grew
yery meagre, and weak, and listless.
Everybody noticed that everybody in the
house that is, and my father really was
good to me and concerned for me.
Now came the end. ives getting worse
and worse was in my room all the time,
and ON the bed, lounging for the most.
There was little surprise prepared for
mo one day. A bird and flower basket
were brought and hung In the windows Of
the chamber adjoining Aunt Hetty's, so | |
was moved in there for change. en-
loved il and went to sleep. After night
father came in, took his seat quietly beside
me and kept silent for fear Of waking me,
though he laid his hand on mine On the
bedside. | was busy a little, with my
thoughts, but had not energy nor will TO
speak. II
crafts and the partition door between them
was swung back. fI1
II went on to bedtime didn't know
the hour, but there father sat, quiet as. a
mouse, and liking the quiet. Presently
we heard Henry come up and some one
with him. Father made no motion to shut
the door for fear of waking me, and it made
no great matter either, ESat we knew. va
Henry was in one of his exctements
This was apparent to me at once, and he
ratified away something recklessly to his
companion-a young man / recognized by
his voice as one who sometimes visited
James and himself
Something recklessly, did say, he talked?
You shall see ssFVe got him out of the
.x-a,y and tha concf "a all atanr ord