Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-07-27
CHAPTER XIv.-CoNrINrrn.


gravcly. you are unjust II YOU Judge
mc by the light Of my fathers fate.
Even / can not hold him blamcless.
though | have been taught o. believe
him more sinncd against than sinning.n
" beg your pardon. II seems % me
That, with n living wife. the wrong was
lone against the woman he pursued
She did not share his madness. but III
she had, think what her fate must have
been"
A sudden. angry sparkle flashed in
Launts eyes.
"Killuth must have left n strange inn
preston on your mind he said. "You
speak of her as II she were nm innocent
GIRL not % sorcCrcss. whose bttsincss IL
was to ensuarc and ruin men. Mrs. Oil
plant, | should think goa would be the
last person tO palliate her uffcnscs i'm
That line. You are more Of Christian
than l am II you can forgive her the
wrong she once did you, dead though
she be"
She looked at him for an instant. with
deep, searching. yet inscrutable look.
Then" Dead" she repeated. 1.-THE
grave that covers her covers her sins
also"
% Not so. The effect Of her work is
as lasting rs II she lived Her death
did not restore my fathers life; did not
restore Rodney France, nor that other
man whom he killed. Indirectly. but
surely. she murdered all three. She
desolatcd more than one home. more
than one heart. Mrs. Oliphant. IL is
strange to me that you can find excuse
for her"
She was looking away from him now.
The hands, lying in her lap, were locked
tightly together.
"She Is dead, YOU say. vet Won hold
her guilty Of all those crimes. You
can not forgive her. and you do not be-
lieve in visiting the sins of the parents
upon the children. How would II be. I
wonder, IL you had TO sit i'm Judgment
upon her child? Would you hold her
or him-stainless?n
All, now you touch home" cried
Launt. half-rcproachfully. II see I
must forgive YOU for having doubts of
me, Mrs. Oliphant. You have laid n
trap and caught me in it,
could not think kindly Of any one
who has that wOman's blood i'm his
veins. hate her. and should hate
her child. i would not be- Harrington
" did not. We are both good haters
and good lovers rs my grandmother
Will tell you. and | hope 10 convince
you yet that ann n true Harrington in
the latter respect. at least. And speak
ing OF LOVERS he broke of with a
smile " there Is your husband. waiting
Tor you, out In the rain, more devoted
Than any young gallant in the land"
She did not reflect his smile. She
had caught glimpse Of her husbands
face, and, descending from the carriage.
hurried To- meet him.
"What is IL, Power" she asked,
Rnxiously.
~ letter fo' YOU, dear. must have
overlooked tito the mail Alicia brought
u To me half an hour ago. given to her
by mistake"
Alicia was at the window looking out
upon them. She foatcd into the hail
To intercept their entrance.
''Did he give Il To YOU. Roscp I'm
NJ sorry i didn't discover the mistake
before You went away. ! Thought II
was dun from my drcssmaker. and
didn't look at IL iii after luncheon, for
fear Of spelling my appetite. Amt YOU
coming In? / hope Il isn't ANYTHING
Important
II viii be better able to inform YOU
after read the letter." said Mrs.
Oliphant, In "a constrained tone.
Better able, perhaps, but i doubt IL
morc willing said Miss Power to her
SELF sending not pleasant glance
after her. Going along with Power
into his study. do wonder, now. IL
she has the hardihood TO read 4 there?"
She certainly had, under her hus-
lands eyes. The coarse yellow en-
vclopc. with the address written in n
scrawling. unaccustomcd hand. was
Postmarked New York; the inclosure,
on half-shcet Of foolscap, read:
dcrc mrs Olyfant' ~ 80 be ~ these few
lines reaches YOU rate To say IA how i've ben
told abowt the mummy In the bank and / kin
swarc 90 the child " you wants me So To do for
i've ncvyr mover FORGOT her nor her mother
which the mark will tell and had a sIrinkin
nan what's dead and left me very bad or and
u you think u worth while to pay me some
morc hin be ~ secret as the grave or ! kin
b'sb 80 youdc bcttcr-r'to with mulch respect.
viola hickett."
An address followed the name.
Mrs Oliphant lifted her eyes with a
haggard, haunted look In them to her
husband face.
"Sho was the nurse. Power. How
do YOU think she has found US out?''
''How can tell? Through Quest,
am afraid, though. Yes, that must be
The way. | did wrong not TO buy him
AZ tNc start. This must 90 no further.
There will be two Co silence now instead
of one. 1 will write for him to come
here at once-thc letter will reach him
through his Philadelphia address-th
Is nothing 90 do now but TO acknowledge
Ihc truth and pay him his price. Don't
AXE this so 20 heart, Rose. / did not
dream that he would really unearth
anything, but / promise you Dana
shall be spared all knowledge of it at
any cost
Shs turned away from him. faint with
greater terror than any he realized,
Tou6'ed rs he was for Dana's sake.
Mr.. ELEPHANTS letter was written and
cent, but Harmon Quest passed IL on his
way 20 Shorcdcn. He arrived by late
rain that same night, took a room at
he hotel, dressed with scrupulous care
he next morning, and was lounging
about the corridors when the Oliphant
carriage was announced for Mr.. Killuth.
blr. Killuth appeared, and was accosted
iefcrcntialiy by the waiting lawyer.
u hear, sir, that YOU are bound for
he cottage-my destination also. Allow
ne TO introduce myself as Mr.. Oil
ohant6 man Of business. Quest. and II
gou can accommodate me with n seat
with the accent OF interrogation wind
ng up the sentence.
He was accommodated. and those
wo arriving together gave shock to
Mrs. Oliphapt. She was standing by a
window looking through n glass out
,vcr the blue sea which Law dimplinO
ind sparkling under the morning sun.
Tlny pleasure-boats. with sails all set.
we're skimming over IL; coasting-
schooner was crawling across the dis
ant horizoa. but the yacht. which had
ben driven In BY the rough weather,
Rill lay az anchor within the cove.