Iron County register., 1883-09-06

ouI you, sue Sdlu, WlSUIuliy
Dana, how can you forgive me for
the ruin and sorrow 1 have brought upon
you?"
q" have not blamed you, mamma, :"
Dana repeated, steadily. '.It was not
your fault that Launt left me-that he
failed me when trial came"
You do not know all-oh, you do
not know all!'' broke from the mother
in almost wall. ''When you do, you
may turn from me and despise me, too.
How can you believe that such fatality
would follow me without volition on my
part? Not even that secret of guilt and
shame would have taken him from you
if it had not been for the fact that you
were my daughter, that Twas the woman
for whom his father met suicide S
death"
Then, for the first time, Dana heard
the story of that other Launt Earring
ton: learned what cause his son had for
leaving her; and strange to say, the
first real comfort she had known came
to her then. Launt's love for her had
not failed. They were lost to each other
irretrievably, but she knew now that he
had not given her up through weak
pride and seltishness, that his suffering
Mrs. Oliphant was worn out with talk
ing So long. She fell into an uneasy
doze at last, and Dana marked in that
sleep, as she had not marked before,
how ghastlv and drawn and aged the
once siren-fair face had become. She
had sinned and she had suffered, and if
much suffering ever atones for sin, sure
" there was hope for her.
n 70, OF hn nd
opened it to admit Gordon Marquis to
after Mrs. Oliphant, to see what she
contne herself too closely by the sick
bed. Mrs. Mooney would relieve her.
He would have provided q nurse before
this but for the invalid's shrinking hor-
ror of discovery.
Il shall not leave her." Dana de-
t:larad "She will need no nurse but
me. What does the doctor say? Does
he give no hope?''
.sVerv little. If she gained strength
she might rally for Il time; but she does
not gain strength. There may be some
incentive now that she has YOU with
her; before this, she has hardly wished
to grow better"
They talked in low tones during his
stay. He was going without looking in
upon the invalid, who still slept, when
LIGHT step sounded in the corridor, a
soft knock fell upon the door,
The DOCTOR" said Gordon. .He is
early to-day"
But it was not the physician to whom
he opened. Harmon Quest stood there,
bland and smiling, a stolid-lookin@ in
Il l,al in,
his back.
..YoUr servant, Mr.. Marquis" salut-
ed Mr.. Quest. Miss France. l am
nearly as glad to see you as | was three
months ago when run YOU to earth. |
was convinced then if / lay low long
enough d get wind of Mrs. Oliphant,
and the event proves l was right. She's
in there, l suppose? Pacton, do your
duty"
Dana threw herself before the closed
inner door.
'.What is it?'' she asked. "Why
have YOU come here9 What do YOU
want with my mother9''
simply to serve n warrant for q
small matter of murder. since [ don't
find it excuses the real perpetrator.
though IN innocent person was hanged
in her place
But she is very i'll; any excitement
may prove fatal
'.All the better, then, [ should say,
for her. Pacton:"
Thus admonished. PactOn stepped for-
ward and demanded admiitance. See
ing the uselessness OF resistance, Dana
stepped aside. They entered the inner
room. 1t was partially darkened, bat
through the semi-darknsss they could
see the white face and wide, startled
eyes looking up at them from the pill
lows.
Sorry" said Factor, Ito disturb a
sick lady. but duty's duty, and it can't
be got over. Iarrest you, Rose Mignon
Oliphant. for the murder of John
Varick alius Tendyke, on the 18th day
of January, 1856. You are my
prisoner. madame"
He laid his hand lightly upon her
arm. What was it made him start,
stoop over, and then recoil, with an eN-
clamat;on Of horror.
A thin stream of blood tricklcd from
the corner of her mouth, but her heart
had already ceased to beat. Death had
been before him with a more effective
summons.