Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-06-21
HER LIES SECRET.
BY JENNIE DAVIS BURTON.
author Of :. Strangely We'd Z" The Thornhurst
4ystery.' The Aadtest Marriage Er,r
Hds,"" Cecl's Secret" - Msr- 2,
cileSs Foe, ETC., etc.

author ~ g strangely Wed," Sc The Thornhurst
Aystery' The Hadtest Marriage Ercr
Hds,"1" Cecl's Secrct,""A Msr- p
eileSs Foe etc., etc.
CHAPTER VI.-CoNr1NuED.
''You may possibly think that Mig
non did not treat you quite fairly in that
old matter with Faricks' he began.
LET me see the letter."
''Oh, it is quite ut your service. OF
course in an injured tone. but if
You UOuld hear me-Powers above us!
Has the man gone mad?'
Well might he ask Without open
ing the folded sheet. Rodney tore it into
strips, and minced up the pieces, scat
tering them upon the stone floor of his
cell.
''Let US understand each other" he
said, then. Il have declared myself
guilty of this crime. have no desire to
escape the consequences which attend it
the worst cOnsequences-but / tell
you, if you drag my wife's name into the
affair, it will be the worse for you"
The complacency of his nearer was
fairly broken at last.
"You must be fool to take such a
position" he cried, angrily. The
world has certain amount of sympathy.
always, for an injured husband. Your
only chance to escape the hangman' s
moose is to show that the safety and
peace of your connubial life were i'm
Periled by that mans pursuit of your
wife. Her character need not be COM
promised. Many an innocent woman
has suffered before this from the perse-
cution of a villain. He had been her
sutton before-that can be proved. He
fD11 H.
under false name, had hidden schemes
calculated to injure you both, and in a
tit of frenzy provoked by your discovery
of the same. you shot him dead. A
black enough case as / said before, but
no jury will convict you of more than
manslaughter on such evidence as
that"
''And / refuse to avail myself of such
evidence. refuse utterly. and forbid you
to take step toward producing it, if
you can"
Almont fixed his keen, cold eyes on
the young mans face.
See her, France, you drive me to
think that something worse than l sup
posed has occurred. What was it?
There is trouble between Mignon and
you. deeper trouble than appears at first
sight. Certainly YOU are not mad
enough to believe that she was false to
you?" 81.
Rodney turned on him, the flame of
some consuming passion leaping to his
eyes.
There is trouble-trouble SO deep
that you. with all Your shrewdness, can
not reach it. Let me alone to follow
my own course. l sent for you for
quite another purpose. I want you to
watch over Mignon, and keep my stu
alton from her; to take her away from
here as soon as she is able to travel
No one, / think, will have the hardi-
hood to carry the facts to her in her
present state.
lit would make very little difference
if they should" responded Almont,
gloomily ..She does not even know
me. If YOU are so bitter against her
for the mere fact of having once had
Varick for lover, that you can not pun
ish her sufficiently without throwing
AWAY your life, would it not be well to
consider YOUR case, with the necessity of
her punishment removed? The chances
are less than even that she will live
through the trial"
Impenetrable gloom swept over the
face of Rodney France.
1T is all one to me. Living or dead.
my wife and 1 have parted, forever
In that case, thought Mr.. Almont.
cvnically, it was hardly worth while be-
stirring himself for man who was fool
ishly resolved upon not being saved.
Its principle of mine never to in
terfere with another persons game" he
was accustomed to assert, and he car
ried the rule into practice even here.
He heard Rodney denounced on all
sides, he heard the murdered man lauded
as a type of, Christian virtue, and
thought with Shakespeare, ''What fools
these mortals be-" buthe never betrayed
the thought.
Twelve days after the commission of
the crime, the Criminal Coart of the dis
trict convened, and at his own request,
Rodney's case was put upon trial.
The courtroom was thronged with
interested spectators, but the prisoner
in the dock, after one shrinking glance
over that sea of eager faces, dropped his
head and looked no more. He had re-
fused to employ counsel: therefore.
when the question was asked by the
Judge. and a stranger arose among the
attorneys in the bar, no one was more
surprised than the prisoner himself.
II am here to offer my services as
counsel for the defense" ~.
"Mr. Kingsala!r said the Judge, evil
IDENTIFY impressed, and ripple ran
over the throng as the stranger was
recognized as q noted criminal lawyer