The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-06-08
HER LIES SECRET.

HEX LlEES SECREI
BY JENNIE DAVIS BURTON,
author of Strangely We'd" " Ths 7hornh'us
Mystery" "The Mad lest Morriage Eur
Hds," Cecirs Secre.,""A Mer-
CHESS Foe ETC., etc.
81 CHAPTER VI.lCoSr1S.Ep.'
''You may possibly think that Mig
non did not treat you quite fairly. in tina
old matter with Varick,h he began.
:'Let me see the letter.Ss
''Oh, it is quite at your service, o
course in an injured tone. ''But i
YOU UOald hear me-Powers above us
Has the mah gone mada'
We'll mighte he ask. Without open
ing The folded sheet, Rodney tore it intt
strips, and minced up the pieces, seat
teHng them upon the Stone floor of hi!
cehS = = - = :
Let us understand each other" h,
said, then. Il have declared mysel
guilty of thisycEnie. III have no desire t.
escape the consequences which attend il
the worst cOnsequenceS-but L tel
YOU, if you drag my wife name into the
affair, it VIII be the worse for you.''T
3 The conblaeencs of his nearer wa:
farly. broken at last.l 49,
y YpuArust be . fool to take such s
position" he cried, angrily. 1.-The
world has a-eertain amount ofsympathy.
always. lfor-an injured husband. YouI
only chance to ,escape-1the hangman'
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 villain. He had been her
sutton before-that can be proved. He
followed her here imposed upon YOU
under q, false rfame, had hidden schemes
calculated to injure YOU both. and in q
lit 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.'
F'.And refuse TO avail myself of such
evidence. refuse utterly, and forbid you
70 take a 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 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
you2"
4 Rodney turned on him, the flame of
some consuming passion leaping to his
syes. 20
There as trouble so deep
that you. with all Your shrewdness. can
not reach it. Let me alone to follow
my own course. | sent for YOU for
quite another purpose. want you to
watch ever 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 faetsto her in her
present stateF'
:: H.would make very little difference
# they should,' responded Almont,
gioomily. . She does not even know
me- If You are so bitter against her
for the mere fact of having once had
Sarick for lover, that you can not pun
ISL her sufficiently without throwing
I swaysyour 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.
1mpenetrable gloom swept over the
face of Rodney France. ~.
at is all one 10 me. Living or dead.
nv wife and have parted, forever"
In that ease, thought Mr. Almont,
cynicslly. it was hardly worth while be-
stirring himself for man who was fool
SHY resolved upon not being saved.
Its principle of mine never to in
terfere with another person game, he
was accustomed TO assert. and he car
cied the rule into practice even here.
He heard Rodney denounced on all
sides, heheard the murdered man lauded
as a type of Christian virtue, and
thought with Shakespeare, What fools
these mortals be" but he never BETRAYED
y S~ 1spsps ststF I'd ssla mis- Of
the =GEimiaal Court 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
N 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 amongthe
attorneys in the bar, no one was more
surprised than the prisoner himself
81 am here to offer my services as
counsel for the defense"
Mr. Kingsala!" said the Judge, evil
IDENTIFY impressed, and a ripple ran
over the throng as the stranger was
recognized as noted criminal lawyer
Of the State. s'Haye you''- addressing
the prisoner-''any objections to accept
ing him as your counsel?'
"Your Honor, / have no defense to
make, S[,A o. n, ? 80 -
..Wil1 the Court grant me per-
mission to confer with the prisoner"
asked Mr.. .Kingsala.
Permission was given, but, after
few moments of earnest conversation,
In which Rodney absolutely declined his
services eagerly pressed upon him. the
lawyer gravely announced that his re-
quest was Withdrawn. The prisoner
was arraigned in due form, and the
question put: sv.r8T
''What'say you, Rodney, France; are
you guilty or not guilty?