Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-08-31
HER LIES SECRET.
ny JENNIE DAVIS BURTON.
~ = " ~ " ~ n IN Y 10 HWhIONs
Author NJ "Stnrng,iy We'd" Tn, TIarnhurst
Mystery" The HGdisst Karridge EuT
Was."" CccTs scers'," "A Mcr.
caes Pc. etc., etc.
CHAPTER xx.-CoNrrSrEn.

CHAPTER NX.-CoNrtNurn.
"Qucst told YOU, hut Quest did not
know The wrctched story Of nv girlhood.
did not know the prosecutions with
which Narick followed me. until was
driven to that horrible deed. / went
out with the set purpose OF killing him.
or myself, or both of us. that night II
seemed tn me that | was justified in do
ing Il; sooner or later knew that blood
would be shed. II was either To kill
him then. or Ia have him anil Rodney
meet, and one slay the other. OF the
consequences. further than to save my
husband. never thought When I saw
him before me. knew that he had wit
messed that decd. | tainted. and after
that knew nothing for long weeks.
Whom ! came back Co myself nj last INV
father was with me. He gave me To
understand that Rodney had left me.
took no interest in anything beyond that.
and u was easy for them to keep me i'm
ignorance Of the truth. You were born.
and when began To gain strength. they
broke Il to me and gave me the letter
he had left"
OF her horror and agony she spoke.
AIluInnF.
There was murder branded intellectually
npon her soul. but II was the murder of
the husband who had given himself up.
n willing sacrifice. for her sake. rather
than Of the man whose blood she had
spilled. She had accepted unuurstion-
ably the one pcnancc he had asked Of
her when she gave up her child. She
had laid out for herself n life of atone
ment by good works. and when the
yellow fever broke out i'm Havana She
was one Of the first To volunteer as n
nurse. All she hoped for was to lose
the power Of suffering in an early death.
but Death passed her by. So near. in
deed. that she felt his cold breath. but
she was spared and struggled unwill-
ingly back To life.
but u was n new life she came back
10. All natural feeling had not died out
Ot her heart Lcve came back 10 H..
hrst for her child, then for the man who
thought he knew the darker part of her
history, yet who knew nothing of the
fact that u was her hand which sped
the fatal ball; that secret. intrusted 10
Rose Sangcrford, had ever been held
inviOlate by her; Of that, and of much
IN her earlier life, he suspected nothing.
She knew she was doing wrong in
listening To him ut all; she tried TO do
right. yet we know little of the mental
struggle through which she passed. She
did yield. aud the great, overmasterinp
passion of her life grew up for the .hus-
band whose loved and loving wife she
had been for So many quiet wears.
Quiet, but hardly happy. Love could
not still the throcs Of conscience entire.
". Fear OF exposure she scarcely had.
believing her secret locked ND in her
own breast. She only learned better
when she questioned Lex regarding her
knowledge Of Mr.. Quest. n dav or two
subsequent To that scene In the library.
Lex, I'm utter frankncss. BETRAYED the
admission be had made her.
"he said that ne had very nearly
committed n bank robbery once. I'm,
was saved from IL and almost frightened
To death by having n murder done rich,
0ndcr his eyes That he had got away.
but expected tO convict the murderer
yet or words TO that effect"
From that hour Mrs. Oliphant knew
the doom which hung over her head.
Quest knew her and meant TO betray
her. He discovered the secret OF
pana's parcntagc. but greater than
that was the secret of her guilt and
crime.
Those last few days az the cottage
seemed to her now like horrible. dis
tempered dream. Every hour she ex-
pccted the blow to fall. and through all
the long agony Of suspense which wore
upon every nerve, one idea prevailed
which kept her from absolute madn,ss
II was this; That she would Nv when
the actual time came: she never could
look into the face Of husband or child
again after the truth was told them.
And IL killed him." she broke out
wildly there. Heaven knows. I had
feared that have been fatal 10 every
one who ever loved me; n curse to him
as was to your father. as am TO
you"
Mamma, mamma" cried Dana.
incxprcssibly grieved Thank Heaven
u Is not So bad as that. Thank Heaven
that death came 10 him before he was
told as he would have been in few
hours more. Quest had not seen him,
had not spoken with him after he part
ed from YOU. There was nothing TO
disturb his love for you. his trust In
you; Il Is the one thing for which have
always been glad"
That assurance brought more peace
than the tortured spirit had Vet known.
But YOU" she said, wistfullv.
Dana, how can you forgive me for
the ruin and sorrow / have brought upon
youP"
Il have not blamed you. mammal
Dana repeated. steadily. at was not
your fault that Launt left ms-that he
failed me when trial came"
"lOu do not know all-oh, YOU do
not know alll'' broke from the mother
In almost n wall. when Won do. Won
may turn from me and despise me. too.
How can you believe that such fatality
would follow me without volition on nv
partP Not even that secret Of guilt and
shame would have taken him from you
n Il bad not boon for the fact that YOU
were my daughter. that Twas the woman
for whom bis father met n 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
frst real comfort she bad known came
10 her then. Launts love for her had
not failed. They were lost TO each other
lrretrievably. but she knew now that he
had not given her Up through weak
pride and seliishness. that his suffering
was no less than her own.
Mrs Oliphant waswOrn out with talk
ing 40 long. She fell into an uneasy
hozo NJ last. and Dana marked In that