The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-12-02
lid Iea4a everything to herr

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tho doctors wife when she was little more
thun baby. She lived in the doctors Eouse
for a duz N years or more, and B:anksome
cot such an influence over her that he knew
he could twist her round his fingers er-
actly as he pleased Why, bet you two to
ono that she has made her will IL his favor
since her arrest"
/ could not command INV couatenance an
tirely when heard this direct guess at tho
truth. 1t brought with it to my MIND
terrible confirmation of the truthfulncsi of
this unwilling witness.
III soe YOU know something about it. hs
continued ''We!l, it is just rs l thought it
would be- They never meant tho g.rl 10
share with them. She was to have all tee
kicks, while they got ell the ha'rence j
would have been different. though, If she
had st ned tc me-"
u don't want either to throw doubt upon
your story or to seem to accept it without
further inquiry; but must ask you to tell
me who in your belief. Miss Stanclife Isl"
"Did not tell you just nowa No. Well,
she is the daughter. ]. am told, of poor old
parson named Sheldon, who died at Mel
bourne twenty years ago. His wife lived
twelve or eighteen months after him, ana
then she died, too, and Daisy was left little
child, without q friend in the world. 1t was
then, as I've said, that Mrs. Branksome
took pity on her, and adopted her. She was
n good woman, was tie doctors wife, and he
never dared 10 carry out his plot about
Daisy until size was gone. God knows
whether he did not Ec,p ner off in the end.
He was equal to it. At all events, as soon
as she diet, Branksom, gees to poor old
Mauleverer, and tolls him the whole tale
the tale he had made up-how he had kept
the secret of Daisy's real birth until then,
partly because of his promise to her mother.
and rartly for his W fo.s sake, a Sh' would
neve. have ARIEL with the girl. Mau'everer
swallowed the bait whole. and from that
time Branksome had complete command, not
only over Daisy, but over the old man also"
"How have you got to learn all thlsE
"Ihats my busine s." he said in sullen
tones. But Immediately some swftfcnr oil
the consequences Of giving me otfense took
possession OF his mind. "1f you must know,
] learned it all from IN old servant OF Drank
some's whom got hold of. always sus-
pected there was something wrong. and utter
Branksomc quarrele with me, ani gos me
dismissed by Mauleverer, woTmcd the truth
on: Of the old woman
Harding anil were so much astounded by
the extraordinary rovcll'ion thus made to
us that neither of is felt capable of carrying
Grcgson's examination further StranG" MS
il may seem, we had no doubt as to the
truth of his story Rascal as the fellow I'M
mistakab;y was, ho had told his tale III q
manner which compelled our acceptance of
it ! sat bewillered, :lmoSt paralyz"d, by
tho nature of his statements. Daisy not the
niece Of Maulevcrer And Branksome tie
head of O gang of scoundrcls whose dla-
holical plot against the litc Of the mlillonalre
hal only now been carried out, after years
of careful preparation! 1t seemed mcredl-
bic, and yet in my heart l felt certain that ii
was true.
Hardin. was the first to recover the full
use of bis faculties.
"!Vill vou be good enough" he said, adj
dressing GreSson, "to give us your opinion,
If you have one, rs 10 the way in which Mr.
Maulevcrer was murdered"
II though. you know all about that. Daisy
Stanclfre gave him the poison instead of his
rowder that night"
BY look Harding warned me to kcep
calm. "Do l understand" he pursued, THAT
in your opinion, Miss Stanclifc-for so,
think, we may still call her-administered
thepoison knowinglys"
"Why, put it to your own sense, sir.
Somebody gave the oil gentleman his dose
that night. 1t was not done by Branksomc,
or by Flintcr or by Fosdyke, nor by Mr.
Fenton here Who did it! Not any of the
English servants at Great Lorton There's
none Of them in the secret, am sure. Don't
YOU SEQ ;t must have been done by the girl
who had been brought up for thet very pur-
posc-ever since she was baby"
aNo." cried, regardless OF EIarding's up
pealing glance. u do not see it God only
knows how the thing was done, but if Miss
Stancliffe was the accomplice of these vii
lains, she was an unconscious and an inno-
cent one"
"Then will you tell me how the thing was
done7 Why, you know yourself that neither
Branksome nor Flinter had been near the
hall for weeks before the old man died; and
they were Il thousand miles away when the
dose was given"
put my hand 10 my forehead wearily.
@Ah, if could only tell you how it was
done! have thought, and thought over
everything till my brain has groMI giddy.
There is only one theory that has even n
chance in its favor, and of that, alas! if it
be the true one, we can never obtain the
proof
"And what may that theory be:' asked
Gregson with m air Of interest.
hcsitatcd rs 10 whether torcveal my idea
to him. 1t was one which had occurred to
me moro than once during tho long sleeplcss
watchcs of the night: but l had said moth
ing Of it to any ono, chiefly, l think, because
it was but, and in the nature OF Thugs never
could be anything more than, . theory. en-
less 4 miracle were to happen, no pro- of it,
short Of the confession of the criminals,
could ever be adduccG. Sill, it might ho
well to hear Gresson's opinion Of it.
MAY it not have ncen plssible,' said,
"for powder containing stryclnia to have
been secretly substituted hy Fiut"r for one
containing Mr. Muulevcrcr's proper rcli-
cine! In that case Fiintrr mgii. bc able TO
prove all nlibi, although he was really tho
culprit; and Miss Stancliira nay have given
tie poison to Mr. Mau:c""re", although PER-
fectly innocent of any knowledge Of its
nature
| hnarl n low chuckIc and looked up