The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-07-05
UNDER A CLOUD ;
CLEARING HIMSELF.
The Thrilling and Absorbing Story
Of q Great Crime.
NJ JENNIE DAVIS BURTON.
AUTHOR or " Her LiFE1 Secret" AND
OTHER STORIES
Copyrighted, 1888, BY the A. NJ Kellogg Newspaper
Company. Az Rights Rtssrped.

You know just as much as you are tit to
bear. Come, I'll bo easy with you. Tell me
that you will marry me, say tomorrow, and
won't urge tho thing now. You don't look
ft to stand, that's fact"
Her eyes roved everywhere about the
room before they settled upon his hateful
face.
"I-I must" she whispered. "I promise
IL. But give me time-a little time"
~ will give you time--a week II you'll
promise that, honest and sure. Come what
will, whether he lives or dies, you'll marry
me ut the end Of week. Say that and I'll
believe you and take the risks"
IL WILL will,' promised the poor girl,
Historically wringing her hands. How could
she do otherwise when the life Of the
brother she adored hung upon her words'
She was only conscious Of ono impulse, to
get out Of the presence Of this man who
tortured her:-to hide with her bruised and
broken heart from all the world.
Ingot left to call Sarah, whose brother
had arrived and taken his place in tho sick
room.
miss Carol is quite broken down. want
you to put her to bed and keep hor quiet"
he advised, and turned away into Lyman's
den, where he threw himself into an easy
chair before the glowing grate.
~ don't know how 1t is; but that girl can
wind mo round her little finger when she
likes. don't begrudgc the week II 1t brings
her to me willingly, and she'll keep her
word now she's given 1t. She never prom
ised out and out before, only left the idea
that she gave in as she believed, but now
there's not loop-hole left her. Lyman
wasn't quite so bad as took him to be in
his cold-blooded plotting. The wonder Is,
so long as he'd made up his mind to take
that way out Of his scrape. that he didn't do
something in the way Of making restitution
to Everleigh. Hang it oil, how am to know
but ho didl''
With this new thought in his mind, Mr..
Ingot was no longer quiescent. He sprang
up and began pacing the room, casting un.
easy and speculative glances about him.
What had Lyman been doing during those
long night hours at tho bankl Tho book
keeper had held the opinion hitherto that
the extra work was only meant to keep
down an uneasy conscience, but it occurred
to him now that he might himself be placed
In an embarrassing position II Lyman had
left confession for Mr.. Everleigh.
He had no scruple about searching the
desk Of tho injured man. 1t was easy for
him to invent an excuse for obtaining tho
keys to 1t, and five minutes after his search
began o thick envelope, which was ad'
dressed to Althea Everleigh, lay In his
hands.
"Made up mostly Of moonshinc, but with
enough Of unpleasant fact in it to make II
safer there" no muttered, as he consigned
tho missivc which he had opened and
glanced over, to that bed of glowing Goals
This little incident robbed Mr.. Ingot OF
the light spirits which Carols concession
had given him. 1t opened up problem
which he had not yet contemplated. There
could be no doubt but that Carol would
insist upon making the restitution
when she should recover from the
shock and horror Of tho time Now, the
idea Of wrestling fifty thousand dollars from
Lyman Childer's unwilling hands had
made no inconsiderable part Of Hiram
Ingot's former pleasant dreams, and his
brow clouded over at the prospect OF relin
gushing his golden hopes.
"After oil, it's the girl want more than
the money" he mused. "Pd rather have
Carol without 1t than Miss Everleigh wit,
it, for all her beauty and pride"
Through the dark days that followed, In
got remained in the house. He took the
reins of government in his own hands, and
in every way possible spared tho stricken
girl, who had crept back to her place by hei
brothers. bedside, only leaving it when hi
came and led her away, commanding tho
rest or the refreshment which sho ncvcl
seemed to feel the need of herself.
What was she thinking Of as she sa
there through the long, weary days, far int
the gruesome nights, with her mournful oye!
resting always on the face which pressed
the pillow, now pale and drawn with pain
now flushed with fever and wild with de
lirium, as tho sick man raved and tossed IL
tho grip of the fever tend! There was III
sign to tell, but weight like lead lay up0I
her heart.
Only once had here como any thing lil1'
o CLEAN OF consciousness or reason to Ly
man, and then, waking out Of fitful slum
ber, ho fixed his burning eyes upon her
with wistful smile trembling on his lips.
"Why, sis, what time you've boon com
ing to me-" hc murmured, reproachfully
81 thought you cared more for fellow
Oh, there! do you secl He has come bael
from the grave-from the grave-to punisl
mo for the trust l betrayed. Keep of;
tell you, keep orr
He sprang up in the bed, screaming an,
waving back the specter which his fevere,
imagination had conjured, then claspng hi
hands to his breast fell back heavily, swoon
ing, Carol thought, but In moment NOR
he began babbling with only now and thel
an Ineligible word or sentence.
Edson--Edsoni Confound the younf
jaclfanapes why must he rake up that pack
age. You can't have her, Ingot-l'll die first
You'll find every thing made straight, Mr.
Everleigh. tell you, it isn't stealing whel
o man only takes his own"
And SO on and so on for hours at stretch
v1yhiI ttn, hA1 ,oll o,,I Ala,x 4,
would relapse into stupor which had littl,
rest IN it, The doctor was Of tho opinion
that his fover was not sc much the result O
his wound as Of somo intense mental strail
or nervous shock which preceded it,
"There was no injury to the head, 70,
see. This brain fever would have had hin
in its clutches in day or two more,
fancy, had there been no othor trouble, ant
IL no dies can't conscientiously swear tina
the wound killed him." he confded to In
got.
"You think he win die, thenW
"There's no telling. He stands chance
unless blood poisoning sets in. He seom!
to have been o young man of exemplary
habits, and that much is in his favor"
Ingot made the most of this report Il
Carol, who never asked question. Sh'
knelt down by the bedside after he lef
her aud laid her cheek against Lyman,
burning hand.
"Oh, my brother, you did mean to say,
me OF frightful cost, but things hav'
changed now, and ] will save you. For yol
will live, dear, live to redeem the past,
know"
Heeding nothing that went on outside o
that chamber, she did not know how ofteI
Althea had como TO be met by the one an