The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-12-23

you about It at present. only your sistc
charged me with message Tor you"
Yes. said Tommy. breathing nor.
freely And it was"--
About this business had 10 TEL
her you know, said Jim looking stFaisL
at him
All the fear came back into the lad
eyes again "fou told Ler-Nancy. be
gasped Good Godl You must have beer
mad
Il don't think so said jim. i,ily
And would leave that name cat III III.
question If wero you-it doesn't Eoun,
well Wen. as 10 telling your sister, oN
a matter OF fact. did not tell her-sL,
found it out.
"How?' Tommy hardly spoke above
whisper, and his heart began TO beat e
+ fast that he was nearly suGocgted.
We'll, | naturally told her that Vs..
not the man who murdered owen.
"Welly'
"And then she expressed great anxiety
lest might fall under suspicion again
I SO, in order to rcassure her and not B.
any way 10 let light IN upon yoI told
( her that | could safely establish my limo
cenco at any time Naturally she pressed
me to 90 so at once. particularly Is your
father although lie believes ia nc lin
self. will not consent 10 Our mau.9g,
until all fear Of my danger is 40 an end
and then ! had 10 tel her that, for tho
sake Of this mans relatives, / was bound
70 keep silence. She did not sec it.
All. girls arc Co beastly selfish. ID
Tommy broke in. It's tic way they're
brought up
Perhaps so, said jim. dryly. GLOW
ever she did not see &C.. and oven went So
far as TO say that she should tell your
father and get the mystery cleared O..
somehow; and then had TO say that
would not havo your father know it fOi
any consideration. and she guessed "
There was q long and death like silence
but az last Tommy looked up AID
what Is size going 10 do. ID asked
Nothing" returned jim. 'sLo Is 60
ing TO wait. But she charged ne ~ tell
you that she forbeafs only for your
fathers sake; that she has neither pity
nor mercy for You; that. but for him. she
would willingly deliver sou up to justice
tomorrow And she says that, Just 60
far IS Is necessary 10 blind your father
size viii be 10 you as she vas before. but
no further. That ii YOU At any time ~
Ns smallest thing that she d.saDployes
che will 20 TO your father OF once and tel
him everything. and she told me to ~
mind you that she Is bound by no promise
70 shield you, aud has no reason foT con
coalment
For some time Tommy sat staring into
the FIRE place blanlsly, trying hard 70 10
cover from the blow which Beautiful
jim words lad dealt him. but Of last lie
looked up
Am / to spend The rest II my life In
pulgatory under Naneys thumJ' Ae
asked, loarsely.
I'm afraid that's about Il, returned
jun stolidly.
But tell you It was an accident, q
pure accident ho persisted. miserabiy.
ooh yes. Of course; most murders
are. replied Jim. quietly 1T couidn'
be your fault for pitching aeyenpouud
dumb bcll at Owen when his back wss
turned. but poor dear Owens fault for
getting in the way Of it, believe that 5
generally the way with murders; but IN
fortunately, jurymen are such internal
bloclheads that they cant often be got
to look at the matter IN the hight lilhr.
It's q devil of a nuisance. OF course but
there the jur!es are. and their decision Is
law"
Life won't be worth having Tommy
groaned. abjectly
Neither would It at Portland, even II
YOU got let of 30 easily as that returned
Jim, with what Tommy designated IA his
own mind as unieeling brutality. And
you should have thought Of mat, you
know, before you took TO shying dumb
bells about"
And then all at once, and without warn
ing, Tommy burst out crying. and sobbed
convulsively for some minutes.
Its too hard, " he burst out, that my
whole life should b. ruined like this !
tell you Id no idea, no notion, not the
smallest, OF killing the fellow. He always
was contrary, crossgrained brute 49,
Take care, take care, muttered Jim
between his teeth.
He was-perhaps not 10 you. but 70 ne
from the very first and always" 1omgy
cried, passionateiy. And that day, after
spying and busying himself about nay pri.
yate affairs, which had and could have had
nothing TO do with him, he goaded me
ferccly-"nay, alto
gether to madness by his cold. icy. super.
cilious, damnable airs. was mad when
did that, but mad as | was, had never q
thought OF killing him; | swear never
had
AT the same time, said jim, frigidly,
you would find it uncommoniy difficult
10 persuade a jury TO look at it in that
light"
Il know IT," Tommy rejolned. wretch
edly but do you think ever forget ~
Night and day. alike. | have that horrible
thdd in my cars. and Ovens dead face. as
saw II IN the morning, before my eyes
good heavens, mani don't you think that
have suffered very hell Of regret. and that
don't suffer il still every day every hour.
ny. every moment Of my life"
''No, don't returned jim. no more
moved 10y this outburst Of passion against
4 self wrought fate than lie would have
been by q blue bottle fly buzziDg up aud
down O window pane II saw YOU In the
Garden IN hour ogo. and pom nv
soul, even knowing you as well as | do. ]
was astonished at your powers OF enjoy
was indeed"
You told me yourself" cried Tommy,
aercely, THAT was to look as usunl, that
| was not to 80 about looking hang dog
and wretchcd"
80 did: but never expected to see
you take up your little filrtatlons again
with quite the zest you displayed this af.
Lernoon. However. It's no use going over
the old ground again aud again In this
way. have given you your sisters mes.
sage, and, for the present. you appear 10 |
bo eafo. though. Of course, ono can never
Tell what may or. may not turn up, I |
don't think you need imagine that she IS |
yoing 70 make your lifo burden 10 you. |
Tor really don't believe she viii ever |
Bnnt 70 SEQ you, on be In aay way mixed |
~ With you agnin. ] think what shs |
neeus by .youS dong anything that abe !