Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-21
id himself he has not the slightest suspicion

"Whether he has or not makes no differ
ence" Mr.. Armstrong said decidedly. ait is
quite certain by what you say this poor lady
did not Kill herself In that case, who did itf
We must make 1t our business to find out who
it was. You don't suppose am going to have
your life spoiled IN such fashion as this.
Talk about remaining single all your life, l
won't have it: the thing must be set straight"
"It's very easy to say must father" Mary
said, almost smiling at his earnestness, but
how is it to be set stralght?"
well, Ivy our finding out about it, of course,
Mary. Directly get well enough to move
and the doctor said this morning that in a fort
night l can be taken down to the coast-we
will follow out our original plan of going back
to England. Then we will go down to this
place you speak of-Carnesworth, or whatever
it is. and take a place there or near there.
There are always places to be had. 1t makes
no difference to us where We go. 1 don't
sIyeO'e siiye in England % Know p'U%S1e We
will take some little place and get to know the
people and talk to them. Don't tell me about
not finding out; of course shall be able to
find out If it has been done by any one down
there; and as you say that the burglar or tramp
theory is quite disproved by the finding of these
trinkets, it must be somebody in the neighbor-
hood Iknow what these dunderheaded police
are. Not one in ten of them can put two and
two together The fellows at once jumped to
the conclusion that Mervyn was guilty, and
never inquired further"
'Re says he had detective down. father for
some weeks before the trial, and that one has
been remaining there until quite lately"
II don't think much of detectives" Mr.. Arm
strong said; tbut, of course Mary, If you throw
cold water on the scheme and don't fancy it,
there's an end of it.
t,No no, father, you know don't mean that,
only was frightened because you seemed to
think 1t so certain that we should succeed.
There is nothing should like better; it will
matter nothing to me if years about it
SO that could but clear him at last"
81 have no notion of spending years. my dear.
Before now have proved myself pretty good
hand at tracking the spoor of Kaf1rs, and it's
hard if can't pick up this trail somehow"
1--WE will do it between us, father" Mary
said, catching his confidence and enthusiasm,
and kissing him as he sat propped up with
pillows ''Oh, you have made me so happy.
Everything seemed SO dark and hopeless be-
fore and now we shall be working for him."
'And for yourself, too, Miss Mary: don't pre-
tend you have no personal interest in the mat
ter"
And so. Just as the clock struck II, Mary
Armstrong lay down on her bed in the little
ante-room next to her fathers, feeling infinite
ly happier and more hopeful than she would
have thought possible when she parted from
Ronald Mervyn three hours before. Ronald
himself was surprised at the brightness with
which she met him, when at o'clock he
alighted from his horse at the door of the hos
pital. "Come in, Ronald" she said, I'VE were
talking-tather and l-for hours last night, and
we have quite decided what we are going to
do"
so you have come to say goodby, Mervyn-
for, of course, you are Mervyn to u.s." Mr..
Armstrong said as he entered the room.
"Well, my lad, it's bad business that my little
girl was telling me about last night, and has
knocked over my castles very effectually, for 1
own to you that have been building, knew
you were fond of my girl. You never would
have done for her what you did unless you had
been, and was quite sure that she was fond of
you; how could she help it? And l had been
fancying as soon as this war was over-for,
of course, YOU could not leave now-you would
be coming home, and should be having you
both with me in some snug little place. How
ever lad, that's over for the present; but not
for always. hope. All this has not changed
my opinion of the affair. The fact that you
have suffered horribly and unjustly is nothing
against you personally, and, indeed, you will
make Mary better husband for having gone
through such trial than You would have done
had not this come upon you."
Il am sure l should" Ronald said, quietly;
~ think l could make her happy, but fear
shall never have the chance, She has told you
what said last night. have been awake all
the night thinking it over, and 1 am sure 1
have decided rightly. My disgrace is hard
enough TO bear alone; will never share it with
her."
Il think you are right Mervyn-at least for
the present. If, say in five years hence, you
are both of the same mind toward each other,
as l DO not doubt you will be, he added. in re-
ply to the look of perfect confidence that passed
between his daughter and Ronald, 1--WE will
talk the matter over again. Five years is a
long time. and old stories fade out of peoples |
remembrance. In five years, then, one may
discuss il again: but don't mean Mary to wait |
five wears If ] can help it. and she has no incli-
nation to wait five years either, have you,
child?' Mary shook her head. $50 i will tell |
YOU what we have resolved upon. We have |
made up minds. In the first place some-
body murdered this cousin OF yours; that's
quite clear, isn't it?"
That is quite clear" Ronald replied. at is
absolutely certain that it was not a suicide"
"In the next place. from what she says,.it is
quite clear also that this was not done by an |
ordinary burglar The circumstances of her
death and the discovery that her private jewels |
were hastily thrust INTO the ground and left |
there to spoil. pretty well shows that"
Il think So" Ronald said. II am convinced |
hot hnoy Il RI flp nrfla troG AaIih
ate one and not the work of thieves"
''Then it is evident that it was the work of |
some one in the neighbornood, of some one who |
either had personal hatred of your cousin, or |
who wished to injure you"
TO injure me" Ronald repeated in surprise. |
Il never thought of it in that way. Why to in
81 should say to injure you because it seems
to me that there was deliberate attempt to
fix the guilt upon you. Some enc must have |
put your glove where ii was found. for il seems
from what you told Mary that you certainly
could not have dropped it there"
1T might seem so," Ronald said thought
fully. land yet ! cannot believe it: in fact
had. so far as know, no quarrel with any one
in the nelghborhood. had been away on SER
vice for years and had nothing to do with the
working of the estate, and had never had an
angry word with any man there"
"Never discharged any grooms, or anyone of
that sort?"
We'll did discharge the groom after got
back Ronald replied, land the coachman, too.
for found upon looking into the accounts that
they had been swindling my mother right and
left, but that can surely have nothing to do
with it. The glove alone would have been
nothing had it not been for my previous quar-
rel with my cousin, which no one outside the
house can have known of, and that unfortunate
ride of mine"
well, that may or may not be-" Mr. Arm
strong said; anyhow, we have it that the mur-
der must have been committed by someone in
the neighborhood who had grudge against
your cousin against yourself. Now the de.
tective that you have had down there,
my daughter tells me, has altogether
failed in finding the clew; but after
all that shows that he is a fool rather
than that there is no clew to be found. Now
what Mary and L have settled upon is this: di- |
rectly we get back we shall take pretty little |
cottage, if we can get one, down at the village"
"What, at Carnesford?'
"Hes, Carnesford; we shall be two simple |
colonists, who have made enough money to live |
upon, and have fixed upon the place accident |
ally. And then we shall set to work to get to |
done if We can but get hold of the right way |
and Mary and hatter ourselves that between |
US we shall do it. Now that's our plan. It's no |
use your saying yes or no. because that's what |
we have fixed upon
"It's very good of you sir" Mervyn be- |
gan
Its not good at ALL" Mr.. Armstrong inter- |
rupted. MARY wants to get married, and 1 |
want her to get married, and SO we have moth
ing to do but to set about the right way of |
bringing this about. And now, my boy know |
we must not keep You. God bless you, and |
bring you safely through this war, and / tell |
your people think. You will write often and |
Mary will let you know regularly how we are |
getting on"
He held out his hand to Mervyn, who grasped
it silently, then held Mary to him in a close EN-.
brace for a minute, aud then galloped away to |
take his place in the ranks of his corps.
The troop to which Ronald belonged was not
1t was found, intended to start at once to the |
hnf m ~ on