The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-25

A"0tos great deal In what Won saw to
eVery argument brought forward In the
oO ny room, the tap rom, or sluggery.
The Carne's Arms was doing a larger
trade than 1t had ever done before. There
were Two detectives staying in the house,
ana every day coaches brought loads of
Visitors from Plymouth; while on Saturday
ana Monday hundreds of people trampel
Ver1rOm the railway station, coming FIR m
flymouth and Exeter TO have view of the
mouse where the tragedy had taken place.
Inc pressure Of business was indeed so great
that the landlord had been obliged to take
on two extra hands in the kitchen, ami to
nlre three girls from the village to attend to
the customers in the coffee room and tap
room.
hiram Powlett was Capt. Mervyn's
champion In the snuggery. 1t was true he
had lev arguments TO adduce in favor of
his belief, and he allowed the smith and
Reuben Claphurst to do the greater part of
the talking, while he smoked his pipe silent
lently. always winding up the disc ission by
saying: well, neighbors, l can't do much
IN the way of arguing. and | allow that
what you say is right enough, but for all
that believe Captain MervyI to be limo
cent: My daughter Ruth won't hear a
word said as to his being guilty, and think
with herr
Hiram Powlett and his wife had indeed
tors orders that nothing should be said in
Ruths hearing of the murder. But the
girl, as soon as she was sufficiently recovered
TO talk, was always asking questions as to
whether any further clew had been discov-
cred as to the murderer and she was indeed
SO anxious and urgent on the matter
that the doctor had felt it better to with
draw his interdict, AMI to allow her father
to tell her any little scraps of gossip he had
picked up.
The idea has evidently got possession of
her mind, Hiram" the doctor said. ''She
was very attached to her mistress, and is no
doubt most anxious that her murderer shall
be brought to justice. | have changed my
opinion, and think now that you had better
not shlrK the subject. She has been a good
deal more feveriSh again the last day or two.
vi course she must stay here now until
after the trial, which will come off in a
fortnight. When that is over, l should
strongly recommend you to send her away
from here for time; it DOESN'T matter
where sle goes to, so that she is away from
here. II you have any friends or relations
you can send her to, let her go to them; if
not, l will see about some home for
convalescent patients where she would
be taken in. There are several of them
about: one at the Isle OF Wight, l believe
That would suit her very well, as the eli
mate is mild. Anyhow she must not stop
here. shall be heartily glad myself when
the trial is over. Go where | will | hear
nothing else talked about No one attends to
his own busines and the am )unt of drunk
enless ii the place has trebled. If had
my way, | would have a regulation inf It.
ing heavy fine upon everyone who after
the conclusion of the trial ventured to
make any allusion however slight, to it.
It's disgusting TO see the number of people
who come here every day and go up the hill
TO nave a Look az the house,
AS the day for the TT al approached, Ruth
Powlett became more and more anxious and
nervous about it. 1t kept her awake at
nights, and brooded on it during the
day. For hours she would sit with her eyes
fixed upon the fire without opening her lips,
aud the doctor became seriously anxious
lest she should be again laid up before it
bacam3 necessary to give her evidence.
There was indeed terrible fight going
Oh in Ruth's mind. She knew that Capt.
Mervyn was innocent; size knew that
George Forester was guilty, and yet the
memory of her past fe was still so strong
in her that SIZE could not bring herself to
delounce him unleis it became absolutely
necessary to dc so to save Ronald Mervyn's
life. Ronald had suited and threatened
her mistI ess, and had not George Forester
been beforehan with hir, he might have
done her some g:ievous harm, or he might
perhaps have murdered Lieut.. Gulston, for
whom Ruth felt a strong attractiol, be-
cause she hal dlscerned that Margaret
loved him.
1t was right, then, that Ronald Mervyn
should suffer, but it was not right that
he should be hanged. If he could clear him
self without her being obliged to denounce
George Forester, let him do so; but if not,
if he were found guilty, then she had no
other course open to her. She must come
forward and produce the knife and describe
how she had found it, and confess why she
had SO long concealed it. All this would
bs very terrible. She pictured to herself
the amazsment of the court, the disap-
prevail with which her conduct would be
received, the way in which she would be
blamed by all who knew her, the need
there would be for gong away from home
afterward and living somewhere where no
one would know her story; but not for this
did she ever wayer i'll her determination.
Ronald Mervyn must be saved from hang
ing, for she would be as bad as q murderess
if she kept silent and suffered him to be
executed for crime she knew that he had
not committed.
Still she would not do it until the last
thing; not till everything else failed would
she denounce George Forester as a muir
derer She loved him nolonger; she knew
IlIetJ lci0 no iiOI bSoil LO "OuiO
perhaps have killed her II was partly the
thought of their boy and girl life, and Of
the hours they had spent together by the
side of the Dare, that softened her heart;
his and the thought of tue misery of the
kind old man, his father.
Il don't understand Ruth" the doctor
said one day to Mrs. Powlett. "Sne ought
to get better faster then she does. OF course
she has had terrible shock, and quite
understand its affecting her as 1t did, just
as she was recovering from her former i'll
ness; but she does not mend as she ought
to do. She has lost strength instead Of
gaining it during the past week. She is
flushed and feverish, and mas haunted look
abo 1T her eyes. If hal known nothing of
the circumstances of the case | should have
said that she has something on her mind"
There is nothing she can have on her
mind" Hesba Powlett replied. "You know
we had trouble with her about that good
for-nothing George ForesterP The doctor
nodded. 1t was pretty well known through
out the village how matters stood.
''She gave him up weeks and weeks ago,
Just at the time he went away, when he
was wanted for tue share he had IL that
poaching business up in The Carne Woods
She told her father That she saw we had been
right, and would have nothing more to say
to him. TOat was week or more before
she had that fall on the hill, and | have
never heard her mention his name since. |
feel sure that she is not fretting about him.
Ruth has always been a sensible girl, and
once she has made up her mind she wasn't