The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-01
CHAPTER Xxx.
CLEARED AT LAST.

,-,lyan and that he had no doubt what
s,or he had received terrible internal in
juries.
presently there was knock at the door.
Scan I come ing' Mr.. VolKes asked, when
the doctor opened it. 81 have known the
noor fellow from the time that he was q
child Is he sensible"
"He is sensible in a way" the doctor said.
.sTbat is, believe he knows perfectly well
xshat we are saying, but he has several
times laughed that strange, cunning laugh
.bst is almost peculiar to the insane.
"WeIl, at any rate, l will speak to him."
said Mr.. VOlkes.
"Do YOU know me, Reginald?" he went on
in a clear voice as he came up to the side Of
Reginald Carne nodded, and again low
mocking laugh came from his lips.
"You thought you were very clever,
Volkes, mighty clever. but l tricked you"
"You tricked me, did you!" the magis-
strate said, cheerfuliy. "How did you
You thought, and they all thought, the
dull-headed fools, that Ronald Mervyn
killed Margaret. Hol no! I cheated you all
nicely"
A glance of surprise passed between his
listeners.
MIR. Volkes signed to the others not to
speak, and then went on:
80 he did, Reginald, so he did-though
we couldn't prove it; you did not trick us
there"
81 did" Reginald Carne said, angrily. 81
killed her myself"
Nonsense, Reginald, you are dreaming"
al or ~ I,nc xyahn hoI
thought it all out over and over again. l
was always thinking of it. wanted to
put an end to this Curse. It's been going on
too long, and it troubled me. 1 had made
up my mind to kill her long before, but l
might not have done it then if l had not
heard my cousin Ronald threatening her,
and another man heard it too. This was a
grand opportunity. you see. 1t was as
much as | could do to sit quietly at dinner
with that naval fellow, and to know that it
was all right. 1t was glorious for it would
be killing two birds with one stone. wanted
TO get rid of Ronald as much as I did of
Der, so that the Curse might come to an
end and now 1t was all so easy. had only
TO drop the glove he had left behind him on
the grass close below her window, and after
that quarrel he would be suspected and
hung Nothing could have worked better
for me; and then, too, l thought it would
puzzle them to give them another scent to
work on. There was another man had a
grudge against Margaret; that was Forces
ter, the poacher. had picked up his knife
in the wood just where he had killed my
keeper, and afterward I heard him telling
bis sweetheart, who was Margaret's maid,
that he would kill Margaret for persuading
her to give him up; so 1 dropped the knife
by the side of the bed, and / thought that
one OF the other of them would be sure to
be hung; but somehow that didn't come
right. | believe the girl hid the knife, only
didn't dare question her about it, But
that didn't matter; the fellow would be
hung one way or the other for killing my
keeper. But the other was the glorious
thing, and chuckled over it. 1t was hard
to look calm and grave when was giving
evidence against Ronald, and when all the
fools were thinking that he did it, when it
was me all the time. Didn't do 1t clev-
erly, Volkes? hid her things where the
gardener was sure to find them the first
time he dug up the bed. They let Ronald
off, but he will not come back again, and I
don't suppose will ever marry; so there is
an end of the Curse as far as he's con-
cerned. Then waited bit, but the devil
was always at my elbow, telling me to
finish the good work, and last night did it.
put the candle to the curtains in all the
rooms down stairs, and stood and watched
them blaze up until it got too hot to stay
any longer. It was a grand sight, and [
could hear the Spanish woman laughing
and shouting. She has had her way with
us for long time, but now it's all over; the
Curse of the Carnes is played out. There,
didn't cheat you nicely, Volkes, you and
all the others? You never suspected me,
not one of you. l used to keep grave all
day, but at night when l was in my room
alone laughed for hours to think of all the
dogs on the wrong scent"
His three listeners looked at each other
silently
1T was grand thing to put an end to-
the Curse" Reginald Carne rambled on.
ut was no pain to her; and if she had
lived the trouble would have come upon
her Children
"You know that you are hurt beyond
chance css of recovery, .Carne," the magistrate
said, gravely. at is a terrible story that
you have told us. think that you ought
10 put it down on paper, SO that other peo-
pie may know how it was done; because
you see at present an innocent man is sus-
pected.n
What do cares That is nothing to me
one way or the other. I am glad I have
succeeded in frightening Ronald Mervyn
away, and | hope that he will never come
PACK again. You don't suppose am going
10 help to bring him homer
Mr.. Volkes saw that he had made mis-
take
Yes, quite understand you don't want
MN back" he said, soothingly. 81 thought,
perhaps, that you would like people to
Know how you had sacrificed yourself to
put an end to the Curse, and how cleverly
you had managed to deceive every one.
feope would never believe us if we were to
tell them. They would say either that you
uid not know what you were talking about,
VI that it was empty boast on your part"
They may think what they like" he
they think"
There was a change in the tone Of his
voice that caused the doctor to put his hand
On his wrist again.
Let me give you a few drops more of
brandy, Carne.n
NO, will not" the dying man said. ''I
euppose'you want to keep me alive to get
some more out of me, but you won't. l
won't speak again"
Inc others held whispered conversation
In the corner.
: lie is going fast, the doctor said. "It
:; marvel that his voice is as strong as it
T. :. ne certainly won't live till morning.
~ -, Is Ikeiy he may die within an hour"
H. VIII ask him another question or two,"
SUI. Volkes said. "lf we could but get
h h. to corroborate his story it would
6ut Reginald Carne spoke no more.
!, ne heard what was said to him, for he
20 taaugned The same malicious laugh that had
ra tll t the crowd as he stood on the para