Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-05

her and kneeling down by her side; 81 think
know what is troubling you"
The girl shook her head.
"Yes dear am almost sure you have know
something all along that would have proved
Captain Mervyn was innocent and you hav,
not said it,"
Ruth Powlett did rot speak for minute o.
two, then she said slowly:
II do not know how you have guessed it
Mary. No one else seems to have thought of it
But yes, that is il. and / do SO want someone Il
advise me what to do. see now 1 have beer
very wicked. For long time have been fight
ing against myself. have tried so hard to per
suade myself that had not done much harm
because Captain Mervyn was acquitted. have
really known that | was wrong, but / nevel
thought how wrong until you spoke TO me-"
'Mait, Ruth, Mary said, before you tell mt
he fair for yoI to tell me without knowing that
You remember the story Twas telling you about
my being carried off"
A fresh interest came into Rutt's face
Yes" she said, land you promised you
would tell me the rest another time. L thought
you meant, of course you would tell me that
when this war out there was over, you would
some day marry the soldier who had done SC
much for you"
Il was going to tell you, Ruth why am moi
going to marry him."
"Oh, 1 thought YOU would be sure to- Ruth
SAID in tone of deep disappointment 1T
seemed to me that it was sure to be so.
thought man would never have risked SO
much for a woman unless he loved her."
'rte uld love me, Ru h, and loved him.
don't think made any secret of ii. Somehow
il seemed to me that he had right to me, and
was surprised when the time went on and he
didn't ask me. When the last day came be-
fore he was to march away to fight again. /
think that if he had not spoken l should have
done SO. Do not think me unmaidenly, Ruth,
but he was only a sergeant, and l was a rich
81 flr fnN 1no1l lN,AA.. .oEC
than he seems to be, and thought perhaps
some foolish sort of pride held him back, for
was quite sure that he loved me. But he spoke
first. He told me that he loved me, but could
never ask me to be his wife; that he could
never marry, but he must go through the world
alone to the end of his life.''
"0h, Mary how terribler' Ruth said pitt
fully. "how terriblel Was he married before
then?"
No. Ruth, it was worse than that; there
was great shadow over his life; he had been
tried for murder, and though he had been ac-
Quilted, the stigma was still upon him. Go
where he would he might be recognized and
pointed out as a murderer; therefore, unless
the truth was some day known, and his name
cleared, no woman could ever be his wife"
Ruth had given little gasp as Mary Arm
strong began, then she sat rigid and immOvable.
at was Captain Mervyn," she said at last, in
q low whisper.
YES Ruth Sergeant Blunt was Captain
Mervyn: he had changed his name, and gone
out there 20 hide himself, but even there he
had already been recognized; and, as he said
for pleaded hard, Ruth, to be allowed to share
his exile-go where he would. bury himself in
what out-Of-the-way corner he might, sooner or
later some one would know him, and this story
would rise up against him, and, much as he
loved me-all the more, perhaps, because he
loved me so much, he would never suffer me to
be pointed at as the wife of a murderer"
Npr, sl,aIl mot l,a - Sai1
than she had before spoken. You shall not
be, Mary. can clear him, and l will"
1t was Mary Armstrong; turn to break down
now the goal had been reached Ronald
Mervyn would be cleared; and she threw her
arms round Ruth and burst into passion of
tears. 1t was some time before the girls were
sufficiently composed to renew the conversa-
tion.
First of ALL l must tell you, Mary" Ruth
began, that YOU may not think me more
wicked than / am. that l would never have let
Captain Mervyn suffer the penalty of another's
crime. Against the wish, almost in the face of
the orders of the doctor, remained in court
all through the trial, holding in my hand the
proof of Captain Mervyn's innocence, and had
the verdict been guilty l was ready to rush
forward and prove that he was innocent. l
do not think that all that you suffered when
You were in the hands of the Kaffirs was worse
than / suffered then. / saw before me the
uproar in court; the eyes that would be all
fixed upon me; the way that the Judge and the
counsel would blame me for having so long
kept silence; the reproach that l should meet
with when returned home; the shame of my
dear old father; the way in which every soul in
the village would turn against NE; but would
have cared it rather than that one man should
suffer tor the sin Of another. And now, having
told you this first, that you should not think
too hardly of me, will tell you all.'
Then Ruth told of her of her girlish love for
George Forester; how she had clung to him
through evil report, and in spite OF the wishes
of her father and mother. but how at last the
incident Of the affray with the gamekeepers
had opened her eyes to the fact that he was
altogether reckless and wild; that she could
never trust her happiness to him. She told
how Margaret Carne had spoken 30 her about
il, and how she had promised that she would
give HIM up; then she told of that meeting on
the road on the way to church; his passionate
anger against herself; the threats he had
uttered against Miss Carne for her interfer-
ence and the way in which he had assaulted
her
81 firmly believe" Ruth said, ''he would |
have murdered me had he not heard people |
coming along the road" Then she told how |
she found the open knife stained with blood at |
Margaret C2rnes bedside, and how she had |
hidden it, Il did not do it because loved him |
still, Mary" she said. "My love seemed to |
have been killed. Ihad given him up before, |
and the attack that he made upon me had |
shown me clearly how violent he was, and what |
an escape had had; but had loved him as
boy, ard it was the remembrance of my girlish |
love, and not any love then had, that sealed
my lips; but even this would not have silenced
me, think. had il not been for the sake of his
father The old man had always been very
very kind to nc. and the disgrace of his son
being found guilty of this crime would have
killed him. can say, honestly, that it was
this fact that chiefly made me determined to
shield him. AS to Captain Nervyn, 1 was |
as l told you. determined that though
would keep silent if he were acquitted.
a-,,,,1a Ii Ia |
never thought for a moment that aeuuittal
would not clear him. 1t seemed to me that the |
trouble that had fallen on him was thoroughly |
deserved for the wav in which he had spoken
to Miss Carne; but thought when he was ac-
quilted he would take his place in his regiment
gain, and be nome the worse for what had
1t was only when found that he
had left the regiment. and when Mrs. Meryyn
md her daughters shut up the house and went
70 live far away, that began to trouble much
Then when two or three months later the news
came that Mrs. Mervyn was very i'll. l fretted
more and more. saw now how wicked had
been, though l would never quite own it
even to myself. l would have told then,
0ut l did not know who to tell it to,
Or what good it could do if told. Mr.
Forester was dead now, and the truth
could not hurt him. George Forester had
rome away and would never come back. You
know they found verdict of wilful murder
Igainst HIM for killing the keeper, Somehow
seemed too late either to do good or HARM
Everyone had gone. Why should say any
hing and bring grief and trouble on my father
md mother, and make the whole valley de-
pise me? IL has been dreadful" she SAID.
vanly. You cannot tell how dreadful. Ever
ince you came here and tried to make a friend
u me, have been fighting a battle with nv
elf 1t was not right that you should like me-
/ was not right that anyone should like me
md felt at last that must tell you; you first
md then everyone. Now, after what you have
old me, it will not be SO hard. OF course l
hall suffer and my father will suffer: but il
Will do good and make you and Captain Mer-
yn happy for the truth to be known, and
o | shall be able to brave it all much better
han l should otherwise have done. Who shall
go to tirst?"
~ cannnt tell Rr,tL 1,,,,st 49,.