San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-13
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chair, and for a moment Holbrook
thought she would swoon.
He started up hastily to go to her as
sistance. but she waved him back, and
after supreme effort regained control
of herself.
"How-he is Innocent?
"Yes, innocent He was nc. within a
hundred miles of Union square when
the deed was done"
"And why do you come to me with all
| this?''
Having repossessed herself, she took
refuge in haughtiness, while her manner
was an assumption of extreme indiffer-
| ence.
She made Holbrook angry, and it was
with difficulty he could control himself.
"You will pardon me, Miss Ashgrove,
hope, if remark that your tone and
manner are particularly offensive to me,
and neither wise nor just. 1t is far from
my purpose to descend so low as to
threaten lady, but prudence should
suggest to you that it is not wise to show
such contempt, whatever you may feel,
toward man who is in possession of
such knowledge as you know l am"
And pray, what may that be-"
THAT you love the man Fountain with
strong, powerful love-a love which
excites my respect and admiration; that
| the object of that love is a man who
bears name by sufferance only, not by
| right; and that even when you believed
him to be murderer you shed the bright
light of your love upon him."
''How do you know these things:"
They come to me professionally
am the legal adviser of the dead Temple
tons mother and sister"
Mother and sister, she exclaimed.
II thought he had neither mother nor
| sister-nor any relative"
That is strange, since he was rela-
| tive of yOurs-a remote one.
Flora blushed
That was fib, Mr.. Holbrook, free
| ly confess it: confess also in the game
of wits am beaten. Though | am not
| pleased that you know so much"
BE not alarmed. But one other per-
rest assured neither he nor ! have any
desire to use the knowledge thus OBJ
| tanned to your disadvantage or to that of
Mr.. Fountain.
Thank you But may not ask what
your purpose is in telling me these
things"
II might fall back on the statement"
replied Holbrook smiling, that having
feeling of regard for you desired to
relieve your mind of unjust suspicion
against one you love so we'll and the en-
pertaining of which must have given
| you so much torture; but such statement
| would not be the whole truth, for have
another purpose as well, not an entirely
unselfish one." q.
'And that purpose is?''
"Let me explain. The fact of Mr..
Fountains innocence came out inciden-
tally in the pursuit of certain inquiries
and the proposed initiation of some &C
tons touching the murder of Mr.. Tenn
pleton, and perhaps it may be said also
in an effort. feeble as yet, to connect the
late Mr.. Templeton with the late Mr..
Pierson. l shall be very frank-brutally
So fear, Miss Ashgrove. The fact that
you suspected Mr.. Fountain of the MUIR
der of Mr.. Templeton-that Mr.. Fountain
had remarked, with reference to an en-
terprise he was engaged upon, that Provi-
dence had removed Mr.. Templeton from
his path, and the final fact that that en-
terprise was made known to me by Mr..
Fountains call upon me, to be an effort
to obtain the late Mr.. Persons property,
shows that in some way, unknown to
me, Mr.. Templeton was connected with
Mr.. Pierson, and the interests of Mr.
Fountain and Mr.. Templeton were an
tagonistic. | have the audacity to ask
you in what way Mr.. Fountain touched
MIR. Pierson, and how it was that Mr..
TempletOn's interests were antagonistic
to those of Mr.. Fountain? In that point
lay your reason for accusing in your
mind MIR. Fountain of the deed"
MAY ask to what use you would put
the information were to give it to you
always preSuming had such informa-
tion?"
Il believe l had the honor of inform
ing you that l am the legal adviser of
Mrs. and Miss Templeton. The interests
of the brother are now the interests of
the mother and sister,"
Flora showed clearly that the knowl-
edge of the existence of a mother and
sister of Templeton was not pleasant to
her, and she remained in profound
thought for a moment or two.
Holbrook waited patiently for her to