Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-16

and his avowal, will consider him guilty
of taking your life, and the judges may
condemn him.
Nonsensei' Dan Cried horsely.
"Your bitterness against Mark is making
you foolish. tell you that will have
nothing more to do with any scheme
meant to injure him. Haven't We
| done enough already? IN sorry for
| him, and mean to make all the amends
can.
"You do, Ell? And what shape is
your reparation to take?' Walter asked
savagely, sneeringly.
al can, at all events, set him free by
| proving that no murder has been done.
Whether you believe it or not, MaYhew,
L am honestly sorry for all we have done
against that young chap
az had no idea your conscience was so
tender, Dan, - Mayhem jibed. "After
bleeding HARDWOOD for twenty years, is
| your conscience only beginning to trouble
| you now?''
elf you had been prisoner in that
black hell of u pit for two days and q
night with death staring you in the face,
| your conscience would have been pricked
too, Ashton retorted solemnly. "It has
| changed me, and it might have changed
you. l declare to you, Mayhem, that
mean to at once make public the real
the true story of Nellie Pemberton g
| parentage.
"You do? why?"
"Because / cannc: trade upon the
! truth any longer. Where is Nellie-Is
she in bed?''
| "She has lett me-gons back TO the
| Star!' Walter muttered with an oath.
"She has seen Eliot; he has told her
all, and you can guess why she has
run away from this house. -
IN sorry for that-but it was your
| scheme Here Dan lapsed into silence
and serious expression came upon his
solled face.
"What' s this you say about making
public the real story of Nellie's birth?"
Walter demanded. "Whatever else you
do that must not be done!'
"Why?''
"Becuuse it would ruin my plans.
You, Dan, were content to keep the
secret for paltry pound a week; 1 have
| put great price upon Richard Har-
| wood 8 secret. -
''What have you done?'' Ashton
| cried in alarm. "Have you told Har-
wood that you know of it?''
"Certainly-you made use of the
secret, why should 1 not do likewise?
On the night after Nellie and 1 were
married, went to Harwood and told
him that my wife was his brothers.
daughter-the righful owner of all he
| possessed; and he bought my silence by
offering me a partnership in his bust
ness.
"He did2'' Dan murmured in
strange voice.
Eyes; and you must see that to speak
now would spoil everything. To suit
your own plans you have kept your
mouth shut for score of years; to suit
mine you will keep it shut stll!'
"You married Nellie for this?-Mar-
ried her that you might trade upon Har-
woods fears?'' Dan cried, his face
growing stern beneath its CRIME.
"Whst does it matter to you why I
married her? 1 have married her, and
intend to profit by what 1 happen to
know of her antecedents. Surely, Dan,
you don It take me for fool?'
HOh, no; whatever else you may be
you are not that. But, if you married
Nellie simply and solely because you in
tended to use her as means of advanc-
ing your own interests, you made great
mistake.
az don It see is, Mayhem answered
carelessly.
"But do!'' Dan cried firmly; "and
you will see it too, when you know the
real facts about Nellie. -
"What are you driving at?''
"This. Nellie Pemberton has no more
to do with Harwood's property than you
have. She is not the daughter of the
dead brother-she has not a drop of Har-
woods blood in her veins -
do
manded. "Have you gone mad? What
trick is this you are trying to play upon
me?'
cts no trickl It's Gods TRUTH
Your wife is not related TO Richard Har-
wood in the slightest way. L have de-
ceived Harwood all these years-upon
my soul l have!''
"Bosh! Do you think that 1 have
rested contented with your bare words in
this matter? No, have in my possess
Sion copies of the marriage and baptis-
NAL certificates you found on that dead
woman IS pocket. The first proves that
George Bentham HARDWOOD married Mar
garet Miner, and the second establishes
the legitimacy of their child, Nellie
Harwood. -
1.-The certificates appear to prove those
things, but they do no. Dan an
swered. 1.-The man who called himself
George Bentham HARDWOOD was-well, an
impostor. AS true as there's God
above US, Mayhem, this is the truthi''
There was no mistaking the truth that
Dan's hoarsely spoken words proclaimed,
and Mayhem appeared to be deeply i'm
pressed by what he had heard.
land who then was Nellie s father, -
he asked in an altered tone.
al will tell you some day, and
s'Tell me now!''
'No, you will hear soon enough; 1t is
sufficient to say that he was only a poor
mana common workman, who, wishing
to disguise his own identity, assumed,
out of mere whim, the name of George
Harwood.'
els this true, DAMP" Mavhew cried as
he rose and faced Ashton, his tone be-
traying a deep uneasiness.
''Don Z tell you that it's as true as
gospel? If it WASH t true is it likely that
] should go to the trouble of telling it to
you?'
land Nellie is only the child of some
obscure workman after all. Why, in
the name of didn't you tell me
this sooner2'
81 shouldn' t have told you now if 1
hadn t made up my mind to be differ
ent man. But, what does it matter TO