The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-01-30


rise of the dim November morning
watching for him down the street. She
grew feverish with impatience. Per-
haps the vessel had not come in yet.
1t was nearly noon when she decided
TO 90 out and make inquiries or take
the long walk to the wharyes. As she
put on her cloak the old-faShloned
knocker on the front door sounded.
She opened it TO face young sailor.
who handed her bulky letter and
hurried off before she could frame a
question.
She recognized her husbands hand
writing and tore it open. 1t contained
several bank bills and biotted note.
She read:
Il have heard the whole story of your dis
grace. The place is on fire with it. dare not
meet you. There is something like murder in
my heart will send you money regularly
but never want to see your face again. The
Echo came in yesterday morning. We Shall
P c.
She tore out the meaning, impatient
to be off and explain. She would con.
vince him; he had heard only one side.
But the last sentence stunned her like
blow He was already beyond her
reach, believing her guilty, when she
loved him SO.
She fell fainting to the floor The
gray cat covered in fear in her place
on the window seat, then seeing her
mistress lie SO still sprang to the hooI
and walked up to the prone head, pat
ting the white cheek doubtfully with
Telvet paws.
She awOke soon enough to her
misery She would write to him.
surely he would listen. But she did
not know what port he was making.
No matter; she would watch the papers
and find out.
Pride was a strong element in her
nature. She was one to bend. but not
break. Hope and fear, wounded love
and sorrow, crystalized at last into in
dignation against the injustice of con-
demning her unheard.
Her character developed new
dignity through the ordeal. II will
not write. | will not stoop to deny the
atrocious charge" she decided. Il
must perforce use the money he has
sent, but | will take no more. | will
earn my own living"
She would not 90 back to her En-
glish home to be taunted with her hus-
bands desertion. She would use part
of the money he had sent her to carry
her to the States" where she had
heard the people were more friendly to
strangers than in these Canadian
provinces. She would take up life
alone under a new name.
Ten years passed. One May morn
inc the town of Lawrence, Massachu-
sets, was all excitement over the story
that Janet Casey, one of the girls en-
ployed in the straw plait works of
Harper & Hawlcy had been found muir
dered in a strip of wood on the out
skirts of the town. fevv rode from the
highway that ran through it.
Janet had left the shop after supper,
telling her roommate she was going
to call on Nettie Belle who lived half
a mile the other side of the wood, and
who was dying of fever Early the
next morning her roommate raised the
alarm that she had not returned.
Circumstantial evidence was strong
ly against travelling pedler who had
that night ''camped OUT in his canvas
covered wagon on the border of the
wood. Some of the girls clothing was
found concealed in underbush near the
wagon. and there were traces of
partially washed-out blood-stains on
the white canvas, while tie body which
was found in a hollow not far away,
seemed to have been dragged there.
The pedler had seemed so fearful. and
his story so confused, when questioned,
that he was ut once taken into custody,
while rumors of Janet's free off-hand
manner towards him and the bargain
he had given her in a dress pattern the
last time he was in Lawrence went
from mouth to mouth.
Mrs, Risteen, one of the Straw-hat
trimmers, was rather late to her break
fast that morning. She returned at a
late hour from the death-bed of Nettie
Bell. The poor, patient, deformed
shop-girl, who had been a sort of
protegee of hers. was at rest.
They've arrested Lynch, the ped
dler, ,''the voluble girl was saying as Mrs.
Risteen entered the almost empty
breakfast-room.
''Oh, Mrs. Risteen, Kate said you
came through the woods alone after
eleven o'clock last night. Aren't you
half scared to death when you think of
it,
did you say Lynch, the peddler,
who was here last spring, was arrested?"
Mrs. Risteen inquired, with white lips.
Yes; he's locked up in the Jail by
this time. He looks bad enough to do
it. l always hated him, but poor
Janet did like to trade with him. They
must "a had quarrel or something"
Mrs. Risteen did not heed. Janet's
murder had been shock to her, but
the tragedy of her own life was upper
most in her own mind. Her old enemy
had crossed her path. She had seen
him the last season, herself, unreeog-
nized, looking as if the world had not
gone so smoothly with him. Now he
was arrested for murder. She drew
her breath hard as she recalled what
she had seen the last night in the woods
by moonlight. Arrested for murder!
and guiltless of it. as she had been of
the charge that had darkened her life.
Should she speak and clear him?
Should she interfere with the venge
ance of the fates? The question
faced her through the day as she sat
and trimmed her hats, making so many
blunders that the ladylike overseer had
to return them over and over again.
She rebelled anew against her lot, her
unloved life. She spent the seasons
alternately at the millinery store III
the city and the straw-hat mandatory
in Lawrence business being good IN
one place when it W as dull in the other.
She had not been able TO forget her
husband. and to-day her heart cried
out for him piteously. :,
All that night the good and evil
forces in her nature fought for su-
premaey The maddening scene in
the dim church came up afresh. and
along with it all the agony OF shame
and injustice
The morning found her calm. Some
new expression in the pale, sad, beauti-
ful face touched her mates with sort
of awe. She was a general fayorite.
I ,,-aS understood thaf thnra was a