The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-05

! yours, let me help you 10 bear it,
| at IL Jackr' she gasped. Jack They
| have killed rim! They have raided the Of
| fice-they have killed him"
| All. was not so poor Fate had left me
| possession-vague, not in my grasp, but
| still a possession, for it was jack l had
| meant TO know-Jack who was yet to be
my son and to iph9rit my fortune. And
/ so in turn looked in horror at her.
How do you know it," asked
| She pointed 60 the paper still in her
| hand And there it was-all in headlines
| A mob, an attack on The Hill Beacon. a
| defense, pistol shots, q dash into the office
| and a tearing out of al that was in it.
| jacks body had been carried of BY the
mob.
And he was 6ead-the handsome. gay
| fellow who found life with me too slow
even to try for littlei And he was nv
wife's nephew, and had not tried TO make
the career l offered him pleasant and invit-
ingl l sat down crushed and guilty, for at
least should have forced him 70 leave the
miners, or cease his rating of the strikers.
l could not look at Margaret But in a
moment she was kneehng by me, and she
was telling me that he was not dead-no,
no, not deadi IF he was dead they would
not carry him away. He is alive-oh, you
may be sure he Is alive, and we must go at
once to him. We must find him. for he
must be sorely hurt, ard we will have to
nurse him. Gomez she said
Not you, my poor child, - answered
az cannot ask this of you. But you are
right He may not be dead, yet even if he
| Is it is my duty to go. The scoundrelsl
The poor boy"
The tears shone in her dark eyes, but she
did not weep. She looked at me with
CHASTITY smile
What would Jack say if you came with
out me? He would never believe me
never And Lob, do you think l could
stay here' I should go mad-madn'
Margaret, you do not know what YOU
say. You never knew my nephew, dear
child"
She turned her head away as if in appeal.
"Ask him that question. Why, he loved
me- lie told me that his love for me would
be his death-and / laughed at that-yes, l
did. thought my fate far the hardest
But | could not tell him so. You see, the
very wedding day was fixed and l could
not tell him that loved him better than the
man was going to marry. Could T. You
are his uncle, but you know / could not.
Sometimes women have TO listen when
they cannot answer"
81 do not understand you, but you must
be calmer You must sit down Hale,
come speak to her. do not know whether
she knows what she says.
Indeed know very well. It was l who
killed him--Il I. He was desperate, He
did not care. lie told me he should not
care"
Hale was standing at the door. Our
visitor had vanished and / looked in mute
appeal TO my friend, still feeling that the
girl was distracted. But Hale under
stood. He came directly to her, took her
in his strong grasp and made her sit down
He gave her drink of water and sat down
in front of her. Now" said he. 1--WE will
help you, but first you must control your
self and tell us so we can understand. If
Jack is to be helped cool heads, not broken
hearts. viii have TO do it. Crawford, and
he turned 10 me, sit down. You are as
much upset as she is. Now what is the
matter with Jack? 1t is Jack Lewis, your
nephew, SUPPOSE"
/ silently handed him the paper, and he
read il without a word of comment. "And
you knew him?" he said to Margaret.
She nodded her head. "And you were
engaged to him2"
The color swept up over the face that
had been 50 drawn and white
NO" she answered, II was not engaged
to him" She looked from one to the
other, put her hand to her throat as if she
was choking. Then she spoke:
az will have TO tell you, 1t was nv
fault, because I should have come away
sooner. | met him in the Adirondacks
last summer and we were in the same
party because l was visiting the wife Of an
old college friend Of his, and / thought
there was no harm in tin seeing him so
often, l mean-because every one knew
that | was engaged to my cousin. But the
night before left there he begged me to
break the engagement, and he told me
what was true, that l didn't love my
cousin. But did not know then that |
could not marry Ned Mason. You see
had been engaged to him ever since | was
IS, and refused 20 even think of breaking
it. Jack said some hard, hard things TO
me and / was angry with him. After l
came home found I could easier die than
marry Ned. And my uncle was 50 vio-
IentIy disappointed that l had 10 leave the
house. Then came here"
The shadow Of smile passed over Hale's
face, but took her hand in mine.
And you did rightly" l said. Il was
the one to whom you should have come"
But l came because l had 50 often
watched you in church and thought there
never WIS so kind face, and had heard
how good you were 20 the girls you had
here. and Of course had 70 earn some
money: I would not take any from my
uncle"
still you knew was Jack unclep'
Yes" she said gently.
The very inoohereuce and simplicity OF
her little story touched me greatly, and
looked at Hale expecting 70 Rad IN his
eyes pity. syn1PGsny. Instead saw judg-
u1ent and di4approbatlon- knew be con
demned her as a coqHette who had not
known her own mind This l greatly TO
gented. and felt he was narrow and preJu-
diced And because he WAS hard in his
thoughts Of her became more tender, srd
should have liked 10 have comfOTtsd her
as should my Own daughter But said
to her that believed n her and I should
help her, but cannot see, L said, why
now that you are free Jack should keep up
his resenfIneut Had I been your lover al
his age should have Gown 20 you-"
Her eyes fssbed at this.
DO you suppose YOU'D send him word I
that I was freeF'
Surely you could in some way ret hirn /
know"
No Cirf would do such thing Is that" |
she promptly answered. and tbea her lips |
her eyes flIled and ste broke INTO |
= bitter weeping We could rot stand /
this. Odd fellows as We were, and Hale I
Jumped up and walked arouDd the room, I
and cleared his thEost, aid blew his nose. I
:. =. Il