The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-07-18

a DiOW. lie WttS 1iftduA bttoHu HtE
reach. believing her guilty, when she
loved him sol
She fell fainling TO the iloor The
gray eat covered In fear in her place
on the window seat, then seeing her
mistress lie SO still sprang TO the noor
and walked mp to the prone head. pat
ting the white check doubifnlly with
velvet 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 strong element in her
nature. She was one to bend. but not
break. Hope aud fear, wounded love
and sorrow, cryslaizrd ut last into in
dignation against the injustice of CON
demning her unheard.
Her character developed new
dignity through tile ordeal II will
not write. | will not stoop 10 deny the
atrocious charge She decided. Il
must perforee 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 10 be tauntcd with her hus-
bands desertion. She would use part
of the money he had sent her TO carry
her 10 the '.States,n where she had
heard the people were more friendly to
strangers than In these Canadian
provinces. She would take up life
alone under new name.
Ten years passed. One May morn
ing the town OF Lawrence. Massachu-
setts, was all excitement over the story
that Janet Casey, one of the giris em-
ployed in the straw plait works of
Harper 4 Hawley had been found muir
dered in n strip of wood on the out
skirts of the town. a few rods from the
highway that ran through it.
Janet had left the shop after supper.
telling her room-niate 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 room-mate raised the
alarm that she had not returned.
Circumstaniial evidence was strong
" against travelling pedler who had
that night ''caniped out" IN his canvas
covered wagon on the border of the
wood. Some of the girls clothing was
found concealed in underbush near the
Nt-Ons aAA LntEt were Traces Oh
partially washed-ont 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. aud
his story so confused. when questioned,
that he was at oftce taken into custody,
while rumors of Janet's free oif-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 dealh-i,ed OF Nettie
Bell. The poor, patient. deformetl
shop-girl. who had been "A sort OF
protegee of hers. was AT rest.
They've arrested Lynch. the ped
dler. .ithe voluble girl was saving 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 " hen 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 lime. He looks bad enough To do
it. | always hated him. but poor
Janet did like To trade with him. They
must "a had a quarrel or something
1 Mrs. Risteen did not heed. Janet's
murder had been shock to her, but
| the tragedy of her own life was upper
most ia her own mind. Her old enemy
/ had crossed her path. She had seen
/ him the last season. herself. unrecog-
| nized. looking as if the world had not
I gone so smoothly with him. Now he
/ was arrested for murierl She drew
| her breath hard aS she recalled what
/ she had seen the last night in the woods
/ by moonlight. Arrested for murtlerl
/ and guiltless of il. as she had been oi
| the charge that had darkened her life.
! Should she speak aud clear him?
/ Should she interfere with the yenge-
ance OF the fates? The question
faced her through the dav 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 in
the city and the straw-hat manufaetory
| in Lawrence, business being good in
one place when il was dull in the otner.
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 SUI
premacy. 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 "A sort
/ of awe. She was a general favorite.
1t was understood that there was a
mystery IN her life. but she had SO
much self-respecting also.
She was very discreet. and none of
her friends were aware of her visit to
the private Office OF Payson. the young
( lawyer who had undertaken the de-
+ fence.
/ The day of trial was holiday in the
manufactory and Lawrence generally.
The courtroom was crowded, over
/ flowing.
I There was some conjecture about a
closely yelled figure in black sitting
/ among the witnesses.
Payson had IA quiet satisfied look up
on his face which the opposing council
/ did not understand.
| A glance behind that veil would have
/ disclosed face glowing with sup-
pressed excitement. Mrs Risteen felt
/ strange satisfaction as the evidence
was given and the connecting links
of circumstantial evidence were drawn
closer and more convincingly around
the prisoner. He must sit and listen
without the power to clear himself.
The iron would enter his soul rs it had
hers in that night long past. There
was poetic justice in it. But when she
! should have given her evidence and