The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-03-31
BY FLORENCE WARDEN.

r
Staring at her steadily, his expression
and demeanor suddenly changed. Sup
porting himself against the wall near
est to him, he turned and met his uncle
face to face with a quiet air Of deter
mination.
YES" he said in a perfectly steady
voice, II did 1t. I murdered him. It is
of no use trying to hide it. He was in
the way-so 1 shot him and dragged
him in there"
Then they all heard a low cry and a
fall. Turning, they saw Cicely lying on
the ground. Nina and the two young
er men ran to her assistance, but Duke
pushed them away.
Il will carry her." he said.
And although they knew that he was
much too weak to do so, there was on
his face such a look of unspeakable
tenderness, of ~heart-broken, yearning
| sorrow, that they drew back, scarcely
daring to repeat their offer.
CHAPTER TX.
Light mt Last.
When Cicely recovered consciousness
she vas lying on the sofa in the little
boudoir next to her W room. Her
husband was on his knees beside her,
gazing into her face with an agonized
| devotion which moved her when she
| opened her eyes, to constant tears, be-
fore she remembered any Of the cir
cumstances which had preceded her
loss of consciousness.
my darling, my poor, poor Cicely.
What have you not suffered for me?
| How-how-"
He broke down, and murmured only
incoherently in her ears unfinished SEN
fences full of passionate e~ndearment,
Of gratitude, Of reverence, of protec-
ton.
But through all there ran a note Of
tragic sadness. AT last he drew back
his head, and, clasping her face be-
tween his hands, stared intoher face in
blank bewilderment, mingled with fear.
How did you do it?' he whispered
hoarsely at last. Twas it on the night
he dined with us? Don't shake and
tremble like that, child. Don't stare at
me with those wild eyes. I know you
were mad when you did 1t, and that
should forget that? Cicely! Cicely!'
For his wife had suddenly wrenched
herself away from him, and, starting
up to her feet, was watching him, and
hanging upon his words as a condemned
criminal hangs upon those Of the mes
senger who brings him a pardon.
"When-did-I-do it," she repeated
slowly, dwelling upon each word.
"When did I do it,"
Duke thought she had gone mad;
there was delirium in her eyes. "Then
you did not kill Joseph Radstock"
But I saw you 60 in there with a
knife! I heard him groan!-with q
shudder she covered her face with her
hands.
II was ruined, and Radstock had
found out something I had done and
threatened to expose me, and I saw no
hope" answered Duke in a shaking
voice. Il took the knife to kill myself.
But when I got into the cellar I heard
a groan, which I own I took for a su
pernatural rebuke. It must have been
Radstock. But I did not know he was
there"
Didn't you give him the cellar key?'
asked Cicely. He said you did"
mo, I had fallen asleep in the study,
and he must have taken it without rous-
ing me-"
Cicely stood for a few minutes, her
recovered wits busying themselves with
the details of this disclosure. Then
she turned to Duke impetuously.
Then you thought I had done it!
What do they Think"
Duke shook his head.
Il don't know. Perhaps"
Cicely interrupted him, dragging him
toward the door.
1--WE must tell them. Come. Quick.
And we must find out how it hap
pened."
1t was not difficult to guess at least
q part Of the truth; but there were
others to convince, notably Mr.. William
Bennington, who had taken such an ac-
tive part in what he believed to be the
unmasking Of his nephew's guilt. Duke
felt that he had an account to settle
with him.
Husband and wife, as they went
down stairs together, heard subdued
voices in the drawing-room.
"They are all in here" said Duke.
snow don't say anything, but leave
everything to me-"
They entered the drawing-room, when
a silence fell at once upon the occu-
pants.
IA bad business, this" began the ell
der Mi. Bennington, in tones in which
genuine complacency struggled with an
assumption of concern, about as bad
a business as I've yer had the mis-
fortune to come across"
why talk about it, then, uncle?''
broke in Minna's clear voice. I'VE
must all make the best of it and hush
it up; and then !, for one, shall not feel
at all sorry that somebody met his de-
serts. There's the credit of the family
to be thought Of"
Duke crossed over to the fireplace
with a fash Of his old, staggering
impetuosity.
$50 fur from doing that, uncle" said
he, with a sharp pull of the bell, II
intend to send at once for the nearest
doctor, and for a policeman. The soon
er we give publicity to the matter, the
sooner we are likely to get to the
facts"
Every one in the room was startled
by this announcement. Duke maintain
ed q stubborn silence, after giving the
necessary orders to the servant who
answered the bell, until the arrival Of
the doctor, who happened to be n
with whom most Of those present had a
slight personal acquaintance.
Doctor Fielding" then began Duke
at once, 'the dead body Of . clerk Of
mine, who has been missing for the
past fortnight, has just been found
in my ~wine-cellar. It has not been
touched; as I thought that In q case
Of this kind, where very unpleasant sus-
ptcions might be aroused, It wal bet
ter not to make any investigations into
the aus Of the death without scientific