Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-08-24

nan fe.t her position keenly, and per-
lo the far West. To this she at last
very reluctantly consented.
Six months, then, after the cere-
monv that the villagers declared no
ceremony, Moa Barrios sat one night
by the fire in the almost empty house
from which she was to deoart on the
morrow with the man who represented
all the sweetness and happiness she
had found in her life. She heard q
step on the path, the latch lifted, and
we may surely pity the unhappy wom-
an when, springing through the dusk,
she found herself clasped in the arms,
not of Albert .Dawers. but of Henry
Mercer. OF what passed between them
God alone was witness, and God alone
knows the truth, but when the man
was sitting by the hearth. with no
sign of excitement or anxiety about
her. She prepared the supper, ate
with him, and from that moment
he never left her until they rose
early next morning to be in time for
t g train that was to take them vest
ward. So much Dawers has said in
his preliminary testimony, most re-
luctantly given, but still more reluc-
family two damning pieces of evidence
against her were drawn from him. He
said they had arranged with a neigh
Dor to take over to the Hoosac station
the furniture they possessed, and had
sent on their small personal belongings
the day before: but there were some
few odds and ends to be packed, and
for binding them together. AT start
ing the rope wa missing, but his wife
could not account for its disappearance
more than himself and did not fuss
about it. as most women would have
done under the circumstances. At
breakfast tins was only dragged from
him bit by bit he noticed that she ate
very Little, but turtively collected food
on one plate, and set it aside as if for
an expected guest. He asked her why
she did this, and she said the neigh
bors would be all over the house the
moment their backs were turned, and
she would crafty their curiosity as to
what they had for breakfast. He re-
minded her that their landlord was
away for a few days, and that no
n would know the secret place
were to hide the key Of the
house. She laughed strangely, and
said that, though you might lock peo-
pie out. you could not lock them in.
Then they collected their small effects
and without God speed from q friend,
or q kindly eye to follow them on their
path, passed from the home in which
they had been SO happy. to start for
the n that had vet to DO earned in
the uncertainty of the future. Perhaps
the mar looked behind, but ut some
distance from the house the prisoner
did more-she affected to have forgot
ten something, and bidding him go
forward, ran quickly back. But he re-
luctantly admitted that she returned
empty-handed: that she was pale as a
corpse, with wild eyes: that she gasped
for breath, staminering and presenting
every appearance of u woman who had
received some terrible shock, though
when he asked herif she had met with
some insult from a Passing neighbour,
she shook her head. but would give no
explanation o. her state. She showed
extraordinary eagerness to catch the
train, but did not utter one syllable on
the way.
Very 500 after the outset of their
journey on the railroad a sinister Incl
dent occurred. and this important cpl
sode there the counsel turned and
looked steadily at the writer of this
story was witnessed by a gentleman
to whose keen observation, swift ac-
ton and masterly manipulation of fact
and surmise was due the brilliantly
conclusive chain of evidence that has
brought her whore she is to-day. He
was travelling through this region by
rail. BY chance he was in the car
which the prisoner and her husband
entered. They took a seat next in
front OF him. He recognized them,
for he had once stayed a day or two at
the tavern they former y kept at Hoo
sac He would have spoken to them
but for the fact that Dawers looked
troubled and perplexed, and the wom-
an gave him the impression of a nature
convulsed and shaken to its very core.
He saw the fine hands clenched be.
meath her shawl, the splendid eyes
blind to all save some awful inward
sight, and he recognized that a trag-
edy had been or was to be enacted.
He watched her, with entire uncon.
seriousness to herself, for mile upon
mile. His vigilance was unexpectedly
rewarded. She moved abruptly,
chief with which to wipe her damp
brow, and pulled out with it a small
box that fell into Dawers' lap. The
blank horror in her eyes slowly quick
ened with some recollection. She
stretched her hand to take it,
but he drew back, and with astonish-
ment in his face lifted the lid and
found the contents to be a white pow
der. Into this powder he thrust his
forefinger and instantly applied it to
his tongue. On the moment he cried
out that his tongue was burning, then
that his throat and stomach were on
fire, and violent nausea completed the
symptoms of having tasted q strong
irritant poison.
"You have taken arsenic" cried the
stranger. wherein the prisoner
shrieked out. snatched the box from
Dawers' hand, and threw it far out Of
the window.
The stranger took the exact bear.
ings of the spot where it must have
ial en-: They were then close to q sta
ton. There he got out, having watched
these two until the last moment. They
were SO agitated and absorbed that
they did o identify him as their
former guest. Dawers was urging