Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1894-03-17

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Franklin Dyke, entering, sees hi.
brother awaiting him.
~ shall be outside" announces the
Sheriff, and leaves them. The brother
Is sitting, as the door opens he rises.
Franklin" he murmurs, ''this Il
awful
Meaning the death Of DR.. Wilbur
sarcastically.
"Yes, ali-your Incarceration. the
evidence against you"
"Your double-faced treachery," adds
Franklin, forcibly.
The brother recoils.
my treachery! ! don't understand
you"
as II not treachery to stand mp be-
fore coroner and jury and withhold
that which would cast the blame, the
suspicion, from your brother, placing
1t where 1t be ongs?"
He speaks harshly, bitterly. The
3 brother looks upon him with wonder.
: at would be II such had been the
case. did not do as you say. even
tried to keep back the fact Of your be.
ing in West Chester that day and night,
the circumstance Of your visit to me.
feared it would 60 against you when
first heard of the discovery Of the
dead man."
"a have heard all this before. Per.
haps your conscience did cause you to
try and shield me little, as long as It
did not affect your own safety But
why did You not tell all the truth?
II you had done so, / should
not be here. Some one else
would be confined behind the iron bars
of the West Chester jail"
The brother does not grow angry
only wonder, sorrow in his eyes de-
picted upon his face.
al told the truth" he says, quietly,
firmly. Il did not do so willingly, but
did speak truly"
The brother seems astonished. He
looks upon the face Of the other with
SUSPECT GUS eyes.
81 cannot understand you" he says,
at last; ''you know, you knew ut the
time you testified, thai ! was an inno-
cent man. You could have proven. be-
yond doubt, that die not commit this
deed, but no. to shield yourself, you al
lowed them to fastcn the crime upon
me. You sacrificed your brother to
save yourself"
"Franklin Dyke. what do you mean?
You say ! know, knew at the time,
that you We're innocent. How should
know? Why should / try to hang
you, my brother? To save myself! Elk.
plain: II you did not murder DR.. VII.
bur. who did?"
"Iou!"
The word is out. With groan and
q white, Mortified face, Adrian Dyke
staggers back and catches at chair
for support. His eye-balls are turned
toward the ceiling, showing only the
whites; his lips are trembling. The
brother looks down upon him with
bitter triumph displayed upon his
counter ance.
$50. my words strike home, do they?
They strike terror to your coward
heart You see, know. Your guilt
shows itself upon your face"
The agitated man arises with diff.
Guilty to his feet. His face is haggard.
He seems TO have grown old in those
few moments. His lips move, but the
words come with difficulty. In a
forced tone. hardly more than whis.
per, he says:
"Do-you-really believe me guilty
Of this-crime?"
at could have benefited no one
else"
"But howp How could the death OF
this good old man be of benefit to
me?" He is still trembling, still
speaks with difficulty.
You told me, upon the occasion OF
our interview last conversation
which shall never forget-that the
birth of q son alone could save you
from ruin. You were anxiously ex-
pecting the birth OF the child at the
very time you sp oke. The child was
born, and as the news was brought
you, you saw that your hopes had fled,
that ruin stared YOU in the face-the
infant was female"
lie is interrupted by the violent agi-
tation which seizes his brother His
face already white, now grows livid.
His breath comes in short gasps
How do you know this?" he barely
articulates.
"a know II. I will prove It to you.
Upon leaving your house that night
determined to return at once to the
city. ] could have caught the train
that leaves at 1880 and had made up
my mind to take IL. But as reached
the gate DR.. Wilbur passed me.
knew he was coming to attend your
wife. A feeling of curiosity came to
me, feeling that ! should like to
know the sex of your child. to
see II your hopes would be realized.
An idle curiosity. perhaps, but it
caused me to retrace my footsteps all
the way back to your house. l had |
gone nearly 10 West Chester after the
doctor had passed me. Walking along. |
passed the house Of Conrad |
Gardner. There was light In the |
win ,ow. looked in. The man was !
filling the place of nurse. lie was
washing his infant. child. became |
aware of the sex of the newborn babe |
"A fine. healthy boy! Then l contin- !
ued my way to your house. | saw !
lights in the windows of the room up |
on the second Hoor-your wife's room.
! knew il to be. j am familiar with |
the old house; know every nook and |
corner in it. There is narrow iron |
trellis used by my mother-our mother,
Adrian-during her life, to train run
ming roses upon. It reaches the very |
top of the house. II passes close to |
the windows of your wife's room. |
This climbed, and standing upon It,
on with first one hand, then
the other, / was enabled to look into !
the room us the shades were not drawn |
all the way down. But | could NOT /
see " hat came for. For two or per
haps three hours, hung on. ! could
see the bed, the weak woman upon II,
the child in the arms Of Mary Calder,
but that was all.
cat last grew so tired from my I'M.
position that was
obliged TO descend TO the ground, ]
believe l would have fallen IL had |
not done so. was leaning against the !
house recovering my breath, when
Potter passed me. He saw
and recognized me. 1t is not necessary |