The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-10-19


done?'
The captain colored red. II am at a
loss to answer you, colonel" he said
after brief reflection. ''You know far
more than you did half an hour ago.
and what knew could not bear to tel.
you as yet"
"My God my God. Tell me all and
tell me at once. Here, man. if you need
stimulant to your indignation and can.
not speak without it. read this found
it, open, among the roscJushes in the
garden, where she must have dropped it
when out there with you. Read it.
Tell me what it means, for, God knows.
can't believe such thing of her"
He handed Chester sheet of note
paper. 1t was moist and blurred OH the
first page, but the inner pages. though
damp. were in good condition. The
first, second and third pages were close
ly covered in bold, nervous hand that
Chester knew we'll. 1t was Jerrold's
writing beyond doubt and Chester's
face grew hot as he read, and his heart
turned cold as stone when he finished
the last hurried line:
MY DARLINo-I must see you, II only for q
moment, before you leave. Do not let this
alarm you, for the more think the more am
convinced II is only bluff, but Captain Ches-
ter discovered my absence early this morning
when spying around as usual, and now he
claims to have knowledge of our secret. Even
IL he was on the terrace when got back it
was too dark for him to recognize me, and IL
seems impossible that he can have got any real
clew. He suspects, perhaps. and thinks to
force me to confession, but I would guard
your name with my life. Be wary. Act as
though there were nothing on earth between
US, and IL we cannot meet until then will be
at the depot with the others to see you off, and
will then have letter ready with full particu-
lars and instructions. 1t will be In the first
thing l hand to you. Hide IL until you can
safely read it. Your mother must not be al
lowed a glimmer of suspicion, and then you are
safe. AS for me, even Chester cannot make
the colonel turn against me now. My jealous
one, my fiery sweetheart, do you not realize
now that was wise in showing her so much
attention. 4 thousand kisses. Come what
may. they, cannot rob US of the past
HOWARD.
fear you heard and were alarmed by the
shots just after left you. All was quiet when
l got home.
1t was some seconds before Chester
could control himself sufficiently to
speak II wish to God the bullet had
gone through his hearth he said.
''It has gone through mine-through
minel This will kill her mother Ches-
ter, f." cried the colonel, springing sud
denly to his feet, ''she must not know
it. She must not dream of it, tell you
it would stretch her in the dust, dead,
for she loves that child with all her
strength, with all her being, believe,
for it is two mother loves in one She
had son, older than Alice by several
years, her frstborn-her glory he was
but the boy inherited the fathers pas
sionate and impulsive nature. He loved
a girl utterly beneath him and would
have married her when he was only 20.
There is no question that he loved her
well, for he refused to give her up, no
matter what his father threatened. They
tried to buy her off, and she scorned
them. Then they had a letter written,
while he was sent abroad under pretense
that he should have his will if he came
back in a year unchanged. BY Jove, it
seems she was as much i'll love as he,
and it broke her heart. She went off and
died somewhere, and he came back
ahead Of time because her letters had
ceased and found it all out. There was
an awful scene. He cursed them both
father and mother-and left her sense
less at his feet, and from that day to
this they never heard of him, never
could get the faintest report. 1t broke
Renwiok-killed him, 1 guess, for he
died in two years, and as for the moth
er, you would not think that woman
so apparently full of life and health was
in desperate danger. She had some or
ganic trouble with the heart years ago,
they tell her, and this experience has
developed it so that now any great emo
ton or sudden shock is perilous Do you
not see how doubly fearful this comes
to us? Chester, / have weathered one
awful storm, but I'm old and broken
now. This---this beats me- Tell me
what to do"
The captain was silent few mo-
ments. He was thinking intently
docs she know you have that let
ter?" he asked
Maynard shook his head II looked
back as came away. She was in the
parlor singing softly to herself at the
very moment picked it up lying open
as it was right there among the roses
the first words staring me in the face
I meant not to read it-never dreamed
it was for her-and had turned over the
page to look for the superscription.
There was none, but there ] saw the
signature and that postscript about the
shots. That startled me, and I read it
here just before you came and then
could account for your conduct-some-
thing l could not do before. God Of
heaven, would any man believe it Of
her? 1t is incrediblel Chester. tell me
everything you know now--even every.
thing you suspect must see my way
clear. -
And then the captain, with hating
and reluctant tongue, told his story
how he had stumbled on the ladder
back Of tho colonel's quarters and
learned from No that some one had
been providing back of bachelors row;
how he returned there afterward, found
the ladder at the side wall and saw the