The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-07-26
CHAPTER VII.

pearing at the office, Colonel May
lard hurried into his desk, sent the or
ierly for Captain Chester, and then the
,lerks in the sergeant majors room
heard him close and lock the door. AS
!he subject of the shooting was already
lnder discussion among the men there
assembled, this action on the part Of
tho chief was considered highly signifi-
.ant. 1t was hardly five minutes before
Chester came, looked surprised at find
ing the door locked, knocked and was
admitted.
The look on tho haggard face at the
desk, the dumb misery in the eyes, the
wrath and horror in it all, carried him
back 20 years to that gloomy morning
in the casematcs when the story was
passed around that Captain Maynard
mad lost a wife and an intimate friend
during the previous night. Chester saw
lt u glance that, despite his precau-
tions, the blow had come, the truth been
revealed at one fell swoop,
'Iock the door again, Chester, and
come here. l have some questions TO ask
you. >"
The captain silently took the chair
which was indicated by wave of the
colonel's hand and waited For = mo-
men. 10 word more was spoken. The
Did soldier, white and trembling strange
y, resoated himself at the desk and
covered his face with his hands. Twice
he drew them with feebly strokiug
movement over his eyes, as though to
rally the stunned faculties and face the
trying ordeal. Then a shiver passed
through his frame, and with sudden lift
Of the head he fixed his gaze on Ches-
ter's face and launched the question:
Chester, is there any kindness to
man who has been through what l have
III telling only half tale as you have
done?"
The captain colored red. 81 am at o
loss to answer you, colonel" he said
after brief reflection. "You know far
more than you did half an hour ago,
and what l knew could not bear to tell
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 l found
it, open, among the rosebushes in the
garden, where she must have dropped it
when out there with you. Read it.
Tell me what it means, for, God knows,
l can't believe such thing of her"
He handed Chester a sheet Of note
paper. 1t was moist and blurred on the
first page, but the inner pages, though
damp, were in good condition. The
first second and third pages were close
ly covered in a bold, nervous hand that
Chester knew well. 1t was Jerrold's
writing beyond a 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 DARLING-I must see you, II only for a
moment, before you leave. Do not let this
alarm you, for the more l think the more am
convinced it 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
If he was on the terrace when got back II
w2s too dark for him to recognize me, and it
seems impossible that he can have got any real
c!cw. He suspects, perhaps, and thinks to
force me TO confession, but | would guard
your name with my life. Be wary. Act as
though there were nothing on earth between
us, and if 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 hand to you. Hide it until you can
safely read it. Your mother must not be al
lowed gmmer of suspicion, and then you are
safe. AS for Inc, 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? A 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
got home.
1t was some seconds before Chester
could control himself sufficiently to
speak. 81 wish to God the bullet had
gone through his hearth he said.
''It has gone through mine-through
mine This will kill her mother. Chcs-
ter" 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, l believe,
for it is two mother loves in one. She
had son, older than Alice by several
years, her firstborn--her glory he was
but the boy inherited the father pas
sionate and impulsive nature. He loved
q girl utterly beneath him and would
have married her when he was only 90.
There is no question that he loved her
well, for ne refused to give her up, no
matter what his father threatened. They
tried to buy her off, and she scorned
them. Then they had letter written,
while he was sent abroad under pretense
that he should have his will if he came
back in year unchanged By Jove, it
seems she was as much in 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
Renwick-killed him, / guess, for he
died in two years, and, as for the moth
er, you would not think that q woman
so apparently full of life and health was
in desperate danger. She had some or
ganio trouble with the heart years ago,
they tell her, and this experience has
developed it SO that now any great emo
tion 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-tlIs beats me- Tell me
what to do"
n The captain was silent few mo-