People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-03-30

soon arter, US locked tn door ahind
Us, an war gone for liver. so Steve
s'posed, fro tn place whar I'd bin
III miserablest an tn happiest
woman upO' airth.
"But so soon as VEN got a bit
forrards, ses t Steve, I've forgot
ten sOmethin, an must rim back an
for sure | did rim, and catched up tn
key fra tn bush, oped.t tn house place,
an puts tn plate o victuals side O
tn trap-door, an opens t an sees
tn rope hangiu' to a staple as til
men used t climb up b..
An thin ! looks at Seth,
lyin' as tn dead. an all to vance
it coined upo' me the sinfu' thing I'd
adone, an | SEES to mysel. .'SpOsin'
him war niver to wake up? Or if
'uT do, t 'ull be dead dark. an him
var allus a coward, like & most
bullies, an 'sposin' 'un dies o fright"
"SOmewayS | felt as if war leavin'
'u1 to his death, an yet hadna got
tn sperTt t go to Steve an say Go
yer ways, an leave me an tn child
as is comm, t tn marcy o Seth Ire
loar" So jeS stole away. but | left
my Innocence ahind me, an | niver
knaWed a moment more o peace fro
that day t this.
"Wa-al, you was i tn train, zee
knaws how looked. an zee saw tn
box o poison skip out o my pocket.
I'd niver glen t a thought since |
picked 'un up when t failed out O.
Seth's bosom. An nav I've told zee
tn truth, an nuthin' but tn wan
truth, but zee II niver make anythin
O. t. NIGHT an day I've toiled /
puzzle I out. but no wan 'ull liver
knaw tn truth bout Seth Treloar's
death, 'ceptin' Seth Treloar hisself. "
HE died of a dose of arsenic. SUI
ficlent to kill three men," said, "as
the pOst-mOrtem proved, also that
there was no bruise upon him, or any
disease whatever to cause DEATH
"Iss," said Judith, looking at me
from beneath those grand bent brows
OF hers, and with the divine stamp OF
truth on her lips and in her eyes,
"tis that heats me. Him war alive
an well when | put I'M in tn cellar.
him war found jest as I'd left 'un,
bound safe huff, an dead three DAYS
arter But what for did 'un carry a
box O. poison? Furrin' folks has out
landish ways, 'sposin' him used tn
stuff as medicine like, summit as
I've heerd tell doctors gives poison t
sick folk { make 'un woll?n
doctors Ouly give very small
doses" said /, besides, If Seth Ire
loar had been in the habit of taking
1t, why should he die of dose OF il
them He had no desire whatever to
die, he was prosperous. healthy, he
possessed money. was engaged in
schemes to make himself richer and
you may take it for granted that he
did not die of his own free will
Witness his attitude when found, the
agony of his face, the evidence of
mis- struggles, ignorant in the dark of
the means Of life and escape close to
his hand"
81 Gamma argify t." said Judith
YEARLY, "tis all dark t me. on'y |
knaws Use as innocent o his death
as you be, but I'll die fo't all tn
same
Gould he have had an enemy?" |
said as one thinking aloud, "some
one who followed him here, and gave
him the poison?"
Judith shook her mead.
ut arnt possible she said; "by
tn doctors count he died some.
where's i tn night arter | coined
away, an tn locks an window
war safe, an nobody knawed
whar we'd put tn kew.
Mappen you'm none so much 9
blame 70 yer thoughts o. me. thar's
but wan i til wide werld (she kissed
Stephens brown handy as knaw |
speak the truth"
mo. ! believe you too" l said.
but without hope, for there was no
hope in me.
And then turned my back on the
pair. bidding them make their fare
wells. and presently l called the
turnkey. and soon found myself IN
the fresh air with leisure in which
to ponder over those things that |
had heard