The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-09-19
6he SHADOW .
BERTH; : I ~. Of a Crime.


sOhS.
1t would have seemed almost impoS-
sible that Luke .Abershaw'S nallid fea-
lures could grow whittier than their
usual color, but under the sick mans
words they had become an aShen gray
and he had twice To wet his parChed
lips before he could speak.
Il am sure you wrong her, sir; it
is too dreadful to think Of-yOur W
flesh and blood too"
NO. no.; she is only an adopted
child, thank Cod
"Of course. / know she is not your
daughter. but, as Il relative of your
Wife's"-
None. none; we took her out of Il
WOrkhouSe-but don't let us speak any
more about let me look
upon her face again. shudder at the
sight of it,
But if you had any such suspic-
ions. ought there not TO he an inveSti-
gation:" persisted the secretary.
mo, no-there must be no scandal
you can send her away from the
house. Yes, yes send her away then
we shall see if | get better"
When Mr.. Medlicott had retired to
rest that night Luke Abershaw locked
himself in the library, and. drawing
e." easy chair close. to the fire. gave
himself up to meditation.
His face would have been a curious
study for a loOkar-on-now eXultant,
now depressed. always evil: as the
Pickering light cast fantastic shadows
upon its lineamentS it resemble1
nothing 20 much us the fiendish heads
with which the monks of old loved
to adOrn the outward walls of their
churches.
AT times he broke into muttered dis
jointed SoliloQuy:
why should conscience reproach
me when it is dead within me: stand
ing on the brink of the grave he can
boast Il clear conscience that does not
fear death this robbcr. this destroyer
Of my poor father. and Of me-fOr
whatever | have done or do. must rest
at his door. That my revenge is a just
one is proved by the strange manner
that bis heart has bcen turned towards
me. Should | not accept that as a
sign
Then again. after a long silence:
THE extent 20 which this Self-doccD-
ton can be carried is incalculahle.
Who could have supposed to hear
that man speak. that he had ever
wron@ed n fellOw-creature? oh. no!
he had only be harsh to the evil-dOer
my father was what this precision
would call an evil-doer. Vile Pharispe.
he deserves his fate were it twice as
dreadful as it is"
Another pause and then:
Without my knowledge of the past
= should have looked upon the hypo-
erie as the purest of men. egotistical.
self-sntticient. but | could never have
suspected him of Il crime. There can
not be any mistake, the torn. half-de
faced letter my father gave in his dy-
ing moments was from his man. |
have compared writing and signature
since | have been here. oh. no.. there
is no mistake, only a deeper depth of
hypocrisy than ven |. with my exper-
fence. had dreamed of"
Again some time elapsed. during
which his lips were motionleSs and
thought went on in silence.
What is to be done, about this
girl:' he muttered presently. Il
am sorry for her; but | have
never done anything. directly. to cast
suspicion on her; self-preservation de-
manded that there should be some one
~ LIN a hSlobht SHpulb SiNll'ioh Dt
around; unfortunately for her circum-
n marked her out as the person.
There is no choice between her and
me. But now comes the difficulty. He
has old me to send her away as a
test. If | do SO. and anything happens
after she is gone. suspicion is removed
from her and falls upon-whom? The
man who will inherit Mr.. Medlicott's
fortune: Not improbably. But there
must be proof, and there can be no
proof. Still it would be better there
should be no suspicion
At this point he rose from his seat
II walked up and down the room.
Il am sorry for that poor girl" he
muttered again; there is a LOOK in her
eyes at times that reminds me Of nv
little sister, l wonder what became of
her? | might have inquired but |
have never seen since revisited that
part of the country. I'll try and find
ont something about her when-by
and by. He said this girl was taken
out of a w~OrkhouSe. | always under
stood she was a poor relation of Mrs.
Medlicott'S; as such she would have
been related TO me, so il is better as it
is"
Again he dropped into his chair and
fell into q silent reverie from which
he was aroused by the church clock
tolling midnight.
Il have not yet posted up my diary"
he said. rising and going over to the
writing table from a locked dra wer
in which he took forth a thick book.
Day by day since he first entered the
house Luke Abershaw had written
down in those pages a faithful account
of all that he had done and of every
thing of importance that had passed
between him and his employer.
He now recorded word for word the
! conversation him and Mr.