Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-03-11

met. Jenny was leaning back In the
chair she had taken Q moment or two
before. and was casing with distended
eyes on . boot that her mother had
thrown ansrily to the door. The sole was
uppermost, and she had ample leisure to
sec that 1t had just such a triangular
mark a. she alone had noticed on the
footprint near Jacob Lynn when he lay
dead that day in the deserted compound.
1t might be only q coincidence, 1t is true:
but the mere suspicion was enough to
make her blood run cold and her heart
almost stop its beating.
The magnitude of her discovery SO
overwhelmed Jane that for a moment all
capability Of thought deserted her. Then
slowly, as one recovering from an illness,
digests first the simplest food, a regret
stole across her still half f-paraly zed mind.
that she should have done Stephen Prin-
sep such . cruel injustice. She even felt
q faint thrill Of pleasure at the thought
of his innocence; but almost Immediately
the remembrance Of who II was that she
now knew to be guilty rendered all other
feelings weak and vague. Brain and be-
ing alike seemed saturated with the
knowledge that her father-her father
who had held her 20 often in his arms.
soothed her childish sorrows. and shared
her joys, and whom she had honored as
the best man she had ever known, or be-
lieved could be-he, her father, was '
murderer.
She could have shrieked aloud to have
relieved herself from the burden of her
restrained emotion. yet 20 silent, and 50
often unguessed at, are tho tragedies In
real life, that che sat still. making no
sign to betray the horror that had come
upon her, and her mother, all unknowins
Of what through her agency had been re-
vealed, went on scolding In the same
high-pltched key. How soon, thought
Jane. would all these triAing worries
that now bssst her vanish in thin air
were shs to know the truth! But she
never must-she never must! The secret
should be betw sen herself and heaven.
80 strangely, often unwittingly, are all
our ideas tinged with thoughts of self
that, after the first shock had subsidized,
refused Major Larron.
"Now. Jenny, I am ready" said Mrs.
Knox. leading the way from the room,
while silently Jane rose and followed.
"Well. end 30 you refused Major Larron.
l can't tell you how disappointed 1 was
when I got the letter, and your father
looked quite as II some one had struck
him. 20 dumfounded. He had been more
like what he used to be, since told him
that thought, was almost sure, in fact,
you would marry Major Larron. Aud
this morning he was unbearable. First
one thing and then another was wrong
until lost my temper too, and answered
back. Then he grew furious, and said
had been to blame for alias though
had not been a. eager as he could be tI
see you happily settled-and that youI
life would be ruined, with a lot more
which seemed to have no sense. l sup
pose it is these letters in the papers
though nobody takes any notice of them
l am sure. Every one knows, and we car
prove, that we were in the house all day,
even il 1t were possible or probable that
a little thing like you could kill stronl
man like Jacob Lynn"
Il wish We had never known him. He
has been the cause Of all our trouble"
cried Jane, with an anger she felt uD
yet could not restrain.
ITO be continuedl