Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-04-01

Valencia, softly.
eyes. that 10 what wanted to hear
you say. kiss me, VAL"
She bent to kiss him, and received his
last breath upon her lips.
CHAPTER XIV.
The way in which John Harrington
came by his death remained for some
time mystery. Ralph Kingscott's fight
was not at first connected with it, except
by Alan Moncrieff in his own mind; and
the questions that he put to Harrington
and that others also put, had not been
answered by the dying man with suffi-
cient clearness to insure certainty.
When Alan Moncrieff looked into his
own affairs. much that had been puzzling
to him was explained. The fraud and
trickery Of which he had been the dupe
for years made him stand aghast. Ralph
had gone on until discovery was immi-
nent. and had then disappeared; he had
taken with him large sums Of money
enough, indeed, to constitute nice little
fortune. on which he could subsist very
comfortably in foreign land. Mon
Grief, in the first shock of the discovery,
was inclined to prosecute, but the pub
licity of prosecution would have been
very painful to the whole family, and it
was decided that the matter had better
sink into oblivion.
About month after Hannington's
death, however, letter arrived which
threw considerable light upon several
points. 1t was addressed to Alan Mon
Grief, and the postmark was that of IN
obscure town in Spain. It was from
Ralph Kingscott himself.
Dear Alan" 1t began, with an audaci-
ty which almost took away Moncriefrs
breath, II have just learned from the
newspapers that poor Harrington 10 dead.
I suppose he has told you how the affair
, took place, and I need not make any
secret of the matter in writing to you.
but for my own satisfaction I wish to tell
you why I shot him 40 I did. The act
was not premeditated, but 1t seemed to
me unavoidable, He brought it on his
own head by his utter obstinacy and stu
pidity.
"And now to business. resolved to
make fortune out of you. To this end
I sacrificed all that stood in the way.
Your coldness toward your children gave
me q great many chances. You were %
easily suspicious of them that it was no
hard task to throw blame on them
thousand times when they were perfectly
innocent. began with wishing to make
q competency; before long wanted your
whole fortune. resolved to make you
cast OF both your children, and leave your
property to me by will. When that will
was made, thought that you would prob
ably soon give me possession Of the es-
tate. Because your affections are pretty
strong, although you hide them with
coating Of ice, and when your heart and
spirit were broken. as I meant them to
be, by your sons designations and your
daughters disgrace, you would not bear
your unhappiness Ions. You would either
have gone out of your mind, under the
circumstances, Alan Moncrieff, or you
would have committed suicide. Knowing
you as do, I feel sure of that. Berries
scrapes, too, were partially known to
Harrington, and did not quite like the
idea Of your hearing that had been re-
sponsible for most of them-as he would
doubtless have informed you. In the
matter of the forged check, it il perhaps
only fair to say-as wish to do the
handsome thing by you all in leaving the
country--that BERTHE was little to blame.
He had had considerable pressure put
upon him, and he was so frightened Of
yourself that he thought anything pref
cradle to telling you the truth.
Il will set your mind at rest on point
which once disturbed you more than you
would allow-the fate of that stone which
| went by the name Of The Luck of the
House. 1t was who took it away (as,
by the by, Molly, with unusual acumen
| always suspected). and for two reasons.
First. wanted to have the stone tested
| as l had a notion that it might prove
more valuable than we thought. But in
this l was wrong: the stone was intrin-
sically worthless. Secondly, knew that
its disappearance would perplex and. per-
| haps, distress you, for the family super
stition had never been eradicated from
your mind. In this was right. I am
quite willing now, however. that you
should have the stone, II you can find it.
In ct Of unreasonable vexation at its
worthlessness, flung it out Of window
In the tower, into the midst Of thickly
growing bed Of bracken. It may he there
Eyet. for aught know. II you can find
It, you are welcome to Il, and to all thu
luck that It may bring. r r"