The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-01-18

ana just without the SdFu0u SdCo Was
found a surgeons knife blood-stained
and bearing on the handle the initials
81. G." Evidently the murderer had
stood behind the girl and stabbed her
as she sat in her chair, and then being
attacked by the dog had plunged the
knife into him.
| Perhaps the brute might be able to
| do something toward bringing the gull
| ty to Justice. He was not dead, though
severely hurt, and every care was taken
| to save his life. He was an animal of
wonderful sagacity, and Ralph felt GER
| tain that if he could be brought back
| to health he could make him instru-
mental in discovering the real muir
derer
| The chain of circumstances was so
| strong that it fully warranted Mr..
| Strickland in arresting DR.. Graham
upon the charge of the assassination of
Marina Trenholme At his eXamina-
| ton before justice, Graham refused
| to offer any plea whatever; he simply
said he was innocent Of the crime.
! Two Of the old servants testified to hav-
| ing met the prisoner about half-past
on the morning of the murder in the gar
den, on the eastern side of the house.
He was pale and singularly agitated,
and when one of them asked him if
anything had gone wrong, he had
pushed by him and hurried on.
Graham was committed to the county
Jail to await the converting of the AS
sizes on the first of November, when
his final trial would take place.
Marina was laid in the shady grave
yard where the Trenholmes had for
generations been buried, and after the
funeral was over, the guests departed
and left Ralph and Agnes and their
mother alone at the Rock.
His poor old father and mother were
nearly frantic with the dreadful turn
affairs had taken, and before her boy
had lain a week in prison, the feeble
mother was dressed for the grave. His
father, the honest old fisherman, went
about slowly, his tall form bowed, his
eyes vacant, his voice broken, and his
intellect verging fast upon imbecility.
A large part Of Ralph's time was
spent away, collecting any evidence
which might tell at the approaching
trial-indeed his every energy seemed
to be devoted to the work of bringing
condemnation on Lynde Graham, the
man he had once loved as brother. He
believed him guilty, and, believing this,
he said sternly, to himself, he would
not hesitate to bring his own father
to the gallows! No, when he thought
of Marina, so beautiful, so foully muir
dered, he forgot there was such word
as mercy-he only remembered ven
geance.
Since the terrible tragedy Agnes
Trenholme had not been herself. She
was restless, nervous-given to long
fits of passionate weeping, at which
times nothing could comfort her. Mrs.
Trenholme attributed it to grief for
the fearful death of her adopted sister,
and though she herself mourned the
gentle girl, and was Mortified beyond
measure at her tragic death, yet as the
time passed, and Agnes only grew
more and more depressed, she could
not resist little feeling of impotence
at her conduct. A few days before the
first of November, on which day Lynde
Graham would be brought to trial,
Agnes sought Ralph in the library
He started at the sight of Agnes in
her white robes, and her face as white
as her dress, with the dark circles
around the great dilated, gray eyes. He
bod nouor notiood hoforo how torribJv
she had changed.
"My dear Agnes, tell me what
troubles you
She came slowly forward, and sink
ing at his feet, buried her face in his
bosom and burst into sobs.
He lifted up her face and looked into
her troubled eyes.
"My dear sister, tell me what it
means l do not understand you. /
did not know your love for-for her
was so intense
90, yes; loved Marina. I did love
her! Ralph, God knows she was dear
to me as an own sister could have been.
But it is not her death that is wearing
me to the grave. No, no-not that!"
Not that? Then tell me, and let me
comfort you''
Il must tell some one! I shall go
mad if l do not! Some women would
suffer it in silence-would die before
they would breathe the secret. But 1
am made of weaker stuff I cannot
bear it alone. I must have helpr'
And l will give it to you, if it lies