Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-22
BOOK II.
CHAPTER XNI-sweetwnter.


And what OF Sweetwater, in whose
thoughts and actions the interest now CEN
tiers?
When he left Mr.. Sutherland it was with
feelings such as few who knew him sup
posed him capable of experiencing. Unat-
tracttve as ne was in every way IN
calmly in figure and unprepossessing of
counterauce. this butt of the more favored
youth IN town had a heart whose secret
fires were all the warmer for being So per-
sisteutly covered. and this heart was wrung
with trouble and heavy with a struggle that
bade fair TO leave him without res, that
night Il not for many nights Why? One
word Will explain. Unknown to the world
at large. and almost unknown to himself
his best affections We're fixed upon the man
whose happiness he thus Unexpectedly saw
himself destined to destroy. He loved M
Sutherland
The suspicion which ne now found trans
ferred in his own mind from the young gi-i
whose b!Dod-stained slippers he had pur-
Joined during the excitement Of the frs
alarm 10 the uHprincipl=d but only son Of
his one DenefaoJOr, had not been Hgh,Iy
embraced r tLUughtlcs,iy expressed He
had had time 10 think it out in all its bear
irgs- During that long walk from Port
chester church yard to- Mr.. Hallidays door,
he had been turning over in his mind every
thing thI, he had heard AID seen in con-
necriOu with this matter Iii. the dim vision
Of Fr-leriCk'S figure going on before him
was MT more apparent 10 his sight than
was Tho guilt he 50 dep ored 10 mis- inward
understanding.
He could not help but recognize him as
the active party in the crime he had hitner-
20 considered AmabeI as being solely guilty
OF. With the clue offered by Frederick ;
secret anguish at the grave Of Agatha, n
could read the whole story of this detast-
able crime as plainly as if it had tesn
written IN letters 81 fire on the circle Of the
surrounding darkness. Such anguish under
such circumstances on the part u such d
man could mean but one thing, remO1Se;
and rtTnorSe in the breast of one so pro-
verbally careless and corrupt over the
death OF a woman who was no loss to him
| self. could have but one Interpretation, ard
that was guilt
No other explanation was possible. Could
! one be given. or If any evidence could be
adduced in contradiction of this assump-
ton. he would have dismissed his new
suspicion with more heartinesS even than
he had embraced his former one. He did
not wish to believe Frederick guilty. He
would have purchased an inner conviction
Of his innocence almost at the price of
his own life. not because of any latent in
terest in the young man himself, but be
cause he was Charles Sutherland's son and
fhe dear. If unworthy. center Of all that no.
BILE mans hopes, aims and happiness. But
he could come upon no fact capable of shak-
ng the belief which had seized upon him.
Taking for truth AmabtlS account of what
6he had seen and done on that fatal night
-sOmething which he had hesitated over
he previous day. but which ne now found
himself forced to accept or do violence TO
bis own secret COnvictionS-and adding to it
buch facts as had come to his own knowl-
edge in his self-imposed role of detective.
be had but TO test the events of that
blight as thus completed by his present
heOry Of Frederick's guilt to find them
hang together in a way too complete for
mistake.
For what had been his reasons for
charging Amabel herself with the guilt of
crime she only professcd 10 have been a
partial witness tu2
Their Were many
FIRST the forced nature Of her expIana-
lions in regard 20 her motive for leaving
a merry bal and betaking herself To the
IIliuiliE,lI ROAD III her party dress and slip
pers. woman Of her welI-known unsyn-
pathetic nature muEht use The misery of
the labels as pretext for slipping into
town at night. but never would be tnfIu-
enced by il as a motive
Second. the equally unsatisfactory nature
or the reasons she gave for leaving the
course she had marked out for herself and
enterinS upon the pursuit of an unknown
fnan INTO house in which she had no
personal interest and from which she ba5
just seen bloody dagger thrown out -The
most callOuS Of women would have shrupk
rom letting her curiosity carry her thus
far.
Third. the poverty Of her plea. that after
paving braved so much in her desire IN
IDENTIFY this criminal she was so fright
med at his near approach as TO fail to lift
per heah When the opportunity was given
her to recognize him.
Fourth. her professed inability to account
or the presence OF the orchid from her
AIR being found in the room with Batsy.
Fifth. her evident attempt TO throw the
nus OF the crime on an old man. evidently