The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1899-08-03

taking away a wOman'S characterl Let
Amos Beecroft deny that he was seen,
while Mabel's mother was away, break
ing into her house late It night, when
no one was about He'll deny break
ing into the house. l said, but he'll not
deny the rest. He had the key of the
place, and Mabel stopped with me, to
escape being insulted by a wretch she
despised.' He got furious at this, and I
don't know what more would have been
said, for a policeman came in just then,
and | was turned out of the office, Mr..
bruce telling me to be thankful that |
wasn't taken to the police court. I
thought l should have died, Amos. I am
getting old, and l have had a long,
long Illness"
Her voice faltered, and her tears
compelled her to pause.
| bit my lips and dug my nails into
my hands to keep myself from sym
pathizing with her. I knew if I did so
that she would break down, and she
had not yet come to that part of the
story which 1 burned, yet dreaded, to
hear. Life and death hung upon her
words.
"But where was Mabel all this timer"
I said, coldly. "She was at home to
give this man the lie"
mo-" answered my mother; "the day
after you left, Mabel went into the
country to her mother, and / did not see
her for a great many weeks. / have
lost count of the time, Amos, but it
must have been quite three months be-
fore | saw her, and then I did not see
her to speak to. Before she came back
all the mischief had been done, and I
wa not On good terms with a single
soul in the neighborhood. I can't tell
you how unhappy | was, all alone as I
was, and with my son that I loved so
far away. Well, one night I happened
to hear that Mabel and her mother were
at home, and without waiting a mo-
ment, | ran to the house.
She paused again, and passed her
hands across her eyes, striving to re-
call something which had slipped her
memory. I did not help her by a word;
even when she held her trembling
hands imploringly toward me, appeal
ing to me by that action for ever the
slightest sign Of encouragement, I
made no movement. There was no
room in my heart for compassion at
that time. She continued, but in a
weaker and more uncertain voice than
before.
Forgive me, Amos" she said, hum
bly,, "but it is hard for me to remember
what came after that. You will know
why presently, and then perhaps you
will pity me. I went to the house, and
saw Mabel's mother outside. Amos, she
waited till l got close up to her, and
then turned her back upon me, and
slammed the door in my face. At that,
of course, l went away all of tremble.
thinking that Mabel would come to me.
I stopped at home till ten o'clock at
night, but Mabel didn't come. l didn't
know what to think. I couldn't make
out the eason of her keeping away;
she ought to have run to me the mo-
ment she came home-you know that,
Amos. If sheahad loved you"
I interrupted her sternly. Go on
with your story, and tell it straight.
Never mind what u ht to have been
done. Let me know what was done"
waiting for her who should have
come, but didn't, was driving me mad,
and l couldn't abide it any longer. Late
as it was, I went to her house again.
They were not abed, as I could tell by
the light, and I was going to knock at
the door, when, happening to peep
through the window, who should I see
in the room, with a glass before him,
but your enemy and mine, Mr.. bruce.
Both Mabel and her mother were with
him, and they were talking together, as
the best of friends might do; and Mr..
bruce was sitting there as though he
had a right to be in that place, and as
though he did not intend to go away in
a hurryr. Amos, if ! could have found
heart and strength to knock at the
door, I am sure they would have turned
me from the house. But I had no
thought of anything II anybody but
you, my son, away on the seas, while
your enemy was laughing and joking
with her who should have spit in his
face for daring to speak to her! I
turned from the window, more like a
mad woman than anything else, intend
ing to come home to our own little cot
tage here, where we had spent so many
happy years; but I was blind with grief,
Amos, and missed my way. Even now
I don't know where l got to nor how 1t
happened, but all of a sudden / heard
a shouting and screaming, and I was
knocked down in the road and run over