Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-01-20
Continued from last week. ]
CHAPTER Nv.

had gone there full of blissful excite
ment. l was going there to ask Mabel
Fenton to be my wife, and as scarcely
doubted what her answer would be, !
was in the seventh heaven of prospective
happiness. Now, the day afterward, I
entered the house absolutely detected
An broken down. for knew her broth
or to be a murderer. The police were
on his track and at any moment he
might iva arrested 4 ~orld of trouble
was III store for my darling.
The man who opened the door eyed
me with marked curiosity. My devotion
to Mabel was too obvious to have es-
capped notice below stairs. The visit of
the police that morning to make in
Quiries had naturally aroused great ex-
element in those regions, and now not
only was I regarded as the favored
sutton IT his young mistress, but had
all tic additional interest Of being a
suspected murderer
lie uSher!:i IL" into the drawingN
room. It rc:'!al:i"I Ja*t Us remember
ed 1t tEiv l1r>i. Is evening. There was
the bowl Of ross from which Fly love
had taii''i; Ne t:iu!cest hItn.n to iasteE
IN my co;;I. frt asnra which ! had in
wardlv voE;':; to heard forever, but
which had been lest il tho brutal fray,
lost, crushed au;l trotlu$:l in the mire.
There WIS the BOOK Mabel had been
reading when | entered, aud by it's side
the paper knife with which she had toy
ed before | made her hand my captive
And there was still that subtle odor Of
violets, which would linger in my mem
DRY, inseparably connected with that
scene.
But now the from frou of dainty
skirts told me OF my darling approach.
The haudle turned, and Mabel stood be-
fore NE.
"Mabeln'
"Duncan'' ;.
For one sweet moment all else but
our love was forgotten in one long, rap
turous embrace. Not a hours had
elapsed since l last held my dearest in
my arms, but what world of agony
had happened in that time!
| looked into her eyes, so full of un-
told happiness for me; kissed the lips
that spoke but of sweetest love, and for
the moment all the pending misery was
forgotten in one long, fond rapture of
bliss
Never had Mabel looked so unspeak.
ably lovely Her red gold hair rippled
and shlmmered in the clear sunlight
and waved and clustered round her
white forehead. Her deep blue eyes
locked into mine in trustful faith He1
poutlng lips invited KISSES disclosing
pearls of rarest beauty, while the color
Oh her cheeks came and went in concert
with the he;ving of her breast,
On, Duncan, my poor boy, how
shamefully they have treated you! How
could they suspect you? How dare they
arrest your
Their suspicion was nothing. You
did not doubt me for noment?''.
Duncan, how could I?'
She started from my embrace and
held herself erect.
Though all the world were against
you, you know could not for one mo-
ment doubt you
l drew my dear one to a seat, still
holding her hand in mine.
TELL me. Duncan she said. with
gentle sympathy, tell me all about it."
SO poured into her ears all / dared
tell her OF my experiences after leaving
her the previous evening / touched as
lightly as possible OH my finding the
body CT the murdered woman, scarcely
mentioning the man who stood over her.
AS told Of the fury Of the mob her lit
tie hand frightened in mine and the color
LETT her cheeks. When spoke to her of
the long, dreary night at the police sta
ton, her eyes betrayed her sweet COM
passion, and when breathed tenderly
all my thoughts of her in the darkness
and gloom that had shrouded me she
nestled almost imperceptibIy nearer to
pe, and again for moment I forgot
the coming agony When | described
the weary waiting in the morning, the
arrival of my friends and my ultimate
release, she uroke in eagerly:
"Ah, Duncan, it was so unfortunate
George was away when the police camel
know how sorry he will be- that he
could not be the first to go to youl, How
indignant be will be at their suspecting
you'll
Oh, the untold irony of her words
All the time my mind was forlornly
cropping for an answer to the nonoto;
nous question which knew must come
sooner or later and which would tell
her what would give W orlds that she
should know first from another. VI
I listened as with womanly care she
prayed me to tell her if / had rested
and eaten and a hundred other$things
which tender love alone could suggest.
listened, and l suppose my answers
were lucid, but all the while seemed 4
to know nothing but that he the
brother she worshiped---he, my friend,
was guilty of this CHASTITY crime |! Az in
. fearful panorama, ! saw the murd ere1@:
captured; l witnessed the trial !. ] heard
the hum Of the crowded court 81 saw
the Judge. the black cap, and i saw the
sgallows looming behind IL III II seemed.
70 be still talking and listenin yet my
Mi lasiid worked out thsss horro,irts regard
E,E