The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1899-11-03

through the silent air, to echo rount
the dusky lawn! A momeut before 6
horrible fear had possessed her, a feal
which had sent all the blood cours.
ing wildly through her veins: and
then Oh, impossible! Major Brown
a forger! 1t was impossible! Mr.
Falkland always had disliked him
From the very first he had been
prejudiced about him, and had done
his utmost to make both Lady How
ard and herself share in his suspic-
ions.
1t was too terrible! In that one
moment it seemed as though she lived
through all the past fortnight again.
One after another the various events
of the we'll remembered days passed
in rapid succession through her mind,
whilst above all, as a climax, a crown
ing point to the whole, a certain af-
%ternoon, scarcely t~hirty-siX hours be-
fore, stood out clear and defined from
the confusion Of the various occur
rences. Every syllable which had been
spoken, every subject which had been
preached, came back to her as wildly
as though once more she was sitting
in the forsaken library, pen in hand,
with Major Brown standing attentive
~ by her side.
oh, why had she been SO dense, so
blind as to see neither through his
evident manoeuvers nor the strange yet
,Nn 3,N hin On onr,nrc ~ hic MN ~ III
nothing else had reused her suspicious,
she ought at least to have realized
that Major Brown was not at all the
kind of man to waste his energies up
on a simple birthday book. A birthday
book, How could she have allowed
herself to be so easily taken in? She
had certainly expressed some astonish-
nent upon the o~ccaslon-she was I'M
doubtedly somewhat dubious at first
but how quickly he had overruled her!
Without appearing the least perturb-
ed. he had explained away everything
yes, everything! He had even been
able 10 find an excuse for the blank
ness Of the pages, and she had act
uaiiy believed him, had believed the
whole Of his fabrications, though in
reality that horrible book had been
purchased simply as a mean for secur-
ing her signature.
You hear what Mr.. Falkland is
saying, Eye?"
How far her thoughts had carried
her, or how long she had been stand
:xr With how hn,,Ic o1ocrnd finhtIu To
gether, gazing out straight before her
at the shadows growing deeper and
deeper, Evelyn had no idea.
Did she hear what Mr.. Falkland was
saying? No, she had not heard a
word. and, what was more, she was
utterly Indifferent as to what it might
be: yet it was with a gesture sugges-
tive rather of acquiescence that she
sal down on the low bamboo chair
and waited resignedly for anything
that had to ONE
You see, Miss Luttrell'-it was
Falkland himself who claimed her at
this time-"we can do nothing
without the check; we have no proofs
whatever as to the forgery. Brown is
safe as if he had never put pen to
paper at all"
rs he?" observed Evelyn calmly.
words seemed to Undue her with
| sense of strange undefinable relief.
An, yes-I suppose that would have
the only evidence against him!
But of course it does not matter. 1t
s really not of much Importance" she
aided in a voice particularly free from
suspicion of regret.
1T does not matter! Why, Miss
.uttrell, [ have just been pointing out
o you the greatest Importance of this
and have been saying how cas-
~ the whole thing can be managed,
But no time must be lost. You ought
o ask the Major for the check this
without fail"
Ito be continued.)