Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-31

that, villain as he was, | could not refuse
him a certain admiration.
The lord advocate turned to the women.
BE silent" he said. Il urge you 10
confess the truth as you value your lives.
1 call you not guilty, as this man is guilty.
/ offer you the chance to speak now"
w are innocent-we ken nothing OF the
m%atter!" they cried.
Then" said the advocate sharply, there
remains nothing FOR me to do but to prove
the deed out Of t@e mouths of your own
innocent children
All this while he was making a new point
to his pen, doing it with a small knife,
dolicately and well, so that | admired greatly
10 see his skill and dextcrity.
At the first word of their children the two
women set up a crying louder and more
heartrending than before.
"Cruel--cruel." they said, Ito gaze our
bGirne testify against us. They ken moth
ing"
Then there came a surprise upon me quick
as a stroke from behind. | heard a name
called which at first | did not recognize as
my own.
81 call upon Philip stansfeld, the younger,
to stand forward"
1t was the voice of the kings advocate.
and scarcely We're the words uttered than
Umphray Spurway pushed me up the aisle
and, the guards making way, | came into the
little open space where was a f]ootstool, on
which l stood, and, forgetting all else in the
kirk, looked tremblingly up at the gray-eyed
man.
As he turned his countenance upon me
his voice seemed to change and become
extraordinarily caressing and his eyes had
such a light of kindliness in them that at
that moment | could have told him anything
hn desired. That, they say, was the secret
Of his power. He could vile the truth out OF
a reluctant witness with a voice caressing
as that Of a turtle dove.
Little man. he said, speaking like one
WHO has children of his own. Il want you
to tell me all that took place after you
were laid to sleep in the blue chamber of
the house of New Milns."
| began to tell the story as we'll as
could, the advocate prompting me with
cunning questions. But at each answer the
dark-faced man between the guards seemed
to approach nearer to my back. Though
my head was turned away from him l seemed
to see the dagger in his hand, the very
cleaning blade which l had seen him
cleanse upon the page of Baxter, his Saints
Rest, in my grandfather's chamber.
81 cannot speak more unless that man
is kept further away" | cried out, and at ii
sign from the advocate they took him back
to a place near the door where the rest OF
the kings guards stood ranked in the order
of their company.
Fear nothing, little man, you will never
be molested for aught you may say here
tell all without fear" said my lord advocate,
smiling encouragement down upon me.
SO with little catches of the breath and
occasional forgettings of the simplest words.
| told all that | had seen through the panel
: and afterward by the haunted brig. And as
| spoke my voice appeared to be sounding
on and on eternally through a kind OF
tingling silence.
You recognize this prisoner as the man
whom you saw in the chamber of Sir James
: Stansfeld?
l turned to look at Philip Stansfeld. His
eyes met mine with such a terrible look
in them that my heart failed me COM
pletely. l fell to the ground and for a time
knew no more.
When l came to myself the lad with the
features like those l had seen in the mirror
was taking his turn upon the footstool, and
the advocate was crOss-questioning him with
the same winning kindliness he had used 20
me.
My name is Jamie Johnston he said,
clasping his hands as if in prayer at the
kirk. Il live with my mother. was
lying across the foot of the bed in the
kitchen on the NIGHT when the laird died at
the big house. / heard my mither and Janet
Mark came in late, and they cam ever to
: the bed to see if l was sleepin'. So l steekit
my cen and made pretense."
Then, as l lay thus, l heard my mither
5 say that 'Ye-ken-Wha' had dune the deed
at last, and that he had a safe plan to afix
l the guilt on Umphray ~Spurway.
ITO which Janet Mark answered that be-
t fore the morrow's morn Philip Stansfeld
E would be lord O. a, frae Moreham Kirk
Yeti to the High Stone Rig and that she
t should be the Teddy o. it.
! AYE said my mither, he promised ever
to ride in the skirts o. them that had
scorned and lighted him, and swore that
e they were to haze great rewards that helped
him with the body to the waterside, so
| that it might appear that it had been cast
I in near by the dwelling of Umphray Spur
] way
As the lad spoke his mother did not cease
} to reprOach him, saying that she had ever
been kind to him., and that she never thought
2 that he would thus swear away her life
before the kings officers.
Whereat, greatly moved, the lad leaped
I down from the stool and went and kneeled
down before his mother, beseeching her to
speak the truth and that the kind man would
t be forbearing with them all. But, being
hardened, she struck at him with her
l clenched hand and would have fallen upon
' him and beaten him on the spot, but that
t tha guards would not permit it.
Yet more piteous it was when little Anna.
the daughter of the i'll woman with the fair
l countenance, Janet Mark, was called on to
3 stand on the stool. She had a soldiers
red coat over her night apparel, the arms
Tapping loosely at her side, and a curly tan
gle of short locks appearing to climb over
the high military collar and escape in an in
2 tTicate fleece down her back.
( out of the mouths OF babes and
} sucklings!" said the minister aloud, as she
stood on the stool. But as he spoke in his
pulpit voice Nobody took any notice Of him,
"Dinna hurt my mither, Draw mamie" she
5 cried before ever a question had been asked,
great tears, big as cherry stones, running
{ fast down her face and falling like raindrops
2 on the bosom of her night rail. 80, Dina
2 veX my minnie, She has been a kind mither
to me"
t For the strange thing is that though the
woman was such an evil wretch she had NOT