Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-11-07
decisivcness of manner.


decisiveness of manner.
Edward Flint. IL your best efforts
fail and l must meet the charge, 1
shall net deny the theft Heaven will
help me to serve my personal suffering.
Mark me, l say, once for all, IL your
help does not avail will meet the ac-
cusation with courage adequate to the
great issues at stake. No eye but the
eye of him that holds this manuscript
in his keeping will ever behold the
| work of Alice Edmunds. 1t is lost to
that woman forever. l can save
others. Myself may not save"
At these words / knew not what to
say. Here was man, beloved and 4
honorcd, completely shattered by some
grewsome secret that wore his life
away-a man of absolute probity
shielding wretched thief and deter
mined at the pinch to bear another's
4 guilt as garment of his own dis
honor. Did ever lawyer have so
| strange 4 client?
Therc,was only one thing to do--sleep
on the problem, if possible. Assuming
| n careless mien that belied the inward
commotion of spirit, l addressed my
old comrade with studied calmHess:
"Well, Brother Calvin, what wretch.
ed dclusion has tied up kinks in your
brain cannot fathom. You have my
promise to keep your secret, and 1t
| stands inviolate. have at this mo-
ment no clew, no trail, no device
which points even remotely to the
identity OF Mr.. or Mrs. 9-11-13-15. But
I'll do my best to run the rascal to
earth and save you from the conse-
quences of your own rash purpose.
Yet cherish small hopes of my ability
to do this. Go to bed. Sleep If you
can. Leave all to me-"
The doctor breathed heavily. A wan,
smile of gratitude played over his fea-
lures. He pressed my hand with burn
Ing palm and articulated brokenly and
with CLEAN of his old righteousness:
ITS poor sermon you'll get next
Sunday, my friend. You will do well
to hear DR.. BroadaXe, over the way.
God bless you! Help me to save 9TH
ers and myself as we'll"
And with this went out into the
cold night air.
sufferings for the next three days, nor
is it necessary to state that was COM
pletely bafiied in every effort to locate
the writer of the mysterious note. l
did not much believe he would carry
out his threat. But If he should
Heavens! knew DR.. Tetlow, well
enough to understand that his bulldog
tenacity OF purpose would draw the
guilt to himself and that he would, if
necessary, procure the manuscript and
, burn it after confessing the crime to
shield some person or persons, the mo-
tive for which was absolutely insolu-
j, BILE.
l even called upon Miss Alice Ed.
, munds. was told ut her lodgings that
, she had gone away for season, hel
| mind being much disordered by hel
crushing misfortune. Returning home
a thought flashed upon me. Was there
something deeper at stake than miss
ing treatise on monumental inscrip
tons? Could Miss Edmunds herself
through confederate, be-instrumenta
in fixing this charge upon the clergy
man In obedience to some yagary in
duced by overwork and the shock C
her loss? Deeper mysteries In the an
nails of crime had been traced to equal
ly unsupported sources. at all events
some one possessed the dangerous Sc
cret that my friend was cognizant o
the whereabouts Of the missing manu-
script. That knowledge might precipl
tate the catastrophe of self acoustic,
at any hour. And seemed powerles
to lift finger. The situation was blac
enough.
Thus matters drifted until Frida,
morning. Each day had to report m,
fruitless endeayor to the doctor In per
son, and each visit left him in stat
of still deeper distress. He could n
longer disguise his condition from hi
children, and Margaret, In tears, toll
u NE that her father had shut himself i
ais room, refusing himself to famil
and parishioners alike, and barely tas
cd the food that was sent him, Will
- he paced the floor in restless anxiet,
u Affairs evidently We're fast reachin
their dreaded climax.
Friday noon found me at my wit
- ends, with all resources exhausted
: Just as l finished lunch and sat i'd
- slancing over the newspapers, ready
10 catch at any straw, the bell rang, an
= my serving man ushered in Tom TIE
:. low. There was wholesome tonic
- the appearance Of this big, handsome
= brawny young fellow, football athlet
Of renown in his college days and kee
- witted as a fox.
IL "Mr. Flint" said Tom impetuousl
as our hands met, what under I'll
N canopy ails my poor father? He lool
T.. ed run down and worried when gu
town, two weeks ago, to coach my CO
us lege team. But now-great Scott! He
ep walking ghost! Wouldn't even Sc
tY |