Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-12-11
CHAPTER XVII.

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for two or three minutes said nothing.
Suddenly he pulled himself together
Miss Hastings must have been mis-
taken" he said. my father made no
such remark to me, and
The young man hesitnted and stared
into the face Of the detective.
Miss HastinRs has duly sworn to
that fact. said Hendricks. ..Mr. Ben
ton had but two children-you and
your sister. II you are not guilty, sus-
picion may fall on her.
The color ran into Ralph's face. He
clasped his hands together, and his
handouts ratified
"Rot" he exclaimed. "Neitber Of us
IL guilty. Hendricks. you are on the
point Of making mn ass OF yourself-a
loud. braying, conspicuous ass You
have not made many mistakes during
your career, but you have made one in
me, and when l have told you all You
will admit IT, Iwould have come to
this at once. but TO be frank did not
think il would be- necessary or that
what was trying 10 keep concealed
was anySody's business except my
own. "
Ralph paused for breath, for he bad
been speaking rapidly. He glanced sus-
piciously at Lampkin and kola.
"These gentlemen are your confiden-
tial friends;" he added.
"Th.y are" responded Hendricks.
"You need not fear them. They can be
trusted"
Ralph's face had become serious The
banteriug quality had left his tone.
1T is humiliating thing TO have to
knuckle to you. Hendricks. but there
seems no other way. You can become
unpleasant II don't show my hand.
You are going to have big surprise.
You are going TO find that you are
away of the track. did not want to
tell all / know about my fathers death.
was afraid il did it would be impos-
sible to keep certain fact connected
with IL a secret. / have sweetheart,
Hendricks, and ! don't fancy having
her name brought into the papers as my
fiancee while am under suspicion. nor
do l particularly relish being arrested
for the murder Of my own father. So
here goes:
ION the night he met his death
was coming home from the city at
about ten minutes past O'Clock. / was
Just turning the corner Of the fourth
street from our house. on the way from
the station. when heard report Of
revolver and saw u red fash In the di-
rection Of the north walk in our gar
den. You know there are few houses in
that vicinity. and / had . clear view
across the vacant lots
Fearing that something had gone
wrong. / FASTENED home. l entered at
the side gate because IL was the shorter
way 20 the north walk crossed the
grass and came upon my father lying
exactly as you saw him on the mornin.
Of the inquest The revolver you found
in the shrubbsry was by hi. side.
II bad DO sooner seen him than i
knew b. bad committed suicide. had
beard him threaten 90 do 10 often and
knew that he had NJ las, given way 10
what seems q family failing. My IA
ther's father took his own life. and 30
sid one Of nv fathers brothers
Ralph Benton studied the faces
around him.
"You are all surprised. b. went on
Il knew you would BE-. In bending
ever my father TO see II life were ex-
tinct noticed an envelope pinned to
the underside of the lapel Of his coat i
tore IL Of. struck match and hastily
read the contents of the envelope. Ii
was u short statement 10 the effect that
nothing had lately gone 10 suit him;
that be had quarreled with Mr.. Allen;
that mis- own children did not love him
and wanted him out Of th. way 10 get
his money. he said he was obeying an
uncontrollable impulse TO end his life
by his own hand. that be believed the
inclination was hereditary and that he
had not been free from il one moment
since his brother had killed himself In
Harlem five years ago. He ended BY
few words to his sister, my Aunt
Martha. He told her that he knew she
had been contemplating suicide for the
same reasons that had actuated him
and begged her TO hold ON a. long ~
she could, but that she need not count
Oh ever defeating the will Of Provi-
dence, which had decreed that every
one bearing the name Of Benton should
die by his own hand. My father was
really not in his right mind.
A white. desperate expression had
captured Ralph's face. He drew deep
breath and then continued:
~ don't know what the law IL on
this point, Hendricks, but deliberate
" took il into my own hands. 1t oc-
CURED to me that no one else had
heard the report Of the revolver and
that / was the only one who knew OF
the accident. Like fash it came over
me that I could do good deed in COW
ering up the fact that my father had
killed himself. My sister and / have
read several books by certain philoso-
pher who claims that hereditary be-
liefs, such as my father possessed, can
be overcome with reason and constant
habit of banishing all morbid thoughts
/ believe you teach something OF that
kind, DR.. Lampkin. in your practice, !"
said Ralph, directing his words to the
doctor. II think / have seen something
of it in the papers
Lampkin nodded.
"You and your sister were certainly
doing the correct thing" be answered.
"It seems to me-
"Go ahead with your story" inter
rupted Hendricks, little look OF dis
pleasure in his eyes.
lyon can guess the rest, " said the
young man. Il remembered my aunt's
peculiar tendency and was sure she
would take her life. in spite Of all we
could do, il she discovered the manner
Of my fathers death and his insane
message to her. / noticed that my feet
were making impressions In the sand
and just then saw the swing. did, Of
course, a thoughtless thing when ! toss-
ed into the grass the revolver my Ia
tber had used, but it really did not 90
cur to me at the moment Il was fright
| fully asitated) that il would throw sus-
picion ON any one in our house. did
not think Of that till was safe in my
| room, having reached it In the exact