Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-01-09

ANIll
II sa,p 1t to be the elder Of the taco, John
label"
danger in which it threw me, did NOT
dare to tell my mother for fear it
would make her last moments miser-
able. So told her that the poor wom-
an had understood what she wished,
but was too terrified to move or speak,
and this satisfied my mother and made
her last breath one of trust and con-
tented love. She died as l drew the
dagger from her breast, and, seeing
this, was seized with horror of the
instrument which had cost me such a
dear and valuable life and flung 1t
wildly from the window. Then lifted
her and laid her where you found her,
on the sofa. That the dagger was
an old time gift Of her former lover,
James label, did not know, much
Il
handle"
He paused, and the awe occasioned
by the scene he had described was SO
deep and the silence SO prolonged that
a shudder passed over the whole as
semblage when from some unknown.
quarter single, cutting voice arose in
this one short, mocking comment:
"Oh, the fairy tale!'
Was it Amabel who had spoken?
Some yet thought SO and looked her
way, but they only beheld a sweet,
lear stained face turned with an air of
moving appeal upon Frederick as If
begging pardon for the wicked doubts
which had driven him to this defense.
Frederick met that look with one so
severe 1t partook Of harshness. Then.
resuming his testimony, he said:
at is of the label brothers must
now speak. and of how one Of them,
James by name, came to be involved in
this affair.
when left my new found mother,
| was in such state Of mind that
passed the loom in which my new
found father sat sleeping, with scarcely
so much as glance. But as hasten
ed on toward the quarter where the
labels lived some computations of pity
for his desolate state caused me to fal.
Ter in my rapid flight, SO that l did not
reach the house quite as quickly as 1
might otherwise have done. When
did, found it dark, as might reason
ably have expected; but, remembering
the extreme anxiety which my mother
had shown In their regard, even in her
dying moments, approached the front
door and was about to knock when
found 1t open. Greatly astonished, at
once passed in and. seeing my way
perfectly in the moonlight. entered the
room on the left, the door of which also
stood open. 1t was the second house
had entered unannounoed that night,
and in this, as in the other, encoua-
tered man sitting asleep by the table.
Going up to him, saw it to be the
elder of the two, John label, and, per-
cciving that he was suffering for food
and in condition of extreme misery,
took out the first bill my hand encoul.-
tered in my overfull pockets and laid it
on the table by, his side. AS did SO he
gave sigh, but did not wake; and, sat.
lsfied that l had done all that was wise
and all that even my mother would eX-
pect of me under the circumstances,
and fearing to encounter the other
brother if ! fingered, FASTENED away
and took the shortest path home. Had
been more of q man, or If my visit to
Mrs. Webb had been actuated by II
more communicable motive, would
have gone at once to the good man
who believed me to be of his own flesh
and blood and told him of the strange
and heartrending adventure which lad
changed the whole tenor of my
thoughts and life and begged his ad.
vice as to what l had better do under
the difficult circumstances in which L
found myself placed. But the memory
of thousand past ingratitudes, to.
| gether with the knowledge Of the shock
which he could not fail to receive on
learning at this late day and under con-
ditions at once SO tragic and full Of
| menace that the child which his long
buried wife had once placed In his
arms as his own was neither of her
blood or his rose up between us and
caused me not only to attempt silence.
but to secrete in the adjoining woods
the money had received In the vain
hope that all visible connection be-
tween myself and my mothers tragic
death would thus be lost. You see, I
had not calculated on Miss Amabel
Page"
The flash lie here received from that
ladys eyes startled the crowd and gave
Sweetwater, already suffering under
shock after shock of mingled surprise
and wonder, his first definite idea that
he had never rightly understood the re-
lations between these two and that
something besides Justice had actuated
Amabel in her treatment of this young
man. This feeling was shared by 9TH
ers, and reaction set in in his favor
which even affected the officials who
were conducting the inquiry. This was
shown by the difference of manner now
assumed by the coroner and by the
more easily impressed Sweetwater,
who had not yet learned the indispen-
sable art of hiding his feelings. Fred
erick himself felt the change and show
ed 1t by the look of relief and growing
confidence he cast at Agnes.
OF the questions and answers which
now passed between him and the yari-
| eas IasmbeEe Of The Jury. / need ElYs no
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