Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-08-22

49,
had prevented him!
And then. having reverted to II. her
thoughts would become fixed In that
direction, and she began to wonde n
speculate as to the preparation OK the
murder, and to ask herself yet over n
over again, the perplexing question:
AFTER all, could it have been Robert!
And IL so, what had become of him, n
what would be don to him.
He was a madman, and, therefore
they could not hang him. No: the worst
they could do would be to put him In a
Iunatic ASYLUM for the rest of his days
and bad enough. surely. Poor old ROD
ert!
But II seemed impossible. He would
have taken no pains to conceal ms
crime. Rather, on the contrary, ne
would probably have remained, win
the dripping weapon in his hand stand
ing over the PROSTATE form. ready u"
proclaim to all the world the proprietS
and justice of the dreadful act.
Besides, where could Robert nave
possessed himself of that stiletto?-and
beyond question, with that weapon IN,
deed had beer done. Who, then, so IKE
" to have lone 1t as Shirley Austin
surprised and maddened at seeing his
long-promised bride leaning, a welded
wife, on a rivals arm?
He. indeed. might have had the
weapon, for had he not held Clarice ia
his arms? And from that frantic en-
brace Philip had torn her forcibly.
leaving-what could be more probable?
the stiletto either in Austin's hand, II
he had plucked it from her veil, OF
dropping It at his feet If it had. in the
struggle, fallen of the lace folds?
Yes, yes!" Kate Martin exclaimed.
exultantly. 1T seems almost a fol egone
conclusion. Let me remember. now.
What was it i / heard that old simpeton,
Mrs. Mowbray. say about the stlletto!
/ COULD not have imagined 1t. though
her husband so quickly hushed her up.
All, now ! know! The weapon was a
gift from Shirley Austin! Yes, l re-
member her very words now. Probably
in his rage he tore 1t from her veil IN
/ the very moment that she lay faintlng
in his arms-perhaps with the inten-
ton. ever then, of stabbing his success
full rival, and, failing in that, he came
to the house and lay in wait for Philip.
"Of course he had an accompltce-the
Frenchwoman! She must have kr~-Tn
from Clarice of the unhappy o affair,
and, at her mistress orders, shielded
the murderer, red-handed, from his
victim, and enabled him to escape whil>
that sharp-eyed detective and his po-
licemen were safely disposed Of up
stairs, trying to make discovertes-ha,
ha! It's always the way. But the de-
! tective is a keen fellow, and I must see
him again"
At this point Mrs. Martins teIeries
were brought to an abrupt conclusion
by the stopping OF the carriage; and,as
| the coachman assisted her to alight,
she found that she was at her own
door. ..
1t was hurriedly opened before she
could knock or ring the bell, and Bertha
and Lettie both received her with loud
demonstrations of grief and terror and
ordinations at her long absence.
ooh, mamma, how dreadful! Poor
Uncle Philip-Poor. dear Uncle Philip!
| Who could have been so wicked and so
cruel? We have been so frightened ana
so much alarmed when you didn't come
home!"
Mrs. Martin kissed both her daugh.
tiers. and soothed and quieted them.
She was fond of all her children. but
Bertha and Lefty were her favorites.
They were both approaching woman
hooG-Bertha nearly eighteen and Lefty
just sixteen-and in their youth and
beauty she saw her own happy girlhood
again, and the possibilities Of all the
successes which she had missed or mar
red in her own life.
Don't be noisy, my dear girls! You
have kept this shocking affair from the
Children, l hope? That's well. l would
not have had % know of it myself un-
til ! had time to break the ews, at any
rate. How came you to hear of it?"
why, mamma, dear, of course, we
followed in our carriage. with the rest
of the guests that had beer invited to
the breakfast. When we arrived there
seemed almost a riot in the street, there
was such a crowd, such an excitement.
Policemen were standing about, and
someone said that other policemen were
already in the house. We were so
frightened! But that was nothing TO
what followed. When we reached the
door, at length. we learned that a muir,
der a been committed. Oh, mamma,
dear, perhaps 1t was not so bad! In tina
excitement it may have been exagger-
ated! Say ii is not true!'
.Too true, unfortunately! My pooi
brother is 6ead-foully murdered"
Mrs. Martin spoke with solemn en-
phasis, and the two girls broke INFO
passionate weeping.
Philip Grayson had been the kindest
of uncles to Kate Martins children, ana
he was much loved by all Of them.
For some minutes the two young girls
wept without restraint, but their moth
er insisted that they should control
their grief, and not too suddenly alarm
the younger children.
1T Is terrible enough she added:
"but, unhappily, your uncle brought 1t
on himself. / almost knelt to him in
my ~entreaties to prevent his marriage
with Clarice Mowbray; but nothing
availed. / warned hin that the report
of young Austin's death had never been
confirmed by n sufficient proof. /
went so far as TO prophesy hat the
young man would kill Clarice Now
bray's husband, If he should chance to
be alive n ever return. But Philip
was obstinate. i might as we'll have
talked to the deaf Your uncle was in
fatuated with that girl; and, as II
seems, the other lover was equally mad
4 - -..s N-s