The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-04-19

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
We're 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 it by the look of relief and growing
confidence he cast at Agnes.
OF the questions and answers which
now passed between him and the vari-
Gus members of the jury | need give no
account. They but emphasized facts
already known and produced but little
change in the general feeling, which
was one now of suppressed pity for all
who had been drawn into the meshes
of this tragic mystery. When he was
allowed to resume his seat. the name
of Miss Amabel Page was again called.
She rose With bound. Naught that
she had anticipated had occurred; facts
of which she could know nothing had
changed the aspect of affairs and made
the position of Frederick something so
remote from any she could have mag
ined that she was still in the maze of
the numberless conflicting emotions
which these revelations were calculat-
ed to call out in one who had riSked all
on the hazard of a die and lost. She
| did not even know ut this moment
whether she was glad or sorry he could
explain SO cleverly his anomalous posi-
| ton. She had caught the look he had
cast at Agnes and. while this angered
her. it did not greatly modify her opin
! ion that he was destined for herself,
for. however other people might feel.
J she did net fer Il moment believe his
| story She had not a pure enough heart
/ to do So To her all self sacrifice was
an anomaly
No woman Of the mental or physical
strength of Agatha Webb would plant
q dagger in her own breast just TO pre-
vent another person from committing
crime. We're he lover, husband or SON
So she believed and so would these
others also when once relieved of his
magnetic personality. Yet how thrill
ing il had been to hear him plead his
cause SO well. SO thrilling it was al
most worth the loss of her revenge to
meet his look of hate and dream of the
| possibility of turning it later into the
old look of love. Yes, yes. she loved
him now. not for his position. for that
was gone; not even for his money, for
she could contemplate its loss. but for
himself who had so boldly shown that
he was stronger than she and could
triumph over her by the sheer force of
his masculine daring.
With such feelings. what should she
say to these men? How conduct her.
self under questions which would be
much more searching now than before?
She could not even decide in her own
mind She must let impulse have it's
way.
Happily she took the right stand at
first. She did not endeavor to make
any corrections in her former testi-
mony. only acknowledged that the
flower whose presence on the scene of
death had been such a mystery had
fallen from her hair at the ball and
thai she had seen Frederick pick it VI
and put it in his huttonhole. Beyond
this and the differences it afterward
awakened in her mind she would not
go. though many present. and among
them Frederick felt confident that hel
attitude had been one of suspicion from
\ =, Il (,
rather than to supply the wants of the
old men. the labels. she had left the
ball and found her way to Agatha
Webb's cottage.