Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1901-03-20
tcoNTINUEp.l
CHAPTER NNII.
now lie WAS FoILED.

burst. The very depth Of the feelings
evoked made all ebullitlon impossible,
aud as one sees the billOw pause ere it
breaks and gradually subside, so this
crowd yielded to the " within them
and one by one sank back into their
seat till quiet was again restored and
only q circle of listening faces con.
frouted the man who had just stirred
n whole rOOmful 10 its depths. Seeing
this aud realizing his opportunity, Fred
erick NJ once entered into the explaua-
tons for which each heart there pant.
ed.
This viii be overwhelming news TO
him who has cared for me since in.
fancy. You have heard him call me
son. With what words shall | over
throw his confidence in the truth and
rectltude Of his long buried wife and
make him know in his old age that he
has wasted years Of patience upon one
who was not of his blood or lineage?
The wonder, the l%nereduIity. you mani
fest are my best excuse for my long
delay In revealing the secret Iutrusted
TO mi by this dying woman"
An awed silence greeted these words.
Never was the interest of a crowd
more intense or its passions held in
greater restraint. Yet Agnes tears
flowed freely, and Amabcrs smiles
we'll, their expression had changed,
and 10 Sweetwater, who alone had eyes
for her now. they were s%urcharged
with Il tragic meaning strange 10 see
in one Of her callous nature.
FredcricL's voice broke rs he pro-
Ceeded In his self imposed task:
"The astounding fact which | have
1ust communicated 10 you was made
known to me by my mother, with the
dagger still plunged In her breast. She
would not let me draw 1t out. She
knew that death would follow that net,
aud she priced every moment remain
lug TO Ter because of the bliss she en-
joyed Of seeing and having near her
her only living child. The love, the
passion. the boundlcss devotion, she
showed In those last few minutes
transformed me in an Instant from n
selfish brute into n deeply repontant
man. | kuclt before her In anguish. !
made her feel that, wicked as ] had
been, | was not the conscicnceless
wretch she had imagined and that she
was mistaken as TO the motives which
led me into her presence. And when |
saw 10y her clearing brow and peaceful
look that | had fully persuaded her or
this | let her speak what words She
would and tell. as she was able, the So
cret tragedy Of her life.
1T Is n sacred story To me, and II
you must know il let 1t be from her
own words in the letters she left be-
hind her. She only told mc that to
save. me from the fate Of the children
who had preceded me-the five little
girls aud boys who had persisted almost
ut birth in her arms-she had parted
from me in early infancy TO Mrs. Suth-
erlaud, then mourning the sudden
death Of her only child; that this had
been done secretly and under circuni-
stances calculated to deceive Mr.. Suth-
prland, 50 that he had never known
| was not his " child. and she ca.
Joined me never to culishtcn Linn II by
any sacrifice ON my part ! could right
fully avoid H.: that she was happy In
having me hear the truth before she
died; that the joy which this gave her
was so great that she did not regret
her fatal act, violent and uncallcd for
as 1t was, for il had showed her my
heart and allowed me TO read hers.
Then she talked Of my father, by whom
l mean he whom you call Philemon,
and she made me promise | would care
for him 10 the last with tenderness,
saying that | would he able to do this
without seeming Improperly, since she
had wllled me all her fortune under
this proviso. Finally she gave me a
key and, pointing out where the rest of
her money lay hidden, babe me carry II
away rs her last gift, together with
the package OF letters ! would find
with it. And when | had taken these
and given her back the key she told
me that but for one thing she would
die happy. and. though her strength
and breath were fast failing her, she
made me understand that she was wor,
rled about the labels, who had not
come, according to a sacred custom be-
tween them, to celebrate the annlver.
sary Of her wedding, and prayed me to
see the two old gentlemen before |
slept. since nothing but death or dire
distress would have kept them from
gratifying the one within Of my fathers
failing mind. ! promised, and with
perfect peace in her face she pointed "a
the dagger in her breast.
"But before | could lay my hand upon
II she called for Batsy. 4 want her to
hear NE declare before | co. said she,
that this stroke was delivered by my.
self upon myself But when I rose tc
look for Batsy | found that the shock
OF her mistress fatal act had killed
her and that only her dead body was
lying across the window sill of the ad
bed me Of the only witness who could
testify to my innocence. In case my
presence In this house of death should
become known, and. realizing all the
danger In which it threw me, ! did not
dare to tell my mother for fear II
would make her last moments mlser-
able. So | told her that the poor won
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 rs / drew the
dagger from her breast, and, seeing
this, I was seized with horror of the
instrument which had cost me such n
Ham and unInaHIo ufo and nnnn La