The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-22

eyes. Brought face to face with you, /
seemed to shrink from, rather than seek for,
the settling OF this dreadful question. Per-
haps because l regard you with equal at
fection. Perhaus because your mothers pic
ture was visible over your heads, and 1t
seemed like sacrlege to her memory TO con-
slider such a question under her loving ana
trusting eyes. At all events you left With
my mind still in doubt, to confront Hope
again, and with her the wretched future
which the nights experience had unfOldsd
before both. ! found her filled with 3
confidence l could not easily share. She be-
lieved in the integrity of the man she held
dearest, but she would not tell me which
OF you she thus loved And could only
guess. But even this belief weakened a little
as we talked together, and / soon saw by
the arguments she used that peace and GER
tainty would Fever be hers again as long as
doubt remained to which of her cousins
had conceived and perpetrated this criminal
act. AS for me, 1.-The future holds no conf
fort. l shall give each of you thousand
dollars tonight in celebration of my ami
Versary Of marriage, and perhaps this will
awaken the conscience OF the one who loves
my money better than my life. Then, though
shall not change my will, 1 shall publish
abroad that l have had losses which only O.
fortunate speculation can make good, and
see II by these means the cuDi6ity which
came near costing me my life may net serve
to insure a sufficiently prolonged exist
ence for me to separate in my own mind the
one black sheep from the white. But if
these measures fail, if I am doomed to fall
victim to the unknown hand which l must
henceforth see lifted over my life, if Hopes
Watchfulness and my own vigilance cannot
prevent the repetition of act which, II once
determined upon, cannot fail of fulfilment in
house like this, then this letter read by
you all in concert must prove the punish
you will read these lines except under these
circumstances of death and crime, l hereby
charge that guilty one to speak, and as he
hopes to escape my curse and the wrath of
an outraged deity, to avow his crime in her
presence and in that of the two brothers he
will thus eXOnerate. -...s..
Having done this, he may take or leave his
portion of the estate. 1 shall be satisfied, and
the God whose commandments he has doubly
dehed may forget to ayenge crime forgiven
by it's object. &c. ....- ......-.-.. p.
To my two sons whose ilial instincts have
never been thus disturbed, l leave my bless
ing. May all happiness be theirs, whether
this does does not include the love of
the dear girl whose future l have thus en-
deavOred to clear.
Archibald GilesDie,
I have inserted this letter here that you
may understand the situation which en-
sued upon its perusal by the three
brothers. ri ....
We, who had not read it, were simply
startled to note the way in which these
three young men drew back as from a
common center, the last words fell
from LeightOn's Well-nigh paralyZed lips.
Then Alfred, in rush Of ferocious pas
sion, bounded forward again, and str1ding
up to George, shouted out in an awful
voice, "You are the mani and struck
him without mercy to the floor.