The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-07-23
"Sweetheart, he said, "whr.
Why did you not


ronica burn will. You cannot JhlnE
how it has distressed me. lie kissed
the white. cold face. which looked rs
though itEer warmth nor color couid
ever brighten it again: his heart WIS
ful! OF keen. iu1olrrablc pain "Ihere
is some mystery. Veronica. he went
on: Il can SEE that. Tell me what it
is.
Il cannot" she said.
And the two simple words were more
terrible to him than any others.
".lt least, my darling" he pleaded.
tell me that it is not true. cannot
endure that you should remain silent
under such d charge: it is unwomanly
almost-deny it. | ask no explanation
of the mystery: my sweetheart shall be
as free and untettered as the wind that
blows. But l do ask this-deny those
! horrible words.
Then she looked at him with the
pallor of death on her face. She tried
to speak lightly, but her lips trembled.
She tried to smile. but tbe smile died
away.
What if l could not deny it, Marc?"
His face famed hotly.
Great Heaven. Veronica, he cried,
do not Jest over such subject as this
do not Jest about crime. l could
not have thought YOU capable Oh such
light words"
Il am not jesting," she answered,
family: Il never thought of doing So.
She saw his face grow stern and his
eyes take cold. hard expression.
"NerOnica." he said. answer me
one question-it is your own fault that
have to ask it's that woman 5
charge true. She says that she holds
proofs-is it true? Tell me-did you
burn Il will or did you not? Answer
me-
She knew that it would be useless to
resist her fate even if she could lie
Morton would produce the charred
fragments as evidence. She-Neroni-
ca-wOuld not attempt to screen her
self. He must think what he would.
Did YOU destroy will. Neronlca:'
he repeated. Answer mel shall so
mad with suspense
She raised her white face to his. and
spoke slowly
1T is quite true" she said-'l did
burn Sir Jasper Brandon'S last will
and testament: yet. liSten-l would
deny it if | dared, bus if that woman
holds those fatal proofs it is useless.
He drew back from her as though
she had stabbed him.
You do not mean it. | am sure. ne
said-'you cannot mean tit would
be too horrible. You are saying it to
try my loye-only for that-to try my
Jaith, my darling: you could not have
done it, :,
WAS it so great crime?" she asked
simply. .,
a crime?:" he repeated. 1.-THE per-
son who could even ask such question
must be dead to all sense Of honor and
shame. 4 crime? | should place II
next to murder"
Il did not know it, she said softly:
Il never thought Of that He looked
at her in horror.
"Then you did it-you really and
truly did it. Veronica" he said.
Yes, l did it, Marc" she replied
sadly.
"What was the reason? Why did
YOU do it? What was your motive?
Tell me that l may understands
Il cannot do that" she replied sad
| ". Il can tell you no more than this,
that l Of my own accord burned that
will
"Great Heaven" he cried, sit is in
credible, Did any one else know"
Il cannot tell you," she replied.
'WaS any one else PRESENT.
No" she answered.
WAS the will you destroyed one
against your own interests? Did it
take money from you, or WHAT"
She raised her dark eyes in solemn
wonder at the question.
You must think what you will OF
my motives, ''she replied-I cannot ex-
plain them to you
1T is incredible.' he cried. i
could believe you and myself both mad
before | could believe this. 1t is some
foul trick, some horrible farce?"
No" she replied" lit is the sim
pie. terrible truth. l destroyed the
will, but l did not know it was such a
crime as you say"
And if YOU had known?" he cried.
y should have destroyed it just the
same
"You swear it is true?" he said.
Il swear it." she replied.
They stood looking at each other,
while the sunbeams fell between them
and the birds sung on the roses out
side the window.
Veronica was the first to break the
terrible silence.
Marc" she said, you will not be-
tray me?"
No" he replied slowly, Il will not
betray YOU, lest the iron hand OF the
law should grasp you. Great Heaven,
how could you have done such deed"
She looked at him with shudder.
Gould l really be put into prison
for it," she said.
Yes. if those whom you have de-
frauded chose to prosecute YOU and
then he wondered, for soft, sweet
light came over the white stiffness of
her face.
Il see," she said slowly--I under
stand
"Veronica," he cried, chow callous
YOU are. You seem to have 10 shame
for the deed that you have DONE
She was asking herself what she
should do-how she should make him
understand: and then, with "a great,
sharp, bitter pang, the thought came
to her that she could never make him
understand-that she could never
break her oath, the oath taken with
her hands on her dead fathers heart.
He was looking at her with wiStful
eyes.
YOU Veronica" be said, whom
l thon~ht of all women the most per
feet, Ill you tell ne why you did
this? viii you give me some explana-
ton of the mystery-any key by which
l may solve it? Will you say one word
that will lessen my misery?n ,
Il cannot" she replied. i am bound
in chains Of iron-I cannot. l tell YOU
this one bare fact-I burned the will.
You must trust me all in all, or not at
ALL"
Trust you? Great Heaven, trust
woman who could burn the will OF
dead man. Stay-tell me one thing.
| hid no wish Won 70 DESTROY it1 Did he