The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-12
A THRILLING DETECTIVE
XIII.
In My Office.

III MY once.
1t was with strange reluctance I opened
the paper next morning. Though I had
no reason for experimenting that my adj
venture OF the day before had been
shared by any one likely to give informa-
ton in regard to 1t, the consciousness of
holding an important secret is so akin
to the consciousness of guilt, l could not
help dreading some reference to the same
In the sheet l now unfolded. | wished to
be the first to tell Miss Meredith of the
new direction in which suspicion was
pointing, and experienced great relief
when, upon consulting the columns usu-
ally devoted to the all-engrossing topic
of the Gillespie poisoning case, l came
upon direct intimation of the necessity,
now universally felt, of holding Alfred
accountable for his fathers death, as the
only, one Of the three who had shown him
self unable to explain away the, circum-
statial evidence raised against him.
This expression of opinion on the part
of the press had been anticipated too long
by Miss Meredith for 1t to prove a shock
to her. | therefore did not commit my
self to an early interview, but went at
once to my office, where important busi-
ness awaited me.
| was in the midst OF law paper when
! was warned by certain nervous per-
turbation fast becoming too common with
me, tudL Solle Que uau Deeu admitted 10
my inner office and now stood before me.
Looking up l saw her.
She wore thick black veil, and was
clad in a long cloak which completely
euyeloped her. But there was no mis-
taking the outlines of the figure which
had dWelt in my mind and heart ever
since the fateful night of our first meet
ing, or the half frightened, half eager
attitude with which she awaited my in
feet in,, k-,+
ence, which was totally unexpected In
that place, l rose, and, with all the ap-
parent Calmness the situation demanded,
l welcomed her in and shut the door be-
hind her.
When l turned back it was to meet her
face to face. She had taken off her veil
and loOSened her cloak at the neck, and
as the latter fell apart 1 saw that the
left hand clutched a newspaper. | no
longer doubted the purpose Of her visit.
She had seen the article l have just
quoted, and was more moved by it than
] had expected.
You must pardon this Intrusion" she
began, ignoring the chair l had set for
her. Il have seen--learned something
which grieyes-alarms me. You are my
lawyer; more than that, my frend-I
have no other--so | have come" Here
she sank into a chair, first dropping her
head, then looking up piteousy.
I tried to give her the support she
asked for. Concealing the effect Of her
emotion upon me, l told her that she
could find no truer friend or one who
comprehended her more intuitively; then
with a gesture towards the paper / re-
marked:
You are frightened at the impatience
OF the public. You need not be, Miss
Meredith; there are always certain hot
headed people who advocate rash meth
dds and demand any bone to gnaw rather
than not gnaw at all. The police are
more circumspect: they are not going to
arrest any one Of your cousins without
evidence strong enough to warrant such
extreme measures. Do not worry about
Alfred Gillespie; tomorrow 1t will not be
his name, but
With leap she was on her feet.
"Whose?" she cried, meeting my as
tonished gaze with such an agony OF ap-
peal in her great tear-dry eyes that
drew back appalled,.
1t WAS not Alfred then, she loved. Was
Il the handsome George, after all, or
could it be-no, it could not be-that all
tins youth, all this beauty, nay, this en-
bodiment Of truest passion and self-for-
getting devotion, had fixed itself upon
the unhappy man whom / had just de-
cided to be unworthy Of any woman''s re-
gard.
Aghast at the prospect, plunged or
wildly, desperately, but with certain
restraint merciful to her, IL no relief tc
me-
George, too seems innocent. Leighton
only" Yes, it was he. I saw it the
name passed my lips, saw 1t even before
she gave utterance to the low cry will
which she fell at my feet in an attitude
OF entreaty.
''Oh!" she murmured, don't say it!
cannot bear it yet. No schooling has made
me ready 1t Is unheard of-impossible
He Is so good so kind so full Of lofty
thoughts and generous impulses. I would
sooner suspect myself, and yet-oh, MI
Cultivate, pity me! Every support Is
gone; everything in which I trusted or
held to. II he Is the base, the despicable
wretch they say, where shall l seek fol
goodness, trrstworthiness and truth?"
| had no heart to answer. So 1t was
upon the plainest, least accomplished, and
to all appearance, least responsive as vel
as least responsible, of Mr.. Gillispie's
three sons she had fixed her affections
and lavished the warm emotions of hel
passionate young life. Why had I mo-
guessed it? Why had I let Georges
handsome figure and Alfred's lazy graceE
blind me to the fact that woman chooses
through her imagination; and that If GU
OF half-dozen suitors she encounter!
one she does not thoroughly understand
he Is sure to be the one to strike her I'm
tutored fancy Alas! for her when, as II
this case, this lack Of mutual understand
ing Is founded on the impossibility of {
pure mind comprehending the hidden lif
of one who puts no restriction upon thu
worst side of his nature.
These thoughts were instantaneous
but they made dividing line in my life
Henceforth this woman, in all her allur
ing beauty, was in way sacred to me
like child we find astray. Raising he
from the appealing posture into which sh
had sunk, assured her with as much gen
tleness as my own inner rebellion woul
allow:
You have mot trusted in yourself, O
you would let no newspaper report driv
you here for solace.''
She cringed; the blow had told. Blu
she struggled on, with a feverish desir
to convince herself if not me, Of tn
worth of him she loved so passionately.
II know-it was my weakness-or hi
misfortune. He had given me cause
no real cause-his eccentricit ies-m
uncle's impatience with them-my ow
diffiulty in understanding them littl
things, Mr.. Outhwaite nothing deep, moth
ing convincing-I cannot eNplain-shad
ows-memories so slight they vanis
while | seek them-I would have give
worlds not to have been shaken In m
faith not to have included him for
minute in the accusation of that phrase
'One of my sons but I am over-con
Ecientlous. and because the one trusted
lived by, had not been eXonerated by hi
fat her, I did not dare to separate hir
from the rest, in the doubts his father
accusation had raiseds 1t would have bee
unjust to them, to the two who cared mos
for me--the two" Here her yoic
trailed off into silence, only to rise 1