Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-11-15


person who last pressed the fatal
spring. But perhaps you know that
too?"
"I"- he paused; words were i'm
possible to him, and in that pause his
eyes flashed helplessly in the direction
Of Miss futile.
But the major was quick on his feet
and was already between him and that
lady. This act forced from Mr.. JEFF
frey's lips the following broken SEN
tence:
II should-lik -you-to-tell-
Great gasps came with each heavily
spoken word.
Perhaps this morsel Of lace will do
1t in gentler manner than could"
responded the district attorney, open
ing his hand, in which lay the scrap
Of lace that an hour or so before had
plucked away from the boarding of
that fatal closet.
Mr.. jeffrey eyed 1t and understood.
His hands went up to his face, and he
swayed to the point Of falling. Miss
AuSSlS StlA4S AOAShlJ Ava WoA0.
"Qhr' she moaned as her eyes fell
on the little white shred. 1.-The prov
tdence of God has found us out. We
have suffered, labored and denied in
vain"
"Yes," came in dreary echo from the
man none of US had understood till
now; $50 great crime could not be
hid. God will have vengeance. What
are we that we should hope to avert
1t by any act or at any cost?'
The major, with his eyes fixed pierre
ingly on this miserable man, replied
with one pregnant sentence:
''Then you forced your wife to sui
cideT
NO." he began. But before another
word could follow Miss futile, re-
splendent In beauty and beaming with
new life, broke in with the fervid cry:
"You wrong him and you wrong her
by such suggestion. It was not her
husband, but her conscience, that
forced her to this retributive act.
What Mr.. jeffrey might have done had
she proved obdurate and blind to the
enormity of her own guilt do not
know, but that he is innocent of so in
duencing her is proved by the shock
he suffered at finding she had taken
her punishment into her own hands,"
"Mr. jeffrey will please answer the
question:" insisted the major, where
upon the latter, with great effort, but
with the first appearance Of real can
dor yet seen In him, said earnestly:
II did nothing to influence her. I
was in no condition to do SO. I was
benumbed-dead. When first she told
melt was in some words muttered in
her sleep-I thought she was laboring
under some fearful nightmare, but
when she persisted and I questioned
her and found the horror true was
like man turned instantly into stone
save for one intolerable throb within.
am still so. Everything passes by me
like dream. She was so young, seem
ingly SO innocent and light hearted. l
loved her! Gentlemen, you have
thought me guilty Of my wife's death,
this young fairylike creature to whom
ascribed all the virtues, and was
willing, willing that you should think
! 30, willing even to face the distrust and
| opprobrium Of the whole world, and SO
was her sister, the noble woman whom
you see before you, rather than that
the full horror of her crime should be
known and name so dear be given up
to execration. We thought we could
keep the secret-we felt that we must
keep the secret. We took an oath-in
French-ln the carriage, with the detec.
dves opposite us. She kept it-God
bless her! kept It, But it was all
useless tiny bit Of lace is found
hanging to a lifeless splinter, and all
our efforts, all the hopes and agony OF
weeks, are gone for naught. The world
will soon know Of her awful deed-and
r.
He still loved her. That was appar.
ent in every look, in every word he ut.
tered. We marveled In awkward 81.
lence and were glad when the major
said:
1.-THE deed, as I take 1t, was an un.
premeditated one on her part. Is that
why her honor was dearer to you thar
your own, and why you could risk the
kopptattpn IL not the life of tho woman