The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-24


a young English woman. with her young son.
took lodgings in a little village in Brittany In
order 70 be near her husband. who was tn
az which his wife believes him not guilty.
ancient runc ring which tradition said had been
murdered man. and this ring the mother one day
showed &c her Then she told him the story
81 Ms father and made him promise Wneh hs
~ $500. eis fathers name The sans hisnt ,S
tuhic Tlng was stolen by mashed tobDeI' anu
shortly after the convict. Eric MarsiHe, having
5000 from prison was recaptuTsd IN ms VIE liz
room. and in the fight accidentally shot ana
killed her On being taken back 70 prison ne was
rescued and carried OF By friends ms Is ne
prologue 70 the main story. which begins with
the return of Marville To the house OF his father
he RE Ear OF Vrmsby who nad not khoM h " vs.
sumed the title. married and had son To his
nrst wife's son he gave no heed for some Gnex-
Rlained reason. but later heard that he was dead.
second son returned from his ,rayes h after
mysterious casket. which wakeful guest IN the
nouse watched him convey secretly TO the family
young and wealthy cousin Beatrice. and he
tuclantly consented. IL was this COUSINS nam
the vault. At this 3uncture Idris Marville. the
esris son. supposed TO be dead. came TO visit
ever. the name of Breakspear. the name BY
which his mother had been known in Brittany
relationship TO the earl Idrls had come. how
fsh.r 70 Io b up liant &c, eleM a me
xnnic ring. copy Of IL having been among ms
tonb ad Pcntea 70 led bi 10 believe
that this ancient tomb near ormsby. In
company with Godfrey he made a night visit 10
q mound in the neighborhood. dug into II and
found tomb containing a crumbling skeleton
He brought away the skull and piece of-tapes-
try. but found nothing more. beautiful woman
Loretta REVERE. whom he rescued from GROWN
concerning him. but she refused to give him an
tnkling OF IT, He was greatly attracted 10 her
terms '- with Lord walden. son Of the Earl Of
Ormsby. who really his brother though
neither knew IL. IL was accidentally discovered
that the skull taken from the tomb had been
pierced by a steel instrument, thus showing
ancient viking who came TO his death. accord
ing to tradition. in another way bit OF steel
that drops from the skull proves TO be part Of a
nairpIn. Idris discovered that the facsimile OF
mother was emblazoned on the altar window OF
the church and that 1t was an armorial device Of
the eari's family.
tCHAPTER xI-continued from Yesterday
We'll. then, you must admit" said he,
that this opinion clashes with the story
that Arm died with a cloth-yard shaft
sticking In him."
The two ideas are not irreconcilable. -
argued Idris. MY belief is that we have
here" holding up the piece of steel, IA
silent testimony TO a domestic tragedy of
thousand years ago. Old Orm the Viking
was carried from the battlefield wounded
by an arrow. His wife Hilda was perhaps
enamored OF some warrior: and SO, while
affecting to nurse her husband, she may
nave FASTENED his end by secretly driving
her strong hairpin into his head. a feat
she could perform with comparative
safety TO herself. there being no coro-
ner's Inquest in those days. His death
would be attributed to the arrow wound,
and therefore is so represented on the
tapestry"
''If your inference be right" said Beatrice,
't- is a strange verihcation of the old say
Ing. Murder will out Fancy the crime
coming to light after the lapse OF a thou
you. Mr. Breakspear,' she added, with a
mock pout. 80 attempt to prove that my
ancestress Hilda was murderess. You
will be saying next that taste for assassi-
nation Is one of our family traits, and that
the homicidal microbe runs in my blood"
The lapse OF ten centuries will have
effectually eliminated it,
''Mercii' she returned, dropping him a
mock curtsey. "Yes: II is consoling to re-
fleet that this little piece of family scandal
Is removed from US by the space OF full
millennium
But Idris is altogether wrong in his
theory" remarked Godfrey decisively.
This piece of steel is not ancient at ALL
'Ay, ay, destroyer of my romance re-
turned Idris. Can you give me satisfac-
tory proof that it is not aneient?"
Il think so: II you will let me do what
i like with it,
Idris shook his head.
II value this fragment" he explained,
believing in antiquity. You would not
willingly destroy the bullet that killed Mel
son. nor will l consent to destroy the
weapon that slew my Viking"
But If L could clearly demonstrate to
you that 1t Is modern piece of steel-what
them"
I'm that case ii would lose its chief value
IN my eyes, and would prove, among other
things, that the skull is not Orms: for If
this steel be modern, so likewise must be
the skull But how you going TO prove
Its modernity? Are not iron and steel alike
fl all ages? Is the steel that was wrought
on the anvil of the Morse armorer different
from the steel forged to-day in the foun-
dries OF Sheffield?'
"Yes, in some respects I want to con-
Duct chemical experiment with this relic.
experiment which will necessitate its
destruction. Still. If / succeed in demon
stra ting it's modernity you will not object 20
Far from it. But are you likely to
demonstrate it?'
well, OF course, / am open to failure
Ny opinion rests upon a certain assump-
tion- which assumption. If correct will
conclusively show that this steel was forged
within modern times. Nous verrons"