Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-09-07
[coNTINuEDl

agree with You that complete frank
is he best policy in this desperate stu
alton to which James folly and ieal-
ouSy have reduced Us. When l was a
very young man, Mr.. Holmes. I loved
with such Il love as comes only once in
a lifetime. l offered the lady marriage.
but she refused it on the grounds that
such q match might mar my career.
Had she lived l would certainly never
have married any one else. She died
and left this n child, whom for her
sake | have cherished and cared for. I
could not acknowledge the paternity to
the world. but l gave him the best of
educationS. and since he came to man
hood l have kept him near my person.
He SurmiSed my secret and has pre-
sumed ever since upon the claim which
he has upon me and upon his power Of
provoking q scandal which would be
abhorrent to me. His presence had
something to do with the unhappy is
sue OF my marriage. Above all. he
hated my young legitimate heir from
thesfrst with a persistent hatred.
You may we'll ask me why. under
these circumstances, I still kept James
under my roof. answer that il was
because | could see his mothers face
in his and that for her dear sake there
was no end to my long suffering. All
her pretty ways. too-there was not
one of them which be could not sug-
gest and bring back to my memory. l
could not send him away. But | feared
so much lest be should do Arthur
that is, Lord Saltire-a mischief that
l dispatched him for safety to Or.
Hnxtab}e's school.
James came into contact with this
fellow Hayes because the man was a
tenant Of mine and James acted as
agent. The fellow was a rascal from
the beginning, but in some extraordi-
nary way james became intimate with
him. BE had always a taste for low
company. When James determined
to kidnap Lord Satire it was of this
mans service that he availed himself.
You remember that | wrote to Arthur
upon that last day. Well, James open
ed the letter and inserted a note ask
Ing Arthur to meet him in a little wood
called the Ragged Shaw, which is near
to the school. He used the duchess
name and in that way got the boy to
come. That evening James bicycled
over-1 am telling you what he has
himself confessed to me-and he told
Arthur, whom he met in the wood,
that his mother longed to see him,
that she was awaiting him on the moor
and that if he would come back into
the wood at midnight he would find a
man with a horse, who would take him
to her. Poor Arthur fell into the trap.
He came to the appointment and found
this fellow Hayes with a led pony. Ar
thur mounted, and they set off togeth-
er. 1t appears-though this james
only heard yesterday-that they We're
pursued, that Hayes struck the pur-
Suer with his stick and that the mar
died of his injuries. Hayes brought
Arthur to his public house, the Fight
Ing Cock, where he was confined in an
upper room, under the care of Mrs.
Hayes, who is a kindly woman, but
entirely under the control of her brutal
husband.
well Mr.. Holmes, that was the
state Of affairs when l first saw you
two days ago. l had no more idea Of
the truth than YOU. You will ask NE
what was James motive in doing such
a deed. I answer that there wa a
great deal which was unrcasOning ana
fanatical in the hatred which he bore
my heir. In his view he should him
self have been heir Of all my estates.
and he deeply resented these social
laws which made it impossible. At the
same time he had a definite motive al
so. He was eager that l should break
the entail, and he was Of opinion that
it lay in my power to do SO. He intend
ed to make Il bargain with me-to re-
store Arthur if | would break the en-:
tail n SO make it possible for the es-
tate to be LEFT to him by will. He knew
well that l should never willingly in
woke the aid Of the police against him.
1.say that he would have proposed such
a bargain to me, but did not actually
do SO, for events moved too quickly for
him, and he had not time to put his
plans into practice.
"What brought all his wicked scheme
to wreck was your discovery of this
man H~eidcgger's dead body. James
was seized with horror ut the news. 1t
came to us yesterday as we sat to-
gether III this study. Dr.. Huxtable had
sent a telegram. James was so over
whelmed with grief and agitation that
my suspicious, which had never been
entirely absent, rose instantly to a GER
tainty, and I taxed him with the deed.
He made q complete voluntary confess
sion. Then he implored me to keep his
secret for three days longer so as to
give, his wretched accomplish a chance
of saving his guilty life. / y%ielded-as
I.have always yicldcd-to his prayers,
and Instantly James hurried off to the
Fighting Cock to warn Hayes and give
him the means Of flight. | could not &c
there by daylight without provoking
comment, but AZ soon as night fell
hurried off to see my dear Arthur.
fnund him safe and well but horriNad