The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-03-24
CHAPTER XXXIu.

!
Olive Dumbarton spent wakeful,
restless and troubled night, vivid and
soaring thoughts she was powerless to
Danish, picturing the past with its
troubles, dwelling on the present with
its seemingly impenet.able mystery,
showing the future with its dread pos
sibil'ties. But when at last sleep
came it was profound, nor did she
wake until late in the morning. The
fog which had hung mournfully over
the city the previous evening had not
yet quite lifted, and at first thought
the dull gray atmosphere was the light
of early dawn. a glance at her watch
showed her it was past 10 o'clock, and
she touched her bell.
AS if awaiting the signal. Veronica
Immediately entered, hastily yet noise
lessly crossed the room, and t1inging
one arm around her mothers Shout
ders, kissed her.
"Oh. mother, mother" the girl MUIR
INJURED, with a sob in her throat.
The terror dominant in Veronica s
voice struck its hearer, in whose mind
I Immediately arose a 70: shadowing of
pain, foreboding Of horror.
What is it. child?" she asked
scarcely able to frame her sentence.
Something has happened"
"Ah, | know; he is dead" Olive
! Dumbarton replied in a tone of de-
spair.
Not Mr.. Bostock." said Veronica
4 quickly.
! No Who them" her mother asked
4 hurriedly, a load lifted from her heart
I her eyes fixed questoningly upon hel
/ daughters.
/ "Valerius."
"Nalerlus?" repeated Olive Dunbar
ton incredulously, the truth not yet
= reaching her mind.
He was found dead this morning or
a couch in his study. His man came
here to tell us, but would not disturb
! you. 1t is terrible, terrible, mother
dear"
A low moan was the only reply Olive
Dumbarton gave. But no sooner haC
she realized the sudden death of one
whom she had seen in health anc
strength a few days previously thar
her active mind began to form sur.
misses, her vivid imagination to shape
fears. After long pause she said:
This is pitiful Poor Valerius Tel
me ALL Veronica
1T is thought-lt is feared-bu
nothing is yet known. letter lay
on his desk directed to George Coris
and on the table a bottle which hat
contained chloroform."
chill struck Olive Dumbarton t.
the heart, then, even while her gre
was keen, her anxiety began to talk
definite form, her suspicious t,
strengthen, though her loyalty to tn
dead strove to reject the terrible sur
mise which seized upon her, sinking
her heart, bewildering her brain, an(
filling her with agony.
Presently she asked in a voice tina
was almost a whisper:
Is there no letter for me?"
II don't know, mother. l have beel
90
Left alone in the semi darkene'
room, her grief and pity for Valerius
together with the fear which lay be
hind them, overcame her, and she be
gan to sob and cry Historically. See
ing this. Veronica on her return. coul
not keep back her tears. and they bot
wept bitterly for some time. Whe
eventually the girl was able to contrc
herself and had partially succeeded i
soothing her mother. she produced a
envelope directed by Valerius an
sealed with red wax bearing his mono
gram And the curtains having bee
drawn and the blinds raised, DIV
Dumbarton with trembling hand
opened the letter and read there tn
confession she had dreaded and antici
pated.
Often she paused. for her eyes be
came blinded by tears. While Their
was horror in her mind for the terribl
!
resentment in her heart for the sham
he had made her suffer, no bitterness
because of the cOWardice that woul
have seen the blame of his deeds born
by others, no censure for the hypocris
he had practiced. For she remembers
him only as he had been before tn
shadow Of crime had fallen upon hin
blghted his better nature and RUNE
his manineSs; remembered his kind
ness to and thought for her; his hand
some presence; the charm Of his gra
cious manner and cultured mind; hi
buoyancy and the soothing, cheern
influence he had exercised over other
And the pity Of his death and tn
necessity he had felt for effacing him
self appealed to her, wrlnging her heal
and filling 1t with more tenderness fc
him now he was dead than she ha
ever felt toward him while he was liv
ing. In part, she realized the miser
he must have felt before bracing him
self to quit the world whose joys h
fully appreciated. Never to see h
face again, never to hear his voice, eve
to remember him with a sacred feelin
that must surmount her sorrow. was
thought that made her feel sick {
heart.
If only he had never met her hus
band that fatal night, or, meeting hin
had not taken his life: If only the pa:
could be undone, If only he had battle
against and overcome the fate whic
had brought shame and death in Il
train. There was no need for him
ask her forgiveness, for she gave
without reserve. and with it all hi
pity. So for long she cried bitter tear
her heart torn by grief.
: And her mind having been stunne
: py fright and pain, it was not unit
she had thought for some time ov,
Valerius that the result of his comics
i, sion dawned upon her. Not only wou
she now be freed from the imputa tic
of terrible crime, but the man WI
Nor her sake had falsely accused hin
self would likewise be exempt fro
blame. The darkness would be LITE
from her life and his; the mystel
would be made plain. And even
such time thrill Of satisfactic
Z passed through her as she remembers
her refusal to believe in George Bo
tock's guilt, and her declaration TIL
merely to free himself because he b.
lieved it otherwise impossible to e.
tablish her innocence.
Therefore her relief and gratitut
We're great that sorrow and shan
=