The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-02-24
Copyright 1901 by
T. Fitzgerald Ma!loy

CenCe would be to snow where ana
how he, Bostock. was occupied when
David Dumbarton lost his life"
THAT might be Il difficult task in !
great capital like London, where Il
man might walk for hours unknown
and unnoticed or might visit Il the
nter, concert room, or music hail.
where he would be surrounded by
strangers whom he could not after
ward call up to identify him and bear
witness where he had been"
But Supposing,' said Mackworth
With II knowing smile, that | could
bring Il witness to prove that he was in
HiNton road on the night and near the
hour when Dumbarton was killed,
! what would you say them?
Headwick rose from his chair, pale
and startled by what he had heard,
Gould you produce such a witness?'
he asked breathlessly.
That | could" answered the in
spector determinedy. What do you
| think now, SIR"
Il don't know-your statement be-
| Widers me-
We'll | tell you what you think,
remarked Macllv nth. rising also as if
! to end this visit which was wasting his
! time.
What" Headwick asked
That one fact is worth Il dozen the
cries
Good night" said the young man
shortly, as disappointed by his inter
view and yet dazed by what he had
heard, he turned to depart.
Mackworth politely saw him to the
door which had scarcely closed upon
the visitor when the quiet house was
disturbed by the noise of Il violent ring
followed by Il rap. The inspector being
yet in the hall. hastily opened the
door once more, and received the tele-
! gram which was PROMPTLY thrust into
his hand by a boy who had grown too
big for the uniform he wore. Tear
ing open the envelope, Mackworth read
the words:
'Irrom Olive Dumbarton, Hixton
road. Come and see me this evening.
Now what may this mean?" Mack
worth asked himself as he read the
lines
But being unable offer any explain
alton t. this query. he resolved to obey
the summons at once. Therefore. get
ting into his comfortable oNercoat ana
wrapping a muller around his throat,
he sailed out into the night, and was
soon driving in the direction of liix-
ton road.
While his mind was still absorbed
in speculation he dived his right hand
into one OF the pockets of his coat
and seZing the gloves 1t contained,
proceeded to put them on. His at
tempt was. however. unsuccessful, for
they seemed to have grown suddenly
too small for him, astoniShed at which.
he held them to the light and saw they
were not his own Immediately he rec
ogniZed the fact that he had taken by
mistake the gloves Valerius Gnlbraith
had laid upon the table during their
conversation, on which the Inspector
resolved to return them the next day
and claim his own instead.
On rcgain!rg the consciousness
which her Cousins words had caused
her to lose Olive Dumbarton's distress
was pitiful to witness. Till then she
thought that, come what might, nc
other blow than that from which she
had already suffered could further
wound her: that her senses being
: stunned, no greater depth of pair
could assai her. But now she saw The
fallacy of such q suppOSition. for
double grief had come upon her uneX-
pectedly. prostrating her. leaving hrl
! more friendless and alone than he
: fore.
That George Bostock. the man she
had learned to love so gradually thai
+ 1t was not until his danger was maa,
known her affection became apparent
to herself, should be sratched from life
was u terrible thought: that he SHOULD
! be taken from her at n time when Sh,
. needed most his counsel. his supporting
friendship, was heart sorrow hard t.
! bear where already so much had beer
sake, as she firmly believed. own him
self guilty, where he was innocent, in
creased her tenderness and heightnet
her love. For now she saw how deel
| must be the affection. how noble tn
nature, how unselfsh the heart of tn
r man who would take upon himself tn
: blame of a crime he had never com
: mitted that he might free her from
the penalty that threa' "ned her.
t And as If this was not enough to en-
o dure she had also to suffer the bite
: thought of her mistaken trust in Va
8 lerius,-the cousin she had known from
childhood almost her sole relation, tn
e man from whom she expected help an
: support in this, the bitter~st hour o
e trial. Stung by jealousy. he had spok
i en- the cruellest words speech coul
# frame He had inflicted u woun
6 which would not readily heal; he ha
n made it impossible he should eve
n again be the friends and counsellor
/, had been before.
If All old ties are hard to break. an
If when broken violently, wantonly, unex
re pectedly, by t,A,se in whom our strong
It est faith W. placed, on whom. W
r leaned; in whom we trusted most. tn
J. severance brings double pain and Wit
r it doubts of all fidelity, sense be
le sides. a feeling Of prostration relieve
= by no desire TO rise ana race the WOrl
h once more.
ID Very desoate did Olive Dumbarto
feel sorrow stricken woman VIII
saw no light around her, no hope be
fore, but darkness everywhere and tn
=, death Of him she valued most drawin
=, | near. And that this state of Isolation
!, WEAKNESS and pain should befall or
a whose thoughts and fancies. skill an
IN humur, as made plain in her book
W had charmed, interested and delighte
thousands of readers, seemed the bi
ter irony Of fate The relief, dstrat
ton and forgetfulness she afforded
, others, she was incapable of feelir
81 herself; for her there seemed nothr
10 but misery look where she would.
u One thing alone served after awhi
to rouse her thoughts and stir h
energies The man who loved h
must not be allowed to lie under Il
e imputation of crime. to which 81
e felt sure he had falsely confessed.
he must learn while there was yet tin
of that she would not acce
re this sacrifice OF him, or
of the past for him, then his memo
, must be cleared, his innocence Wind
Gated before the world, and less dell
there was made in the undertaken
such a mission the more readily mig
it be effected.
Mackworth was the man who be
could help her in this task, which S
foresaw would be difficult to accor
e plish; for if the effort to prove her o,
IN biamelessness had hitherto been unsu
'u- ceSsful, how much more impossible
Ter one who had confessed his gilt