The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-09-14

on her conscience till she got it of
in this way. Yoy'd better just call
her up and see what she has to say
about it."
1t was the housekeeper who came,
looked at the letter, and fell into a
tremble of awe.
Its witchcraft, SO It Is. 'That's
my hand, but never touched pen to
paper to write them words; 1 couldn't
| abear to do it, me as nussed her when
she war baby. But it's the truth,
Mr.. McDermott, sir; yes, it is. l did
see Miss Honoria go into Mr.. st. Al
bans room late that night, and I did
think it queer; but l didn't feel called
| on to tell at the inkwest when |
warn't asked"
Mr.. Kranz was not long in sitting out
corroborative evidence, and McDer.
mott neither lifted his hand to aid
| hopelessness of the last. He did ask
his brother detective for a nights de.
lay before effecting the arrest. Kran2
hesitated, but finally said:
"Well, Mac, all right; but just see
that you don't give me any game. :"
He had fathomed already the secret
of McDermott's inaction.
The latter went tc look for Miss
Dillon. She was somewhere in the
grounds with Felix st. Alban, her maid
told him. Excited voices from re-
mote spot reached him, and he turned
that way.
"Only promise and won't let them
take you, Honoria," in the mans rails
ed, rapid tones.
Don't you know that you would
swing, swing as high as Hannah?
swore I'd lose you that way rather
| than have another man win you from
| me, but it would be easier to die by
the dagger, after all. Why do you
shrink away from me, love? It did
not hurt Uncle Leonard much, only a
moan, and his dying eyes looking up
at me. 1t won't be hard to try the
unknown life if we go together? See,
I'll show you how it is done!"
| A wild shrek of terror from Homo
ria, and McDermott tore his way
through the bushes to find her upon
her knees beside st. Alban, who had
driven the fatal blade deep in his own
breast with his own hand.
''He is mad, mad!" she cried, Sob
bingly "He was insane once before"
| 1t was that carefully-guarded secret,
impaired by the elder ST. Alban, which
had caused her to break her engage
ment with Felix. Only McDermot had
thought enough in that hour to grasp
the clue which had fallen from the
dying mans lips, for dying he was,
| though the end did not come until two
days of lingering agony passed, and
meantime, in a lucid interval he made
confession which lifted the threat
ening cloud from Honora's life.
| Bitter feeling had existed between
his uncle and himself, and when he
had sought an interview to demand
the withdrawal of the formers oppo-
| sition to his suit, it had been denied.
| He had concealed himself in the house
and was making his way to Leonard's
chamber, when the housekeeper look
ed out of her room, and, fancying she
heard voice in the corridor, brought
a lamp to the door, Felix avoided
her by darting into the nearest apart
ment, Miss Dillon's dressing-room as
| it CHANGED, where the long white robe
she had taken off hung over chair.
Finding that the housekeeper had left
her door ajar,, he wrapped this about
him and proceeded deliberately on his
way, trusting and with reason to the
dim light and the old woman's i'm
perfect vision, to pass undetected.
There had been no generalization of
the deed which followed, but hot
words had passed between them, and
the dagger lay close to his hand. Al
terward, when he found that the OBJ
stacle of his uncle's opposition was
not at all which interposed between
himself and Honoria, when he saw her
preference slowly growing for anoth-
err, who can say whether it were the
cunning of insanity or the mere ma
! lice of ignoble revenge which prompt
ed him? 1t had recoiled on himself,
and the dagger had once more and for
the last time done it's fatal work
"The Force" say they lost prom
Using member when McDermott mar
ried, but even though brighter pros
pect had not opened before him, Ho-
noria's husband felt that he could
never again take the responsibility
of weaving a chain of circumstantial
evidence around any being whose life
might pay the forfeit.-Gcod Litera-
ture.