Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-09

nsgts grow up happy careless, selfish girl
lu and then told Why was | allowed t,
meet you and love you; to give you my
'is whole heart in ignorance Of the doom
that set me apart from you and all my kind for
everTT77--- And yet my poor poor mother
Arthur, all my life have loved her. hav,
set her on a pedestal in my mind, imagined hel
as something pure and holy looking down on m,
from heaven r
"Ahl you cannot understand; no man could
understand how | am torn in different ways,
how awfully the suddenness Of the blow affected
mel 8
my notherl must love her, have loved
her since 1 could think Of her and breathe her
names yet IN my dreams shudder when touch
her hand. Think what happened to me, Arthur.
l went to bed one night happy, innocent girl
happier than ever before, for il was such little
time since knew that gained your love. I
think ] prayed fer my mother before went to
sleep, and iooked up as ! had SO often done.
with the fancy that she was smiling down on
me. fhe next morning was told .
My mother is q murderess, Arthur, MUIR
deress! Not one who struck blow in the heat
of sudden passion; but one who cruelty and
in. cold blood put to death another human being,
an innocent man and that man my fatheri
~ Odll HItte no HuOIS,. EoAe lives, Sle
is in prison. Poor. poor woman; for fifteen
years she has suffered living death. Before
long she may be released / am told that /
shall not be allowed to see her, that long ago
she renounced all right to me, that she herself
wishes to be dead to me; but if I live / shall 20
to her when she is freed, and together we shall
hide somewhere far away. If / livel but, OH,
Arthur, how hope sometimes that | may die. \
Can you understand now my eowardice in
not telling you before, my poor, poor boy. 1
wanted to keep your love little longer For
give me; haze told you now. / am a convict 8
daughter.e,I am the child Of a woman who cruel
ly poisoned Der husband. What man, even the
lowest, would dare. to marry me? What man
would I dare to wed? 81 s'i74F
"Goodbe, Arthur, forgive me, but do not
quite forget me-. Some day you will marry some
girl who will be proud Of yourHname and whom
you car be- pEeua Of, but give a thought now
and t|en to, poor Elsie who loved .youy and
who, suly innocently caused you unhappness.n p
When 4 raised my head from my hands, at
last after some seconds -minutes4I know not
her long, and looked about me- recognized the
spt where was seated, with q start gt
1t was here that Mr. Dunn had knelt to Elsie
pat day when I had caught sight of them from
he window. of the hut, Recalling, piece BY
piece, the incidents Of that scene, came at
llen8Ln W .tne Inhu PASSION, tne anger and de-
spair, written on the features of Esie's, guar
dian when she turned and left him standing
there alone; and the memory started chain Of
thoughts that set me shuddering. Little by
little, wave by wave, ray by ray light seemed
to break in upon the gloom that had darkened
my thoughts for weeks; but it was cold, gray
light that brought with it only fear. The big
mans s. furious, desperate face Elsie's slow, ling
ering illness, Mrs, Cathcart's strange manner,
the scene with her in the corridor, the builders
check, the warning from Joseph,s brother, and,
at last, this letter-ray by ray the light touch
ed and illuminated all these as with a cold,
bright finger, and under its dread revelation they
seemed to take a fearful meaning. AF r.
The crumpling of the paper of Elsie's letter in
my hand reused me at last. "Who is Mrs. Cath
carti" That was my thought as | read through
her ,werds again, studying each line; that was
my thought as ! walked home. And now as /
sit here waiting for the morning that must bring
me the knowledge that I wish for the question
is still running through my brain: 'Who is
Mrs. Cathcart?" 1t is under that doubt that the
last link in the chain lies hidden 4Is she really
Mrs. Cathcart? Is she Mrs. Bolton? Is she !?
But I will know, will have it from her own
Gps."a =F asod Il, r.rf.Tls
u. ell