Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-17

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any more. Oh, my poor Rita! what
have brought upon you by my weak
ness?"
"Weakness!"
He started; 1 started; my voice
was totally unacceptable.
| 81 should give it another name"
added coldly.
For moment he seemed to lose
heart, then he lifted his head again,
and looked as handsome as when he
pleaded for my hand in the little con-
servatory."
| you have that right" said he;
| besides, weakness at such a time,
| and under such an exigency, is little
short of wrong. 1t was unmanly in
| me to endeavor to secrete these
gloves; more than unmanly for me to
choose for their hiding-place the re-
cesses of an article belonging ex-
clusively to yourself l acknowledge
| it, Rita, and shall meet only my just
punishment if you deny me in the fu-
ture both your sympathy and regard
But you must let me assure you and
these gentlemen also, one Of whom
can make 1T very unpleasant for me,
that consideration for you, much
more than any miserable anxiety
| about myself, lay at the bottom OF
what must strike you all as an act Of
objectionable cowardice. From the
! moment I learned of this woman's
murder in the alcove, where l had
visited her, l realized that every one
who had been seen to approach her
within a half-hour of her death would
be subjected to more or less rigid
investigation, and I feared, if her
| gloves were found in my possession,
some special attention might be d.
rected my way which would cause
| you unmerited distress. So, yielding
| to an impulse which now recognize
as most unwise, as well as I'M
| worthy one, l took advantage of the
hustle about us, and of the insensibil-
ity into which you had fallen, to tuck
these miserable gloves into the bag /
saw lying on the floor at your side. /
do not ask your pardon My whole
| future life shall be devoted to win
ming that; simply wish to state a
fact"
Very good" 1t was the inspector
who spoke; | could not have uttered
a word to save my life. PERHAPS
you will now feel that you owe it to
this young lady to add how you came
to have these gloves in your posses
sion?"
| Mrs. Fairbrother handed them to
me-
Handed them to your
Yes, I hardly know why myself.
| She asked me to take care of them
| for her. know that this must strike
| you as a very peculiar statement. 1t
was my realization of the unfavor-
able effect it could not fail to produce
| upon those who heard it, which made
| me dread any interrogation on the
subject. But assure you it was as I
say. She put the gloves into my
| hand while was talking to her, say
ing they incommoded her"
"And you?"
well, held them for a few min
utes, then l put them in my pocket,
| but quite automatically, and without
| thinking very much about it. She
was a woman accustomed to have her
own way. People seldom questioned
it, Judge"
Here the tension about my throat
relaxed, and opened my lips to
| speak. But the inspector, with a
glance of some authority, forestalled
me.
| Were the gloves open or rolled up
| when she offered them to your"
They were rolled up"
did you see her take them OFF,"
| "Assuredly."
"And roll them up?"
Certainly"
after which she passed them over
to you?"
mot Immediately. She let them lie
in her lap for WHILE"
While you talked?"
Mr.. Durand bowed.
"And looked at the diamond?"
Mr.. Durand bowed for the second
| time.
HAD you ever seen so fine a dia.
mond before?"
! NO"
"Yet you deal in precious stones?"
THAT is my business"
"And are regarded as a Judge of
them?"
| Il have that reputation"
"Mr. Durand. would you know this
diamond If you saw it?"
| II certainly should"
| Inc settlng was an uncommon
one, hear"
quite an unusual one"
The inspector opened his hand.
'Is this the article?"
Good God! Where"
Don't you know?"
| IT do not
The inspector eyed him gravely.
"Then l have bit o fnews for YOU.
1t was hidden in the gloves you took
from Mrs. Fairbrother. Miss Van
Arsdale was present at their I'M
rolling"
De we live, move, breathe at Ger.
| tain moments? 1t hardly seems so.
I know that l was conscious of but
one sense, that Of seeing; and of but
one faculty, that of judgment. Would
he finch, break down, betray guilt, or
simply show establishment? l chose
to believe 1t was the latter feeling
only which informed his slowly
whitening and disturbed features.
| Certainly it was all his words ex-
| pressed, as his glances flew from the
stone to the gloves, and back again
to the inspectors face.