The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-17
Pace Seven.

/ though II mere fiddler. has presumed
10 take a leading part in this inter
view. came upon me With the bills in
my hand. | was but burying deeper the
/ i'll gotten gains had come upon
.Ah. and SO making them your own"
duoth Sweetwater. stung by the sar-
casm in that word fiddler.
But with a suavity against which
every attack fell poweriess she met
his significant look with one fully as
significant and quickly said:
If had wanted the money for my
self. I would not have risked leaving il
where the murderer could lind il by
/ a bunch OF sodden leaves. No. | had
another motive for my action motive
with which few. If any. of you viii be
willing TO credit me. l wished to save
/ the murderer. whom l had some rea-
son. rs You see, for thinking | knew.
| from the consequences of his own &C
ton"
/ Mr.. Courtney. DIR. Talbot and even
Mr.. Sutherland. who naturally believed
she referred TO label and who. one and
all. had a lingering tenderness for this
unfortunate old man which not even
| this seeming act OF madness on his
4 ~
| OF reaction ut this and surveyed the
singular being before them with per-
hsps the slightest shade OF relenting
I in their severity. Sweetwater alone
betrayed restlessness. Knapp showed
no feeling at all. while Frederick look
ed like one petrified and moved neither
hand nor foot
Crime that is the outcome OF fore
4 - n
with a deliberateness so hard that the
more susceptible OF her auditors shud-
dered. But crime that springs from
some imperative and overpowering ne
cessity OF the mind or body might well
awaken sympathy. and l am not
ashamed OF having been sorry for this
frenzied and suffering man. Weak and
impulsive as you may consider me. [
did not want him TO suffer on account
of moments madness. as he undoubt-
edly would IL he were ever found with
this money In his possession, SO |
plunged 1t deeper into the soil and
trusted to the confusion which crime
always awakens even in the strongest
mind for him not to discover my SUBJ
terfuge."
"Ha! Wonderful Devilish subtle.
Ell? Clever. too clever!' were some Of
the whispered EXPLANATIONS which this
curious explanation on her part brought
out Yet only Sweetwater showed his
open and entire disbelief OF the story.
the others possibly remembering that
for such natures as hers there Ia no
governing law and no commonplace In
depreciation.
To Sweetwater. however. this was
but so much display OF feminine re-
source and subtlety. Though he felt he
should keep still In the presence OF
men SO greatly his superiors, he could
not resist saying:
Truth is sometimes stranger than
fiction. / should never have attributed
any such motive as you mention to the
young girl ! saw leaving this spot with
many a backward look at the hole from
which we afterward extracted the
large sum OF money in question. But
say that this reburying Of stolen funds
was out of consideration for the feeble
old man you describe as having carried
them there. do you not see that by this
act you can be held as an accessory
after the fact:"
Her eyebrows went up. and the dell
cate curve Of hpr lips was not without
menace IS she said.
"You hate me. Mr.. Sweetwater. Do
you wish me 10 tell these gentlemen
why?"
The flush which. notwIthsta nding
this peculiar young n1aa's nerve. In
stantiy crimsoned his features was "A
surprise to Frederick. So was II to the
others. who saw In II a possible hint rs
to the real cause Of bis persistent pu.-
suit of this young girl. which they had
hitherto ascribed entirely TO his love OF
justice. Sighted love makes some
hearts yenomous. Could this ungainly
fellow have once loved this bewitchin.
piece OF unreliability and suffered from
her disdain?
1t was q very possible assumption.
though Sweetwater's blush was the
only answer he gave to her question.
which nevertheless had amply served
It's turn.
To I'LL the gap made by his silence
Mr. Sutherland made an effort and ad-
dressed her himself.
your conduct" said he. has not
been that of strictly honorable per-
son. why did you fail to give the
alarm when you re-entered my house
after being witness to this double
tragedyY
Her serenity was not to be disturbed.
Il have just explained" she remind
ed him. "that had sympathy for tho
criminal"
I'VE all have sympathy for James
label but
81 do not believe one word OF this
story" interposed Sweetwater. In reek-
less disregard Of the proprieties. "a
hungry. feeble old man. like label. on
the verge OF death. could not have
found his way up into this woods. az
you say. You carried that money there
yourself. miss: you are the
'Hush!" interposed the coroner au-
thoritativcly. do not let US go too fast
yet Miss Page has an air OF speak.
ing the truth. strange and unaccount.
able as Ii may seem. label was an adj
mirable man once and if he was led
into theft and murder IL was not until