The Lamar register., 1907-08-07
CHAPTER XXI.
An Amphibian Mv.terv.

MY aSt0n1Shment at this last remark
of the Bruce woman was beyond ex.
preston. and. grasping her some
what rudely by the arm, ex-
claimed:
What do you mean by that? Ex-
plain yourself at once!"
You know well enough what I
mean, and who l mean. SIR" she re-
piled in a whisper. placing her mouth
close to my ear as she spoke. AS
you love Miss Carney, and as you
value her happiness. sir, you must
trust me and ask no questions now"
l pondered deeply for moment be-
fore / answered her and then l said
in a low tone:
You are asking great deal of me.
Mrs. Bruce. You must remember that
I am Miss Carney's legal adviser and
that 1 am in duty bound to look out
for her interests. This thing has gone
quite far enough already. and yet
matters are growing more and more
mysterious. l heard jerks tell you
that l was up on the hill this morn
ing. and / have no wish to deny It.
but saw something there that must
be explained at once or l shall notify
the authorities; and. for my part, l
do not see how 1t can be explained at
ALL"
What did you see, sir?" she gasped.
as II in great mental distress.
WELL" l replied. slowly. Il saw a
number of little graves. or what ap-
peared to be such"
"Oh. my Cod" she moaned. cover
ing her face with her hands, Il did
not think anything like that could
happen! / should have burned them.
sir. Oh, why didn't l burn them!
1t would have been much safer!"
jerks had skunk into the house.
leaving us to ourselves, and l was
enabled to talk more freely.
Look here, woman!" exclaim-
ed. What in the name of heaven
does all this mean? Speak. or by all
that's holy I'll have you in jail before
morning."
My impassioned words had no effect
upon her other than to make her
weep piteously, and waited until she
had regained her composure some
what and was able to talk coher-
emily.
You misjudge me. Mr.. Ware" she
said. Indeed you do. sir. ! have COM
mitted no crime. sir. and 1 am doing
all in my power to prevent one; for
1t would be a crime II It happened,
although the law wouldn't call 1t SO.
SIR"
She laid her hand on my shoulder
respectfully and then. the old-fashion-
ed, motherly way coming over her.
she continued In a choking voice:
you must do as I ask. Mr.. Ware.
Do not distrust me. l beg Of you,
sir, for I have SO much to bear and l
have borne 1t all SO patiently and
SO willingly. too. sir. Remember.
have no fault to find. and am glad
to have been able to do what I have
done, sir, but the end is SO near
now that I cannot bear to have every
thing go for nothing at the last"
Her eyes were filled with tears. and.
do what might. l could not doubt
her honesty and sincerity. Before l
could speak, she went on hurriedly.
looking about her in an apprehensive
way:
lust believe in me for few days,
sir, won't you? Do this for your own
sake and for Miss Carney's and the
other young lady's. You will never
regret 1t, sir. l promise you; l swear
it. sir. on everything l hold sacred,
and God knows l am a churchwoman
and live In fear of Him and His love
sir"
For my life could do no more than
she asked, and, after moments
hesitation. l said slowly:
II must trust you. Mrs. Bruce, but
I must tell you that l do so against
my best Judgment. / do not see how
all these things can be explained sat
isfactorily and they must be ex-
planned soon in every way. Still, l
believe that you are sincere In what
you tell me. and. for the present at
least. will ask no more questions and
rely upon you to fulfill your protesta-
lions Of good faith when the proper
time comes. You will understand. OF
course, that In spite of this promise
shall feel perfectly free at any time
to take such steps in this matter as
/ may deem necessary. and, while
am willing to let things stand as
they are now for short time. l
shall act promptly and effectively II
any new or otherwise suspicious cir
cumstances arise"
With these words I turned and
walked down the path in the direc-
ton of Carney-Croft. leaving her
standing by the gate. crying softly
The next afternoon l took boat on
the river and padded aimlessly up and
down trying to kill time and watching
for an opportunity to speak TO MISS
Carney, whom I had not seen for two
days. Miss Weston's condition was
growing steadily worse, and the arriv-
al of the nurses from town and their
close attention to their patient
coupled with the frequent and anx-
ious visits of the village physician
served as sufficient excuse for the
hurried departure of all of Miss Car
ney's guests except myself, who re-
manned from a sense Of duty as well
as a desire to be near at hand and
in a position to set myself right with
my hostess on the first occasion that
offered.
h ii