Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-08-01
.Ts sS92s4I SSli; aarHEE
~ J1IlR ShsIH-r 49,
The Mystery
Copyright, 1907. by Story-Press Corporation)
CHAPTER XVlII.-Continued
BY
JOSEPH BROWN COOKE

"How would it do to get your
brothers own opinion and see how
he feels?" l suggested. Either you
or /, or even both of us, might write
him and put the matter clearly before
him. If there is any good left
in him-you will pardon me, Miss
Carney, l hope, for l spoke very
thoughtlessly-bu he ought to come
to his senses and decide for him
self"
She looked up into my face, her
eyes wet with tears, but with a wan
smile that was evidently conjured up
for the moment, and said, gently:
You need not ask my forgiveness,
Mr.. Ware, for you always think and
speak for the best, and my own feel
ings toward Jack are the same as
yours. | have never mentioned his
name to you before for / could not
1ear to think of those awful days he
Gpent here after my fathers death,
and l am so glad that poor Annie did
not see him then as l did. He knew
that he was not fit for her to see
and | must say that he showed HIM
self to me only enough to enable us
to arrange our business affairs He
seemed to understand the degrade
tion of his position, and although
have never written to him in all
these years, my heart warns to him
now and / want to overlook it,
but | cannot, oh / cannot, Mr.. Ware"
fp tn to u I'm,
Tnyself?" | asked. 81 could hardly ex-
plain matters in Telegram, and while
| never know exactly where he is
have reason to believe that he is in
the neighborhood of London or Paris.
letter to his bankers would reach
him within a week or ten days and
he could be here in a little more than
fortnight"
you know best" she murmured
resting her head on her hand and wip-
ing her eyes slowly. You know
best and must act according to your
own judgment. 1t seems to me that
we ought to send for him, if only
for Annie's sake, but l leave it all
60 you"
Her feelings overwhelmed her
again, but as soon as she could calm
herself, she went on: perhaps have
been wrong myself in not trying to
help him and make him see the posi-
ton in which he has placed himself,
but when he was here 1 could not
bring myself to do it."
I remembered Miss Weston's impas-
stoned statement that no one connect
ed with the mysterious happenings at
Carney-Croft had done any wrong or
was in any way responsible for the
present inexplicable condition of
things, and, while l could not see how
John Carney could have any possible
connection with the affair | grasped
the frail straw offered by this sug-
gestion and, in my anxiety to calm
Miss Carney, | made the most of it
that l could.
81 know nothing of your brothers
life while he was away" l began,
land, while, of course, I do not count
him blameless, l can assure you
that you have nothing to regret on
your part You know things of
this kind begin slowly and insidious.
ly and"
ooh, no." she interrupted. vehe-
mently, ''it was cowardly way to
act, at best, and, as l first under
stood it, it was worse than cowardly.
You can imagine my feelings when
] thought it was all for mere lovers S
quarrel and then-then, when l knew
the whole story, | could not bring
10 xyin In, ~
light, although, of course, my sympa-
thies all went out to him. 1t was
not the act of such a man as / had
always thought Jack to be. had
looked up to him and respected him
all my life and it almost broke my
heart-it almost broke my heart.
You wouldn't do such a thing, Mr..
Ware, l know, and even if you try
to hide your real opinion of him, |
understand too well what it is
and he is my brother my only
brother!"
She sobbed convulsively for some
minutes, while l stood like a fool by
her side, keeping down, as best | could,
the words that were uppermost in my
heaH and then, suddenly she arose
and said, abruptly:
81 have kept you too long, / fear,
but this was troubling me so that I
simply had to tell it to some one.
I think you had better write to my
brother at once and it will have to
rest with him whether he comes or
not. Good night"
l followed her with my eyes as she
entered the house and walked slowly
up the stairs.