The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1907-07-19
The Mystery
Carney-Croft
BY
JOSEPH BROWN COOKE

CHAPTER xVI.-continued.'

C1HT En- NNt'-SS'sh'SSS'
She leaned forward weeping bitter
ly, and | said nothing until she began
to control herself once more and
chose down her sobs in an effort to
speak again. Then said gently:
Don't say anything more about 1t
now. Miss Weston. am sure you will
do what is best, and though | am ut
terly at a loss to know what you
mean, am, of course, willing to wait
a reasonable time until you are able TO
tell me. ! will trust You without
question, and in every way, but you
will understand that we both owe it
to Miss Carney TO do away with all
this mystery as soon as we can. 1t is
sroiling her pleasure in life and ruin
ing her property, too, and, as her
friends, we must not let it continue
if we can possibly put a stop to it.
ooh. yes, know" she said, but we
mustn't stop it now. It's too soon, Mr..
Ware, and if Florence should learn
the truth now it would break her
heart"
why, what do you mean?" l en-
claimed You surely do not expect
me to believe that this affair could
affect Miss Carney in any way, do
you?"
Yes" she moaned. rocking back and
forth in her seat and speaking with
difficulty, 1t would affect her and all
of us here, but me. most of all, Mr..
Ware; me, most of all. When the time
comes it will be easier for everybody,
but nothing can be done now. or
things will be even worse than they
are. Oh. / do wish / could tell you
what little | know about it, Mr.. Ware,
but cannot, and know that you will
trust me for few days anyway"
walked slowly with her back to
the house, and when dinner time
came and she sent down her excuses,
] learned that no one in the house was
aware that she had been ont during
the day.
Miss Carney looked pale and care
worn and said that she had spent the
best part of the afternoon lying down
and nursing a severe headache. Mrs.
Randolph seemed reticent and de-
pressed and the meal passed off slow
ly and without incident.
When we rose from the table ] had
formulated plan which, thought,
might relieve the situation somewhat
and, apprising no one of my purpose
set out in the direction of the Widow
Bruce's cottage. 1t was my intention
to put the matter squarely before her
and ask her, not necessarily an eX-
PLANTATION of affairs. but friendly CO.
opetation with me in putting an end
to the annoyances she had been caus-
Ing
I had not formed a bad opinion of
the woman from her appearance, and
the new turn things had taken made me
wonder if she, like Miss Weston, might
not have been drawn into this business
unwillingly and in all innocence. More
over, was convinced that matters
were far from being as tragic as Miss
Weston, in her hysterical emotion,
would have me believe, for could not
conceive how staid, respectable place
like Carney-Croft could, by any pos
sibility, be drawn into an affair that
might not be satisfactorily explained
in one way or another.
In a word, / had no doubt that a
quiet, good.natured talk with Mrs
Bruce would accomplish all that l
could wish, and l was prepared to Of
fer her money or any other induce
ment that she might name if she
would let the matter drop. l confess
that my curiosity was greatly excited
but / was willing to forego all knowl-
edge of the underlying facts in the
case if the Bruce woman and the rest
of them would only depart and leave
us in peace.
l approached the cottage from the
rear, coming down by a short cut
through the fields, and as l turned
the corner of the house by the open
sitting-room windows l heard a wom-
ans voice sob out:
"Oh, ! must! l must, Mrs. Bruce! !
cannot live unless / dol"
Mrs. Bruce made some reply in a
gentle, soothing tone of wonderful
sweetness, and then she emerged from
the door of the cottage with her arm
affectionately around the waist Of
Annie Weston, who was weeping as If
her heart would break. The two passed
on down the little gravel walk toward
the gate, while Mrs. Bruce continued
to pour words of comfort into the ear
iof the agonized girl; and turned and
lretraeed my steps to the house that !
might be there before Miss Weston ar
rived.
tTiscHAPTER XVII.