Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-01-31

IL Is Sui StTOHS Ill All uuilldIt ana
honest nostrils, but of DIR. Sullivan and
his rufIianly son all traces have been
lost
Not the least telling witness against
them was one who certainly could not
be accused Of eXtravagant sympathy
with the felonry. Major IOneybone
enjoyed himself enormously In Sgd
ney, both at the courthouse and else
where. He and Nicholas Harding be-
came perfect cronies during the weary
days Of Toms convalescence.
"GadZooks. sir, he gave me more
trouble than any three men in tho
gang" the major would say. but
knew him for gentleman Mt bottom.
I'd ike to shake his hand and tell him
I'm sorry for this and that"
But Major IIoneybone was not per-
mitted to see the invalid. and indeed he
quilted Sydney rather precipitately In
the end. The plucky veteran had ask
cd u question of Lady Starkie. as her
ladyship long afterward cOnfided to
Claire, with an obviously pleasurable
Indignation, on the Florentia's poop.
Nor was 1t until the long and sooth-
ing homeward voyage was half over
that the convalescent was vOuchsafed
IN answer to certain questions which
he had tired Of asking In his illness.
What had brought Nicholas Harding
to New South Wales? He must have
sailed but few days after Claire.
What had he found out In those few
days. since the discovery Of Daintree's
crime still came as surprise to him7
You never saw the woman who
took Claire's jewelryi" said Nicholas
Harding. ut Is to her we owe 1t that
my girl Is not madman's wife. The
woman was naturally q spy. She had
spied upon her mistress. but on DAM
tree also. and to Claire she had cause
TO be grateful, as Claire will tell you II
you ask her. The very night after
she sailed In the Rosamund this wo-
man came to my house. She had fallen
very low. Death seemed to me to have
set Its seal upon her, but she had In
formation which she would only sell,
until told her where Claire had gone
and whom she was to marry. Then
and there II oil came out. l must say
there was no huckstering then. The
wretched woman seemed genuinely dis
tressed. She told me"-IIarding wiped
his mouth. and his voice trembled-
''she told me my daughter was gone to
be murderer's wife"
"iet you did not know Of it?"
Il did not know about Blaydes. That
made the second"
Ellis second murderr' gasped Tom.
"Or manslaughter-call 1t what you
will. The first was the worst 1t was
fratricide. There were two brothers.
james was the younger. Out shoot
ing one day when they were both
mere lads. he shot n dog dead in his
passion. The brother abused him. In
an instant he also was shot through
the heart. 1t was brought In an acct
dent. but the family knew what u
was They drummed him out. They
refused to see his face again. He
was US much transported as any felon
In New South Wales. with as good q
cause. We never knew why his fam.
lily would have nothing to do with him
Why. for instance, the very flowers he
laid upon his mothers grave were
ed inhuman. but think 1t was very
human now. God help me. l thought
1t was only the ordinary wild oats
made too much Of. But l was at fault,
grievously Mt fault. Bitterly I regret
It, Bitterly shall rue 1t till my dying
day."
Nicholas Harding was deeply moved.
He was indeed different man. In q
hOarse voice he described the horrors
OF the interminable outward voyage,
the perpetual dread Of being too late.
the nightly nightmare Of Claire mar
ried to a criminal lunatic II not dead
already by his hand.
"Crime and Madness" said he. ARE
In their blood. l found that out too.
The mother was saint but discOv-
cred she had died in an asylum. The
father Is sane. but you know his repu-
tatiOn. He had denied me an inter-
view before. forced myself upon
him now. And he admitted the perfect
truth Of the story had heard. You
ask how that woman came to know OF
1t. Well, SO did I. AS told you, she
had sunk as low as possible. 1t seems
she made practice Of asking her CON-
paniOns whether they knew aught Of
the Daintrees, because she suspected
our guest of some shameful secret, but
never Of killing Blaydes. and she had
always the thought Of repaying Claire
the good turn of which Claire must toll
you. Well. at last-call 1t chance or
fate or what you will-but Mt last she
hit upon n trail that led to the truth.
She discovered an old gamekeeper who
had actually seen the deed and been
pensioned to keep 1t secret, but blabbed
It IN his dotage. And then she came to
Avenue Lodge"
Once his tongue was loosed and Il
was seen that the subject excited the
convalescent much less than had been
feared. Mr.. Harding would speak Of Il
with apparent freedom. Yet the casa
had aspects which he sedulousIy shun-
ned. And toward the end Of the voy.
age he became yisibly troubled and
depressed. but ut last one chilly north.
ern night, when the western islands
had been left astern. he took Tom by
the arm. and his hand trembled.
"Erichsen." said he, II was once
your enemy. l am now your friend.
In the near future I am to be some
thing more, and l cannot face 1t a
humbug and hypocrite. You remem.
Der those letters you gave me back
without question: have waited for
that question all these months. That
you have never asked it that alone
shows what you are. 1t makes IT the
harder to have to tell you the kind Of
man was. But I have made I'D my
mind that you shall know"
And he confessed that he had been
guilty enough Of the bribery all but
brought home to him and yet not more
guilty than a hundred others, many of
them In higher places. as he said with
perfect truth. but little bitterness. The
voyage out had purged him Of self es-
TEEN and arrogance; the homeward