Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-02-14

by which that most QeSiraDle emu was
achieved. nor to their eternal credit
does a single sheet take the side Of
the Sullivans OF Castle Sullivan. The
name still fingers In colonial annals.
1t is still strong in all humane and
honest nostrils, but of DIR. Sullivan and
his ruffianly 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 Honeybons
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 the
gang" the major would say, "but I
knew him for a gentleman at bottom.
I'd like to shake his hand and tell him
I'm sorry for this and that"
But Major Honeybone was not per-
mitted to see the invalid, and indeed he
Quilted Sydney rather precipitateiy in
the end. The plucky veteran had ask
ed a 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
| an answer to certain questions which
he had tired Of asking In his Illness.
What had brought Nicholas Harding
TO New South Wales7 He must have
sailed but q 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 him!
"You never saw the woman who
took Claire's jewelryT said Nicholas
Harding. ut is to her we owe 1t that
my girl Is not q madman's wife. The
woman was naturally a spy. She had
spied upon her mistress, but on Dain-
tree Also and to Claire she had cause
to be grateful, as Claire will tell you IL
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 I told her where Claire had gone
and whom she was to marry. Then
and there II all came out. I must say
there was no huckstering then. The
wretched woman seemed genuinely dis
tressed. She told me"-Harding wiped
his mouth, and his voice trembled-
"she told me my daughter was gone to
be murderers wife"
"Yet you did not know OF itr'
"I did not know about Blaydes. That
made the second"
"Hls second murderr gasped Tom. y
"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 dog dead In bis
passion. The brother abused him. In
an instant he also was shot through
the heart. 1t was brought In an acci-
dent, but the family knew what 1t
was. They drummed him out. They
refused to see his face again. He
| was as much transported as any felon
| In New South Wales, with as good
cause. We never knew why bis fam
lily would have nothing to do with him.
why, for instance, the very flowers no
laid upon his mothers grave were
summary returned to him. 1t SEEM
ed inhuman, but think 1t was very
human now. God help me, / thought
| II was only the ordinary wild oats
made too much of. But was at fault,
grievously Mt fault Bitterly / regret
it. Bitterly shall rue 1t till my dying
day"
Nicholas Harding was deeply moved.
He was indeed different man. In
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 If not dead
| already by bis hand.
"Crime and Madness" said he. ARE
| in their blood. / found that out too.
| The mother was a saint, but discoy-
| 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 i told you, she
had sunk as low as possible. 1t seems
she made q practice of asking her COM
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 tell
you. Well, at last-call It chance or
fate or what you will-but at last she
hit upon 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 ioosed and II
was seen that the subject excited the
convalescent much less than had been
feared, Mr.. Harding would speak Of 1t
with apparent freedom. Yet the case
ssd aspects which he sedulously shun.
aed. And toward the end Of the voy-
age he became visibly troubled and
depressed, but at last one chilly north
ern night, when the western islands
had been left astern. he took Tom by