The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-01-23

tude."
why, looking at her, did his face
change-softel. harden? Why did his
hands tremble so? 1t was over I'm an
instant; yet I had caught a glimpse
OF his secret. / understood
1T was nothing" he said; IT was
glad to do It'll was deeply pleased
when that message came this MORN
ing
You've been kinder to me than I de-
served" she said: and I more than half
agreed with her. How. with his eyes
before her, could she fail to under
stand? Perhaps she did underestimate
was never sure.
Tn h first place. then, Miss Croy-
DON" he went on. In a different tone,
how did your father succeed in getting
your sister away from Tremaine?"
They had gone to Paris" she an
swered, "and in two or three DAYS
Edith a awakened from her dream
she saw something in the man which
terrified her. n she wrote a pitIful let
ter to father, who went over to Paris
at once, and finally succeeded in buy
Ing the man of. Father paid him
$4,000 francs, I belieye-perhaps Il was
n fact that be knew he was not really
Edith's husband-that he himself had
committed a crime-which made him
take It, He agreed to leave the country,
n IN the following December he wrote
rather that he was about TO sail for
Martinique In a ship called the Cen
taur He said he intended to buy a
plantation In Martinique and make that
MS home. In February, we learned
thai the Centaur had been lost. with
all on board. After eight years, 1t
seemed certain that he was dead, and
Edith felt free to marry again"
was MI. Delroy informed OF this
carly indfscrefiena1
"Certainly-and forgave II. as n
good man would" ,
Pardon me for asking the question.
Miss Croydon; but it was necessary.
When was 1t you first learned that IRE
maine was still alIve?"
lone night nearly two months ego,
Edith brought his letter TO me. She
was wild, distracted, ready to XIII her
self-that Is what I have feared every
day since. She loves Mr.. Delroy. Mr..
Godfrey; and yet she believed herself
the wife of another man. He demand
ed that h meet him in that apartment
house. ] knew she could not bear such
a meeting. and yet he must be seen. I
offered to go In her stead: l had some
wild idea of appealing to his better ma
ture, or persuading him"
She stopped, silenced by her own
emotion. ....r..
That, OF course, would not have al
tered the fact that your sister was his
wife" observed Godfrey.
mo; that was the terrible part Of
IL; nothing could alter that. There
must, OF course be a. separation: but
we thought we would solve that problem
AFTER we had settled the other. So I
went. lie opened the door to me. I
a never seen him, and / confess hts
appearance and were not at all
what 1 expected. He did not look in
the least like a scoundrel, nor did he
act like one. He listened to me with
attention and seeming respect He even
appeared moved. Oh. I know now what
a hypocrtte he was: / know that he
was laughing at me; that he was plan
ming something deeper, more Villainous.
l had brought $1,000 with me-all that
we could gather together at the mo-
ment-and / pressed 1t upon him, urg-
ing him to take 1t and 20 away and
we would send him more. He pretend
ed to refuse the money, to protest that
1t was not in the least what he wanted,
but l compelled him TO AXE 1t. And
just as ! was hoping that / prevailed
with him. the door Of the bedroom
opened and a horrible drunken man
staggered out.
We'll, VIC he cried. so this is tn
gal, Is 1t? She's a likely piece. I
wouldn't give her up. Vic. no.. not fer
ten thousand
"'Go back to bed, you drunken
brute!' cried Tremaine, and he took him
roughly by the arm.
But the other shook him or.
Don't lay your hands on me, Vic!'
he cried. Don't dare lay your hands
on mel
IT saw the very devil spring into Ire
maine's face. He looked about him for
some weapon, and picked up a piece
OF pipe that lay beside the radiator.
Thompson saw the action and lurched
heavily toward him.
Coin t use that on me, vic?' he
asked. You'd better try IT, and he
made a pass at Tremaine and tried to
snatch the pipe away. You try it on
an I'll blow your game like 1 did once
before down at Sydney
He struck at Tremaine again, but
the latter eprang away and in an in
slant had brought the pipe down upon
then that flendish look flashed into
Tremaine's face a second time; he
snatched out a revolver dimly un-
derstood what was coming-indeed, I
had my own revolver In my hand and
I fired at him: but my shot wen wild.
while his ----
She stopped and buried her face in
her hands, overcome for the moment
by the terrible spectacle her words
had evoked.
She controlled herself by an effort;
took down her hands .
He put his pistol away and stepped
over very close to me.
Miss Croydon he said rapidly, It
will be wei; for you to say you did
not know me. I have committed no
crime-he was the aggressor-what /
did was done In self defence. One
thing more-your sister has nothing
TO fear from mel shall never bother
her again. promise you that
He was gone in an instant and
then the Janitor came and you and
the detectives"
Godfrey nodded thoughtfully.
That supplies the motive, Lester"
he said II have felt that my explain
alton OF the crime was not quite ade-
ouate. But 1t was not only desire for
revenge that urged Tremaine OMIT
was also h knowledge that Thompson
knew Of his first marriage and threat
ened. with a word. to wreck his plans
q second time"
Yes" I agreed. and sat silent, pom
dering the story.
why did you take the clippings,
Miss Croydonf" asked Godfrey after a
moment.