Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-01-07


In the study great fire of logs reared
cheerfully up the chimney; Olive sat,
| looking white and frail, staring intent
| ly into it. Outside the rain beat on
| the window panes; now AMI then
clod of snow would slide over the gut
ter of the roof and fall with thud.
| Stephen sat in his chair by his writing
desk.
Hilda was busy in the kitchen cook
| ing. She put gay, smiling face in at
the door at intervals snatched from
| her duties; she made such charm
| ing picture, with her sleeves rolled up
| almost to the shoulder, her pretty
rounded arms covered with flour, that
/ it was a pity Jack Lathom could not
have seen her then. When the door
| had closed on her on one of these f1yt
ing visits, Olive had spoken again of
Philip Hume.
ITO all my questions you only say
that he is not at home" she broke
out presently. IT believe you are keep
ing something back from mel am
sure you are keeping something
backl" she cried.
"What should I be keeping from
you?" he asked, evasively. He has
not been in the village for three
! weeks"
The rector had averted his face to
avoid meeting her questioning eyes;
| the unexpected challenge of her words
| had disconnected him. He bent down
as if to examine one of the keys on
the tiny bunch hanging from the key
| hole of the top drawer; he was afraid
she might read in his face how much
| her words had disconnected him.
That top drawer of his desk Stephen
Ruthen had for three weeks kept
locked, although he was man who
seldom locked up anything; had kept
| it locked and the key in his pocket.
He had had occasion to open the
| drawer that morning; the sight OF
what lay inside had made him wonder
again how he was effectually to get
| rid of it--that sinister piece OF ev1-
| dence connected with an as yet undls-
| covered crime. 1t was so difficult to
dispose of such pieces of evidence;
they had a way of turning up again
almost miraculously, as criminal rec
ords so frequently showed, as though
fire could not destroy them, nor earth
or water hold them.
He had closed the drawer and
| locked it. Now on an impulse he
turned the key and pulled open the
| drawer again, and looked at the thing
lying there as though it possessed
horrible fascination for him-the re-
volver that he had brought back on
, that fatal night, tiny weapon, rusted
in places. There was a mark Of rust
staining the top sheet Of pile OF ser
mon paper on which it lay The brown
splash in the center of the white sheet
gave it a grotesque resemblance to
an ace of hearts.
Stephen had feared to leave the
weapon near the scene of the tragedy,
afraid lest in some unforeseen way
it might prove a clue duplicating
Olive How was he to dispose of it?
He had asked himself that question q
dozen times.
At first sight it had appeared sim
pie matter; so small an object had
seemed a thing easily made away
with; yet it had presented difficult
ties. One night he had stolen out,
intending to make a hole in the ice
and drop it into the river; but rivers
have given up similar secrets before;
and he dared run no risk. But it
must be disposed Of, and so effectually
that no chance could bring it to light
again.
"Stephen!"
He looked up quickly from the draw
err where that grim thing was. The
desk, piled with books, was between
them, and it was impossible that
Olive could see it or even the open
drawer; yet he started and instinct
lively made a movement to close it, as
the sound of her voice reached him.
stephen, what is it you are keeping
from me? Your manner tells me-"
Her words ended abruptly.
Some one had come up the garden
path passing the window hurriedly;
there was loud knock On the door,
startling Olive by it's suddenness; she
had not seen the man pass the win
dow stephen had caught a glimpse of
the mans figure-Burrow, the verger
of the church. The knock was quick
ly repeated-the urgent, insistent sum-
mons of an impatient or agitated hand.
Why the thought should have in
stinctively flashed across his mind
Stephen could scarcely have told, yet
he was sure that that knock only
meant one thing. It was the news at
last that had been three weeks COM
ing-news at last tina 1.-THE dead man
was found. BurroW, when business
brought him to the rectory, usually
went to the side door and knocked in
an almost apologize way. Only some
thing that had startled him very much
would have made him depart so far
from his usual rule.
Rat-tat-tat! For a moment heavy
hush of expectation hung in the room
where the man and the woman were.
Stephen heard the maid open the
front door, could hear Burrows voice,
startled and unlike it's usual tones:
is the master in? I must see him
at once, if he is. A terrible discov
ery's been made"
Stephen leapt to his feet and, not
waiting for the servant to bring the
message, strobe out quickly into the
hall, shutting the door after him.
On the threshold of the front door
Burrow was standing He burst out