Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-01-21

l.
your gate, and it's upset me, Ruthen-
because l like the lad, and I won't
believe a word of it, though the evil
dence seems very strong
what in heavens name do you
mean?" cried the rector, looking into
the others face, with & vague, new,
terrible fear gripping him.
Neither man caught the sound of
the light footsteps of bare feet cross
! ing stealthily over the floor of the
room they had just left, or heard the
| handle as it was cautiously turned, or
saw the door being opened an almost
imperceptible space. Behind the
chink of the barely opened door, to
which in a spasm of fictitious strength
she had dragged herself, Olive was
| listening feverishly.
DR.. Sprent answered:
young Jack Lathom They've ar
rested him for Hume's murder!"
ARRESTED Jack Lathom?" echoed
| Stephen Ruthen, as though for an in
slant his mind could not grasp the
meaning of the words he had heard.
The doctors announcement had
come to him like blow in the face
a swift, binding, utterly unexpected
blow, under which his senses reeled.
| For a moment the walls seemed to
rock about him. Lathom arrested for
Hume's murder!
Sprent saw his agitation. He grip
ped the rector's arm.
Pull yourself together, mani" he
said, hurriedly.
! Almost as he spoke his grip tight
ened spasmodically, as a terrible cry
broke upon them, startling them i'm
measurably-a cry of horror that rang
in the ears of the listening men. A
cry in a woman's voice-HlAda's voice
-Hilda, who had just heard from
Martha the news the doctor had
| brought.
For a second they stood aghast;
then made simultaneous rush down
| the stairs. Hilda stood in the hall,
with look of incredulous horror
frozen On the white face, shaking like
a slender lily in wind.
Stephen-Stephen! I can hardly
believe it's true!" she cried, wildly.
They've arrested Jack-my Jack-ar-
rested him, the man 1 love, whom |
have promised to marry! They've ar
rested him for Philip Hume's MUIR
der!" The pitiful cry trailed off into
silence.
Dufb ;c4A
and aghast. How blind he had been
-Hilda and Jack Lathom were in
| love, were engaged to be married! 1t
had only needed this to add the final
eliminating pOignancy to the situa-
ton. His sister loved Jack Lathom-
! and Lathom was in prison charged
with this mans death!
And upstairs on the landing the door
| had opened wider, and the white
clad, barefooted figure was listening
intently, with a feverish light of tri-
umph burning in her eyes, as she
whispered to herself:
81 knew it! l knew Stephen was
shielding some one! That revolver
was proof. And it's Lathom-because
Hilda loves this man Stephen is
shielding the murderer of my love!
| Though it won't bring my dead to life,
at least his murderer will suffer-oh,
l am glad his murderer will suffer!
And Hilda's lOver-I owe no sympathy
or pity to this girl who stole Franks
love from met
Hilda suddenly broke out again We.
hemently:
stephen, why don't you speak ?
What are you going to do? You must
do something to save Jack! Oh, how
could any one dare to do so wicked
a thing as arrest an innocent man?
No time must be lost-you must do
something! Surely the police will
listen to you when you tell them it
couldn't have been Jack! You must
save him!"
The rector stood with his hands
clenched, his teeth set, as the implor-
ing appeal ran in his ears. There
was horror in his face. Yes, he could
save Jack Lathom with a word-but
only by surrendering to justice the
woman he loved.
The innocent man, or the woman he
had sworn to save? BY his silence
or his speech he struck blow at one
or the other.
One word from him and the limo
cent mans letters fell off. Only one
word, but a word costing so much
costing, perhaps, this woman's life:
perhaps her reason, even if the law
spared her.
One word-but at what cost! Was
he to speak it or remain silent?