Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-05-20
Through a
WOnan'S Heart.
By Sidney Warwick.
BY Sidney Warwick.

| lain on the pile of sermon paper, and
sink it where the river ran deepest.
And he had come back from dis
posing of that piece of evidence, to
see through the window Bonholt Hume
in his study, bending over that draw
er, empty now-yet which the rector
was convinced had been locked when
he left it. That discovery had dis
uuieted him. Could it have been for
that revolver that Bonholt Hume was
| searching-the weapon that lay now
in the sitting mud of the river bed be-
meath the moving iron drags of the
men in the boat?
Stephen asked himself that ques-
ton, even as he listened to Bonholt
Hume's nervously glib explanation;
and the weeks that had passed had
not brought the answer. He thought
of it now, as he walked along the tow
| ing path towards the. little group Of
men interestedly watching the opera
lions in progress.
Among them, talking to an inspect
or of police who was directing the
work of dragging from the bank, the
rector saw Freddy Thornton. Thorn
ton, to judge from the tolerant smile
on the inspectors face, was kindly in
structing that official how he, Freddy,
would have conducted the dragging
operations. Every one liked Thornton
but even his best friends regretted
that he was SO omniscent.
In the middle of his advice to the
| inspector he happened to glance round
and see Ruthen. He came forward to
meet him.
"Halloa, Ruthen! / wanted to see
you; was going to call at the rectory
on my way back. Bad business this,
isn't it, about poor Ned? I've just
| been trying to persuade his wife to go
home instead of watching the drags at
work, only she won't; she seems al
most distracted, poor body, though
from all accounts Ned used to lead
her an awful life. Women are rum
aren't they?"
Stephen had already caught sight
of Ned's wife, feverishly watching the
men in the boat; one or two village
women were standing by her who
were offering we'll meant, if rather
tactless, sympathy, pointing out that
| her bereavement might be blessing
in disguise, that. after all, Ned had
been far from being an ideal husband
| until Ned's wife turned suddenly on
| them, with passion in her pale, tear
| less face and babe them hold their
whisht,' to the surprise no less than
| the indignation of her would-be con-
! so,ers
BY the way went on Thornton,
Il saw your guest, Miss Vanstone
! last night, when | was seeing a friend
off by the late train to town; caught
! glimpse of her face in a carriage
window as the train was moving of,
and | rather expected to find you on
the platform, but | couldn't see you
Had no idea Miss Vanstone was leav-
! ing you too soon'
Stephen made some vague reply
He would have liked to ask if Olive
was alone, and, if not, whether Thorn
ton had recognized her companion
! But Freddy volunteered no informal
ton on that point.
'Why l wanted to see you this
morning, Ruthen, was about Lathom.
l haven't been idle in that matter,
can tell you'll" went on Thornton, evil
IDENTIFY full of suppressed eagerness.
and | believe I've made a discovery.
You remember that rather disreputa-
BILE looking man who came to the club
the night Philip Hume and Lathom
had their row, and asked for Hume
under the name of Carr? Well, I've
traced him, which the police failed to
do, and-halloa,' he broke off, in sud-
den excitement, Il believe those chaps
with the drags have found some
thing!"
The men in the boat were rowing to
the bank, shouting out to the inspect
or. Not the grim object they were
searching fort was some small
| thing that glittered for moment in
the spring sunlight that the iron
teeth had brought to the surface of
the water. And a swift suspicion
flashed across Ruthen's mind as he
and Thornton walked quickly up to
the little group of bystanders who
crowding about the inspector in the
eager excitement of this sudden dis
covery.
"a revolver!" Stephen heard
voice exclaim, before he was near
enough to see what one of the per-
spring men in shirt sleeves had
handed to the officer.
But instinctively before he heard
the word spoken he had known what
the river had given up. A revoler!
1t was at this moment that Thirsty
Ned himself, in the flesh, appeared
on the ene-miracuously, as it
seemed, from nowhere-an interested
if somewhat perplexed spectator of
the proceedings, at first unnoticed in
the little thrill of excitement following
on the curious discovery made by the
men who were dragging. Ned was
looking, if possible, rather more dis
sipated even than usual
whats all this ERE about?" he in
CURED of bystander, with a some
what unsteady wave of his hand
towards the scene of the operations
The man addressed turned, stared
at Ned with almost incredulous eyes,
and slowly backed away from him;
then recovered himself and shouted
out the news in a voice that made
every one turn-much to Ned's own
amazement, whose inquiry had been
made in perfect good faith. Ned had
gone, at moments notice, for a trip
with friend on a canal boat and had