The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-05-12
CHAPTER XII.
Dorothy Burt,


enough now.
Fessendcn looked very grave and
was silent for time
IT'S a beastly thing to say he OBJ
served AT las, but If Schuyler had
been in love with that eirl. a. d want
cd to conceal the fact .he couldn't
have acted differently from the way
he did act"
Was he kind TO her?
Yes. kind. bu; with n restrained
air, as If he felt it was his duty to
show Indifference toward herr" Was
she with you after dinner?'
Fossenden thought.
u went to my room early. and Mrs.
Carleton has already excused her
self. Yes, left Schuyler and Miss
Burt in the drawing room. and later
saw them from my window. stroll
ing through the rosegarden."
"On his wedding eve!" exclaimed
Kitty. with look akin to horror in
her eyes.
Yes; and | thought nothing OF it.,
for | simply assumed that he was de-
voted to Miss Van Norman. and wa
merely pleasant to his mothers com
panion. But. in view of something
Miss Van Norman said to me yester-
day. can It be it was only yesterday?
the matter becomes serious
What did she say?"
"lt seems like betraying conf
dence. and yet it isn't, for we must
discover ii il means anything. But
she said 20 me with real agitation,
DO YOU know Dorothy Burt?' At
that time hadn't met Miss Burt. and
had never heard of her, so ] said:
NO. who Is she? Nobody said Miss
Van Norman, less than nobody, New
er mention her To me again, Her
voice. even more than her words, be-
tokened grief and even anger. so OF
course the subject was dropped. But
doesn't that prove her anxious about
the girl. If not really jealous?"
"Of course it does" said Kitty. 81
know that's the one that has been
troubling Madeleine. Oh. how dread.
ful it all is,"
And then. too" Fessen2en said
still reminisccntly. Miss Van Nor.
oh tnI 20
Mapleton Immediately after her we'd
ding and never return here again"
Did she say that? Then. of course
it was only so that Schuyler should
never see the Burt girl again. Poor
dear Maddy; she was so proud. and
so self-coutained. But how she mus
have suffered, You see, she knew
Schuyler admired her, ana respected
her and all that, and she must have
thought that once removed from IN,
presence of the rosebud girl, he
would forget her"
But I cant understand old Schuy
Ter marrying Miss Van Norman Il
he didn't truly lover her. You know
| Miss French that man and | have
been stanch friends for years, an,
though | rarely see him, ] know hii
honorable nature, and can't believ,
he would marry one woman whil'
loving another"
He didn't" said Kitty in mean
ing voice that expressed more thar
the words signified.
Fessenden drew back in horror.
DON'T" he cried. You can't meal
that Schuyler put Miss Van Norman
out of the way to clear the path 70
Miss Burt"
II don't mean anything said Kitty
rather cOatradictorily. But, az said
| Maddy was not killed by any one in
side the house-lm sure of that an
no one from outside could get In, g,
cept Schuyler--and he had motive
Don't you always, in detective work
look for the motiyeY"
Yes, but this is too horrible,"
'All murders are too horrible Blu
tell you it must have Been Schuy
ler-it couldn't have been Miss Burt.
Don't be absurd That little gil
couldn't Kill fly. wish yo
could see her, Miss French. The
you'd understand how her very con
trast to Miss Van Norman's splendi
beauty would fascinate Schuyler.
saw 1t in his repressed manner las
evening, though didn't realize
then as ! do now"
Il have a theory said Kitty slowl
You know Mr.. Carleton went awa
Yesterday afternoon rather angry ,