The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-02
The House of the
By ANNA KATHARINE GREEN
Continued.)
Copyright. 1919. By Anna Katharine Rohifs


 store for her." were his words, and could only lie still and look at him helplessly. When she comes to her self she will have to be told. but you will be on your feet then and will be allowed, no doubt, to soften the blow for her by your comfort and counsel. The fact that it must have been you, if not he"-
 "He." Did I shout it, or was the shout simply in my own mind?
 "Yes-Arthur. His guilt has not been proved; he has not even been remand ed: the sisters case is too pitiful and Coroner Perry too soft hearted where any of that family is involved. But no one doubts his guilt. and he does not deny it himself. You know-prob- ably no one better-that he cannot very consistently do this in face of the evidence accumulated against him, ev- idence stronger in many regards than that accumulated against yourself"
 Arthur! A booby and boor, but cer- tainly not the slayer of his sister, un- less had been woefully mistaken in all that had taken place in that clubhouse previous to my entrance into it on that fatal night. As I caught Clifton's eye fixed upon me I said: Don't speak of me. I'm not thinking of myself. You speak of evidence. What evidence? ? Give me details. Don't you see that am burning with curiosity? I shan't be myself till hear"
 ''It all came about through you" he went on. "You told me of the fellow you saw riding away from the Whis- pering Pines at the time you entered the grounds. I passed the story on to the coroner and he to a New York de- tective they had put on this case. He and Arthurs own surly nature did the rest'
 work. The person who drove out of the clubhouse grounds while I stood in the clubhouse hall was Carmel, and the clew I had given. instead of baf fling and confusing them, had led di- rectly to Arthur.
 Seeing nothing peculiar-or, at all events, giving no evidence of having
  nent-Clifton went evenly on, pouring into my astonished ears the whole long story of the detectives Investigations. Instinctively I did not feel as cer- tain of Arthur's guilt as Clifton did. I knew Arthur even better than I did his sisters. He was as full of faults and as lacking in aniable and reliable traits as any fellow of my acquaint- ence. But he had not the inherent snap which makes for crime. He lacked the vigor which-God forgive me the thought-lay back of CarmeIs softer characteristics.
 The episode of the ring confused me. I could make nothing out of 1t, could not connect it with what I myself knew of the confused experiences of that night But I could recall the din- ner and the sullen aspect, not unmixed with awe, with which this boy con- templated his sister when his own glass fell from his nerveless fingers. My own heart was not in the business-it was on the elopement I had planned but I could not help seeing what I have just mentioned, and it recurred
 
 to me now with fatal distinctness. The awe was as great as the sullenness. Did that offer'a good foundation for crime? I disliked Arthur. I had no use for the boy, and I wished with all my heart to detect guilt in his actions rather than in those of the woman l loved. but I could not forget that tinge of awe on features too heavy to mir TOT very readily the nicer feelings of the human soul. It would come up, and under the influence of this impres- sion I said:
 Are you sure that he made no de nial of this crime? That does not seem like Arthur. guilty or innocent
 "He made none in my presence, and I was in the coroner's office when the ring was produced from its secret hid ing place and set down before him.