The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1911-09-20
The House of the
Whispering
Pines

bulletin, on which had been written
these words:
The last Juror obtained In the trial of
Arthur Cumberland for the murder OF his
sister. Adelaide.
Carmel saw and stood. a GREATNESS
image of horror. A couple of gentle
men came running, but the nurse wav-
ed them back and herself caught Car.
mel and upheld her, in momentary
dread Of another mental II not phys
ical collapse.
But Carmel had come back into the
world of consciousness to stay. Ac-
cepting her nurses support. but CIV
ing no sign of waning faculties or i'm
perfect understanding of what she had
seen. she spoke quite clearly and with
her eyes fixed upon Miss Unwin.
so that is why ! am here. away
from all my friends. Was too Ill to
De toId7 Couldn't yon make me know
what was happening-you or the doc
tors or-or anybody"
You were much too ILL.," protested
the nurse. leading her toward the ele-
vator and so by degrees to her room.
And Arthur-Door Arthur, has been
the sufferer! Tell me the whole story.
| can bear it," she pleaded. 81 can
bear anything but not knowing. Why
should he have fallen under suspicion?
He was not even there. | must go to
him. Pack up our clothing, Miss Huck-
In I % Inn,
With the sudden rendlng of the
clouds which had obscured her intel
lect strange powers had awakened in
this young girl.
You shall CO." began the nurse, and
stopped.
Carmel was not listening. Another
change Of thought had come. How
can II" fell in unconscious betrayal
from her lips. "IIow can 1" Then
she stood silent, CHASTITY with lack of
color one minute and rosy red with
its excess the next, until it was hard
to tell in which extreme her feeling
spoke most truly.
What was the feeling? Nurse Unwin
felt it imperative to know. She ap-
preached Carmel with renewed offers
of help and such expressions of SYM
pathy as she thought might lure her
into open speech.
But discretion had come with fear.
and Carmel. while not disdaining the
others kindness, instantly made 1t ap-
parent that, whatever her burden and
however unsuited it was to her present
weak condition, it was not one she felt
willing to share.
II must think" she murmured as
she finally followed the nurses lead
and seated herself on a lounge. CAR
thur ON trial for his life! Arthur on
trial for his life! And Adelaide was
not even murdered!'
MOP" gasped the nurse, intent on
every word this long silenced witness
let fall.
Had he no friend? Was there not
some one to understand? Adelaide
here her head fell till her face was lost
to t-"had-a-lover''-
"Yes. Mr. Elwood Ranelagh. He was
the first to be arrested for the crime"
The soul in Carmel seemed to vanish
at this word. The eyes, which had
been so farseeing the moment before,
grew blank and the 1.-THE young body
stiff with that death in life which is
almost worse to look upon than death
itself. Then the stony eyes softened
and fell, the rigidity of her frame re-
Taxed. and Carmel sank back again on
the sofa and tried to read the head
lines on the open sheet before her.
But her eyes were UNEQUAL to the task.
With a sob she dropped the paper and
entreated the nurse to relate TO her
from her own knowledge al! that had
passed. &Ss5.fa,.t."e--~. -'s,. .-''---'- -
Miss Irwin complied. but with res
ervations. She said nothing about the
marks on Adelaide's throat or of The
special reason which the police had for
arresting Mr.. Ranelagh. She did not
dare. Strangulation was a horrible
death to contemplate, and if this fac
tor in the crime-she was not deceived
by Carmel's exclamation that there
had been no murder-was unknown as
yet to her patient, as it must be from
what she had said, and the absolute
impossibility, as she thought, of her
having known what went on in the
Whispering Pines, then it had better
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