The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-10-12

involuntarily my eyes sought the por.
trait on tho wall opposite the front
windows. 1t was still there-as al
Turing, astonishing, compelling as ever.
Indeed, as / gazed at it now 1t seemed
even more striking than 1t had when
/ saw 1t first.
Look at that" / said, turning to
Godfrey, but there was no need for
me to call his attention to the por-
trait. He had already seen 1t, and was
gazing at 1t in rapt admiration.
Whose Is it?" he demanded at last.
who painted it?"
pointed to the name scrawled in
| the corner.
Ruth Endicott.' he read slowly.
We'll and who was she?'
That's her portrait / said. Does
| 1t remind you Of any one?"
He looked at 1t for moment In
silence; then he shook his head.
mo, l can't say that Ii does. But
who was Ruth Endicott?"
Nobody in particulars distant rel
| ative of the Kingdons?"
Godfrey gazed at me specifically.
Really" he asked.
Really. This was the last picture
| she painted-of herself. You see how
| crude 1t is"
"Crude-yes but it's got power, Les
| ter. The woman's there, somehow,
| looking right out of the canvas. Did
| she die?"
Yes; 30 years ago." and told him
the little I knew of Ruth Endicott and
| her history.
| He listened without comment, his
eyes still on the bewitching face gaz-
ing down from the wall at us.
| We'll. it beats me-" WAS his only
remark. when I had ended, and with
q visible effort he tore himself away
from the portrait, and turned to the
| coroner. who had been waiting pa
tiently until our inspection of the
painting was ended. rs this where the
inquest will be held?"
Yes. sir: I'll have some chairs
brought in. 1t won't last very long.
I'll have to adjourn 1t, Of course, un-
til Miss Kingdom can give her testi-
| mony."
Godfrey nodded.
| Yes. you'll have to do that. Well,
| you may depend upon us-but l doubt
| If our evidence will go very far toward
solving the mystery"
If the town had been glowing the
night before over the disappearance of
! Marcia Lawrence, Ii was fairly blaZ-
ing now over this new mystery. In
fact. the one had quite eclipsed the
other. and / was nightly relieved to
find that no one suspected any relation
| between them. l bought copies of both
| the local papers and observed again
their prodigal use of black type and
exclamation points. Each of them de-
voted the whole front page to the case,
without. however, throwing any new
light upon 1t. On another page, one
of them stated in q few lines that
nothing further had been heard from
Miss Lawrence; the other contained
no reference whatever to the Law
| renee affair. and had apparently for
gotten all about 1t.
<NF~ tx-sv.
Why need DR.. Schuyler interfere at
all? If 1t was Marcia Lawrence who
was insane, the law could not touch
her, whatever she had done. Harriet
Kingdom was dead, and the obloquy
OF the crime could do her no injury.
Besides. whoever had fired the shot
| Then. suddenly, l remembered the
revolver. That was going to prove. an
awkward piece of evidence. Godfrey
has suspected instantly who it's owner
was; and he certainly would permit
no sentimental considerations to inter-
fere with placing the whole truth be-
fore the public.
But perhaps 1 was mistaken, after
all. Granted that Marcia Lawrence
had been subject to spells of derange-
ment, that was no proof that she had
committed the crime. 1t might be, in
deed, that that very infirmity was the
cause Of her fight. She may have be-
tiss in good faith. only to discover at
the last moment that she was not
cured; or the impulse to flight may
have seized her during a sudden aber-
ration caused by the excitement Of her
wedding day. Aversion to friends and
kindred was. as / knew, one of the
most common symptoms of such de-
rangement. Was this the key TO the
mystery? Was this the explanation Of
her flight?
It was with my mind in this tumult
that l approached DIR. Schuylers house
that evening and rang the bell. He
opened the door himself.
IL was expecting YOU" he said and
led the way to his study. ''Sit down,
Mr.. Lester. I've been thinking over
what you told me. and 1T seems to
me that. the world should know the
whole truth"
NV heart sank at the words.
"But what good will 1t do?" ques-
toned "Of course, DR.. Schuyler, I
suspect what the secret is. What good
will it do that the world should know
it?"
TT will at least turn loathing into
pity; It will show that she was justified
in so far as there can be justification
for such an act. 1t will show that she
was not mentally esponsible--there-
fore neither legally nor morally guilty"
81 wasn't aware that she was re-
garded with loathing," said. I'm fact,
I didn't know that she was connected
with this case at all in any ones mind
, outside Of ourselves and a friend OF
mine
Ter cried. You astonish mel"
| (Continued Next Week,