The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1912-08-10


toward me had made Even when
saw her dash away from me In an au-
tomobile, panied though was that our
interview should have been cut short,
! still did not comprehend what ter
4 rible blow II was that had befallen
me. II was the sight as | left the
ferry of the automobile dashing by,
with Lonise-the woman / loved
seated beside Hugh Crandall. that
gave new poignancy TO my pain, that
added to the fires OF jealousy. that
made me understand 10 the full the
dire import Of what had happened.
Louise had lied to me-
Crandall had been an the house. She
had seen him. She had left me TO
Join him. She had even deserted her
helpless sister and her dying father
to 20 with him. And all the while her
lips had protested that no one had
been in the house but the doctors and
/ nurses.
AS paced the platform and paced
II back again, waiting two weary hours
for an Ardway train, as ! sat for two
unending hours more in the long ride
through New Jersey. like a poisoned
knife, cutting my heart TO shreds and
cutting the shreds again. the thought
kept coming back 10 me over and
over. "She lied 10 me-"
Quarter a man alive, pour molten
metal into his eyeballs, feed him salt
fish and cut off water, bury him alive
in quicklime. devise what torture you
will and double II. the pain and agony
can not equal that which comes to n
l man who, believing I'm and trusting
1 and loving a woman with his whole
heart, is forced 20 admit to himself
that she has deceived him-that she
has lied to him. In those awful hours
] came TO know the seven bells.
went through all OF them.
Only one ray OF comfort came TO
me. AS | had asked myself why did
she lie?" found myself believing that
she had done so. not Of her own free
will, but impelled by some motive so
/ powerful that she could not resist IT,
That II was the influence OF Crandall
| could no doubt. He had so preyed
on her fears for her father and sister,
perhaps on her fear for me, that he
had induced her to try 10 persuade me
to give up my investigation and had
made her promise to accompany him
on some doubtful secret mission.
ut is not my secret"
! recalled the piteous cry my en-
| treaties had wrung from her lips. and
found the logical explanation OF Il In
her having been terrorized by that
villain. Crandall. II could have found
him at the moment could have killed
him with my naked hands.
Yet even though ! was convinced
that Louise had lied 10 me, began TO
feel that whatever she had done, what
ever she was now doing, was in the
belief that she was acting for the best
! for her dear ones, for me.
My duty 10 her, my duty to myself
| reasoned demanded that / do my
utmost to solve the hideous mystery
and free her from the fear that was
sure was responsible for her strange
actions | swung off the train at Ard
way and FASTENED to the hotel. eager
| TO tell Davis what had learned about
| the movements OF Hugh Crandall, but
/ Davis was not there. All that | could
learn was that he had hired horse
and buggy early In the morning and
had driven off in the direction taken
| by Crandall the day before.
"If he Is following Crandall's trail"
said to myself, he is just day too
late"
So long as Davis was not about /
decided might as well see If the miss
ing postmaster had been found AS
walked up the street | could not help
thinking how dumfounded Davis would
be when he returned from his fruit
less chase for Crandall and listened
TO my tale of Crandalls actions. While
he had advised against my return TO
the city, he would have to admit that
Il had not been without result
AS ! entered the post-ofiice / found
that Miss Cox was still In charge.
Approaching the letter window, babe
her good afternoon and asked II there
was any news OF the missing postmas-
ter. II was late in the afternoon and
the last mail for the day having been
distributed, she sat crocheting. She
motioned TO me TO come around to
the rear door.
How about it," I asked as ! en-.
tered the office. has anything been
heard OF Rouser?"
She shook her head
that's about the elghty.ninth time
I've answered that question to-day.
Seems like the whole town was in
here wanting TO know"
Has the post-office inspector been
here?"
He was in here this morning and
made Just the routine examination. He
didn't ask no questions. though ] un-
derstand he has been sleuthing
around up 20 Widow Smiths, where
1 n. Al. 49,