The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-10-03

molested II he kept some distance away
from England. The whole thing has
been most unfortunate"
81 don't think so, uncle" she said
quietly, Il am glad, very gald. that
Luke has been arrested"
Are you?" he retorted dryly. THE
outlook for him is not pleasant"
Il know that. But at IN rate now
there Is a chance that he can prove
his innoncence."
Sir Thomas Ryder gave a quick sigh
of Impotence.
My dear child" he said gently, do
try n be reasonable about that. You
only lay up for yourself further stores
Of misery and Of disappointment. De
Mountford is guilty, I tell o He prac-
tically confessed at the inquest, and
he practically confessed to our fellows
after his arrest"
Practically" h said with strong
emphasis. but not really. Luke has
never confessed that he committed q
murder"
We'll. he admits that the stick with
which the murder was lone was his
stick; that he had 1T in his and the
night that the murder was committed;
that he went out, with it in his hand,
SSASNS AS kAiS AAiaAA VeS
murdered"
Il know all that" she reJoined, but
let me tell you this, Uncle Ryder. Luke
has admitted all that, as you say: but
he has never admitted that he killed
Phillip de Mountford-or Paul Baker
whoever ne may be. Luke, Uncle Ry-
der, is allowing the awful accusation to
rest upon him.. because he wishes to
shield the real perpetrator Of the
crime"
"Nonsense!" broke in Sir Thomas
CURLY.
why nonsense?"
Because, my dear Lou" he said
slowly and firmly, people don't do
that sort Of thing. The
of having taken another persons life
that no n will bear them for the
sake Of any n else on earth"
Yet I tell you, uncle" she %reiter-
ated with rlnness at least equal to his
own, that Luke never killed that man,
and that he pleads guilty to the crime
in order to shield some one else"
Whom" he retorted.
That l do not know-as yet. But
that is the reason why l came here to-
night, uncle; because you must help
me to find out"
Sir Thomas abruptly rose from his
chair. and took his stand on the hearth
rug, with legs apart, and slender hands
buried in the pockets of his trousers,
in the attitude dear to every English
His eyes in their framework of In
Vulnerable wrinkles looked down, not
unkindly, at the pale, serious face of
the girl before him.
He. who was accustomed to give ev-
cry scrap Of advice, every senseless
piece Of title-tattle it's just need of
attention, was not likely to leave I'M
needed the calm assertions of a woman
for whom he had great regard, and
who was the daughter of a brother Of
ficer and one Of his best friends OF
Mountford, so her judgment on him
was not likely to be wholly unbiased:
at the same time Sir Thomas-like all
men who ave knocked about the world
a great deal, and seen much Of its
seamy side-had a great belief in
woman's instinct, as apart from her
judgment. and he was the last man in
the world to hold the sex in contempt.
Look here, my dear" he said after
a little while, during which he tried
to read the lines in the interesting face
turned up toward him, II honor you for
your sense of loyalty to de Mountford,
just the same as 1 honor your father
for the like reason. And in order to
prove to you that I, individually, would
be only to happy to see the mans limo
cence established beyond a doubt, I am
going to argue that soberly and SEN
s1bly with you. You hold the theory
that Luke de Mountford is shielding
some n from the of an
awful crime by taking the burden on
himself. Now, my dear, as I told you
before, people don't do that sort of
thing nowadays. In olden times, the
consequences of a crime-especially
where the aristocracy was concerned
were quite picturesque; the tower, the
block, and all that sort Of thing. But
today the paraphernalia of vengeful
justice is very sordid, very mean, and
anything but glorious. 1t means the
lengthy inquiry before a police magis-
trate, then the trial, the past dragged
up to the light, the most private secrets
thrown to the morbid curiosity of the
million. In order to face that sort Of
thing, my dear, a man must be either
guilty-then he cannot help it; or
Wronfully accused--then he hopes for
the establishment of his innocence. But
a man does not prepare himself to face
all that out of quixotic motives. alone,
knowing himself to be innocent and
because he desires that another should
be spared those awful humiliations and
the chance Of a disgusting and shame
full DEATH"
What do you mean by all that, I'm
Gle Ryder" she asked.
Il mean that If we are going to adj
NIT this quixotic motive in de Mount
ford's attitude now, there can only be
one handspring for it."
"What is that 2"
1T is perhaps a little difficult" he
said somewhat hesitatingly.
You mean" she i~nterposed quietly.
that If Luke is taking this awful crime
upon himself for the sake Of another.
that other can only be a woman whom
he loves"