The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-08-29

1t was Louise with Hugh CrandaII.
CHAPTER XII.
More Dlscoverias


him from under a car. Though he
dled IN ten minutes, I doubt if he suf-
Tered half as much as if he had
bumped his head or had run a splinter
under his thumb-nail. 1t is when YOU
are mortally hurt and live that the
pain becomes so terrible.
In the few minutes l had had with
Louise had not realized the depth of
| the wound in my heart her conduct
toward ME had made Even when I
saw her dash away from me in an au-
tomobile, panied though l was that our
| iKterview should have been cut short,
still did not comprehend what a ter
! Tible blow it was that had befallen
! 4hs. Il was the sight az ! left the
- tha automobile dashing BY,
Jerry ~itE Iou,sotro @FaaA ! loved
seated beside Hugh Crandall, "s
gave new poignancy to my pain, that
added to the fires of jealousy, that
made me understand to the full the
dire import of what had happened.
Louise had lied to me.
Crandall had been in 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 go with him. And all the while her
lips had protested that no one had
been in the house but the doctors and
nurses.
AS l paced the platform and paced
1t back again, waiting two weary hours
for an Ardway train, as l sat for two
amending hours more in the long ride
through New Jersey, like poisoned
knife, cutting my heart to shreds and
cutting the shreds again, the thought
kept coming back to me over and
over: "She lied to me-
Quarter 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 1t, the pain and agony
can not equal that which comes to a
man who, believing in and trusting
and loving a woman with his whole
heart, is forced 10 admit to himself
that she has deceived him-that she
has lied TO him. In those awful hours
l came to know the seven hells.
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 it was the influence of Crandall
I could no doubt. He had so proved
on her fears for her father and sister,
perhaps on her fear for me, that he
had induced her to try to 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"
l recalled the piteous cry my en-.
treaties had wrung from her lips, and
found the logical explanation of it in
her having been terrorized by that
villain, Crandall. If could have found
him at the moment I could have killed
him with my naked hands.
Yet even though l was convinced
that Louise had lied to 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 to her, my duty to myself,
l reasoned, demanded that l do my
utmost to solve the hideous mystery
and free her from the fear that | was
sure was responsible for her strange
actions. l swung off the train at Ard
way and fastened to the hotel eager
to tell Davis what l had learned about
the movements of Hugh Crandall, but
Davis was not there All that could
learn was that he had hired a 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 a 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 I 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 Crandall's actions While
he had advised against my return to
the city, he would have to admit that
it had not been without result.
As I entered the post-office I found
that Miss Cox was still in charge.
Approaching the letter window, | babe
her good afternoon and asked if there
was any news of the missing postmas-
ter. 1t 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?" asked as I en-
tered the office, has anything been
heard OF Rouser?"
She shook her head.
That's about the eighty-ninth time
I've answered that question to-day.
Seems like the whole town was In
here wanting TO know"
Has the post-offce inspector been
here?"
He was in here this morning and
made lust the routine examination. He