The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-02-10
Whispering
Pines

90 so. III my Sins eXacteO penauce
would pay IL here and now and TO the
/ full. Only Carmel should not suffer.
] refused TO admit that she had given
any evidences of returning my reck.
less passion. My tongue would not
speak the necessary words. and il was
not made TO. II was not her charac-
ter. but mine. which Mr.. Moffat was
endeavoring 10 assail.
But though was thus shown up
for what was. in manner most
public and undesirable. neither the
rulings OF the court nor the attitude
OF the jury betrayed any loss of con
fidence in me as a credible witness.
and. seeing this. the willy lawyer shift.
ed his ground and confined himself TO
an endeavor TO shake me on certain
J definite and important points concern
ing my finding of the body. Then he
| branched off into less narrowing
/ topic and cross examined me In re-
gard TO the ring. had said that ii
/ was on her hand when | bade goodby
10 her in her own house and that Il
was not there when | came upon her
dead. Had the fact made me curious
! 10 examine the hand? No. Then /
could not tell whether the finger on
which she wore IL gave any evidence
OF this ring having been pulled of
with violence? No. | could not swear
that IN my opinion IL was? I could
not.
The small flask OF cordial and the
three glasses. one clean and the 9th
ers showing signs of having been used.
were next taken up. but with no re-
suit for the defense. ! had told all
knew about these in my direct exami-
nation: also about such matters as the
bottles found on the kitchen table. the
leaving OF my keys at the Cumberland
house and the fact. well known. that
the two bottles of wine left in the wine
vault and tabulated by the steward as
so left in the list found in my apart.
ments were of an exclusive brand un-
likely 10 be found anywhere else In
town. l could add nothing more, aud,
having spoken the exact truth con-
corning them from the very first. ran
no chance of contradicting myself.
even under the close fire OF the oppos-
ing counsel.
But there was matter I dreaded TO
see him approach and which. | was
equally sure, with an insight unshared.
believe. by any one else in the whole
courtroom. was equally dreaded by the
prisoner.
This was the presence in the club
house chimney of the half burned let
ter | had long ago been compelled in
my own defense TO acknowledge hav-
ing written to the victims young sis
ter. Carmel Cumberland. As ! saw
District Attorney Fox about TO enter
upon this topic | gathered myself to-
gether TO meet the onslaught, for in
this matter | could not be strictly
truthful. since the least slip on my
part might awaken the whole world TO
the fact that IL could only have come
there through the agency of Carmel
herself
What Mr. Moffatt thought of it
what he hoped TO prove in the prison
er's behalf by raking this subject over
it was left for me TO discover later.
The prisoner was an innocent man In
his eyes. was not. and while the
time had not come for him TO make
this openly apparent. he was not above
showing even now that the case con-
tanned a factor which weakened the
prosecutions factor totally disasso-
ciated with the ouly accepted theory
that the crime was simply the result
of personal cupidlty and drunken spite
And in this he was right IL did
weaken weakened ii TO the point
of collapse. II the counsel for the de
Tense had fully acted up TO his oppor'
tunity. But something withheld him
lust at the moment when | feared the
truth must come out he hesitated and
veered gradually away from this sub
ject. In his nervous pacings TO and
fro before the witness stand his eye
had rested for a moment on Arthurs,
and with this result: The situation
was saved. but at great loss to the
defendant.
began to cherish softened feelings
toward Arthur Cumberland from this
moment. Was it then or later that
be began In his turn TO cherish new
and less hostile feelings toward my
self? He had hated me and vowed
my death II escaped the fate he could
now dimly see opening out before him
self. yet could see that he was glad
TO see me slip from my tormentors
hands with my story unimpeached and
that he drew his breath more deeply
and with much more evidence of free
dom now that my testimony had been
III oroughly siftcd and nothing had
come TO light duplicating Carmel
even thought I caught kindly CLEAN
In his eye ms II met mine nj this crit
lcal juncture. and by its light under
stood my man and what he hoped from
me. He wished me. at any risk 10 him
self. 10 unite with him In saving Car
mers good name. That ] should ac-
cede TO this. that should respect his
generous wishes aud let him 20 to
unmerited destruction for even so Inn
perative au obligation as we both lay
under. was n question for the morrow.
several short examinations followed
mine. all telling In their nature. all cal
culated to fix in the minds OF the jury
fbe following factS.