The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1912-08-13
CHAPTER XvII.-contInued.

CHAP EH NVll'-Continucu.
He did not once interrupt her. All
the time she was speaking he was
studying the profile OF her face as II
fascinated by its strange immobllity.
For the matter of full half-hour he
sat on the rail, his back against post,
his arms folded across the breast OF
the thick ulster he wore. staring at
her. drinking in every word OF the
story she told A look OF surprise
crept into his face when she came 10
the point where the thought OF marry
ing Hetty to the brother OF her victim
first began TO manifest itself In her
designs. For a time the look OF IN
credulity remained, to be succeeded
by utter scorn as she went on win
the recital Her reasons, her excuses
her explanations for this master stroke
IN the way OF compensation for all
that she had endured at the hands OF
the scornful Wrandalls, all OF whom
were hateful to her without exception,
stirred him deeply. He began to un-
derstand the forces that compelled her
10 resort to this Machiavellian plan
for revenge on them. She admitted
everything: her readiness to blight
Hetty's life forever; her utter callous-
ness in laying down these ugly plans;
her surprising vindictiyeness; her re-
fiections on the triumph she was to
enjoy when her aims were fully at
talned. She confessed to genuine
pity for Hetty Castleton from the be-
ginning, but It was outweighed by that
thing she could only describe as an
obsession! How she hated the
Wrandalls! Then came the
real awakening: when the truth came
TO her as a revelation from God. Hetty
had not been to blame. The girl was
innocent OF the one sin that called
for vengeance so far as she was con-
cerned. The Staying Of Challis Wran-
dali was justified! All these months
she had been harboring woman she
believed to have been his mistress az
well as his murderess. 1t was not so
Anb AAAAA ohR WCNaN
have foisted upon the Wrandalls as a
daughter. but the mistress!
She loved the girl. she had loved her
from that first night. Back OF 1t all,
therefore, lay the stern. unsuspected
truth: from the very beginning she In
stinctively had known this girl to be
innocent of guile. Her house
of cards fell down. There was moth
ing left OF the plans on which It had
been constructed. 1t had all been
swept away, even as she strove tC
protect 1t against destruction, and the
ground was strewn with the ashes oI
fires burnt out. She was
shocked to find that she had ever
built upon the evil spot! Al
most word for word she repeated Het
ty's own story of her meeting will
Challis Wrandall, and how she went
step by step and blindly, to the las
scene In the tragedy, when his vile
ness, his true nature was revealed tC
her. The girl had told her everything
She had thought herself to be in Low,
with Wrandall. She was carried ava!
by his protestations. She was infatu
ated. (Sara smiled to herself as she
spoke of this. She knew Challls Wran
dall's charmD The girl believed ii
him implicitly. When he took her t
Burton's inn II was to make her hi
wife. as she supposed. He had ar
ranged everything. Then came tn
truth. She defended herself.
81 came upon her in the road Of
that wild night, Brandon, at the plac
pointed out. Can you picture her a
/ have described her? Can you pic
ture her despair, her hopelessness, he
misery? / have told you everything
from beginning to end. You know hoy
she came to me, how | prepared he
for the sacrifice, how she left me.
have not written TO her. cannot. Sh
must hate me with all her soul, just a
have hated the Wrandalls. but wit
greater reason, confess. She woul
have given herself up to the law lon
ago, II II had not been for exposin
me to the world as her defender he
protector. She knew she was not mol
ally guilty of the crime OF murder. l
the beginning she was afraid. Sh
did not know our land, our laws.
time she came TO understand that sh
was in no real peril, but then 1t wa
too late. A confession would hav
placed me in an impos sible position
You see, she thought of me all thi
time. She loved me as no woman eve
loved another. Was not | the wifi
OF the man she had killed, and wa
not the noblest OF all women in he
eyes? God! And TO think OF what
had planned for her!"
This was the end of the story.
The wosds died away In a sort {
whimpering wall, falling in with th
wind to be lost to his straining ear
Her head dropped. her arms hur
Imply at her side.
For a long time he sat there in s
lence, looking out over the darkenir
water, unwilling, unable indeed,
speak. His heart was full of compa
sion for her, mingling strangely wit
what was left of scorn and horro
What could he say to herr
At last she turned to him. mo
you know all that | can tell you
Hetty Castleton-of Hetty Glynn. W
corId not have forced this from IN
Brandon. She would not tell you.
was left for me to do in my own goo
time. Well. have spoken. VIII
have you to sayY"
81 can only say, Sara, that | thar
God for everything" he said slowly.