The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-10-17

EBut even IL you do not see him, you
q trust me. oh, yes, you can" he
added insistently, seeing the deeply
troubled look that had crept into her
face at his words. II am going to
do tonight what I often have to do
In the course OF my work. / am going
to borrow your soul and your mind
and allow them to speak through my
lips. When I 60 upstairs, I shall only
outwardly be the police officer search
ing for proofs OF a crime; inwardly i
shall be a noble hearted woma try
ing TO discover proofs Of her fiancee's
Innocence. That win be right, dear,
won't it?"
She nodded a-cquiescence, trying TO
appear content. Then she pleaded once
again, dry eyed and broken voiced:
"You will try and get permission for
me to SEE Lord Radclyffe. won't your"
II give YOU. my word" he said sol
EMMY.
Then he went upstairs.
Mr.. warren, quiet and sympathetic.
persuaded Louisa to sit down again
fur stole from her, and threw a log
On the fire. The flames spurted of,
giving q cheerful sackle. But Louisa
say no pictures In this fire, her mind
wa upstairs In Lord RRdclyffe's room,
wondering what was happening.
Mr.. Warren spoke OF the murdered
O He had not been present at
the inquest, and the Jews that the
tyrant who had ruled over Lord Rad
clyffe for so long was nothing but an
impostor came as a fearful shock to
him.
There was the pitifulness OF the
whole thing. The utter purposelessness
OF q hideous crime. So many lives
wrecked, such awful calamity, such APP
paling humiliation, such i%gnominy,
and all just for nothing. A very little
trouble, almost superficial inquiry,
would have revealed the impostnre,
humiliation and prevented the crime
for which the law OF men DEGREES that
there shall be no pardon.
The man who lay Ill upstairs-and he
who was lying in the public mortuary,
surrounded by all the pomp and luxury
which he had filched by his lies-alone
could tell the secret OF the extraordi-
nary success OF the imposture. Lord
Radcliffe had accepted the bricllayer's
son almost as his own, with that same
obstinate reserve with which he had
at first iiouted the very thought OF the
mans pretentions. Who could tell
what persuasion vas used, what ar
guments, what threats2
And the man was an tmpoStor after
u AAIAA AlO l1h hyCGh w W AASAA
one word perhaps would have effaced
him from the world as completely and
less matestically than had been done
by death.
Mr.. Warren talked Of il all, and
Louisa listened with half an ear even
whilst every sense of hearing In her was
concentrated on the floor above. In a
vain endeavor to get q faint inkling OF
what went on in Lord Racldffe's room.
She had heard her uncle's step on the
landing, the few hurried sentences ex-
changed with the doctor before enter
ing the sick chamber, the opening and.
shutting OF a door. Then again the
lighter Footsteps Of the nurse, who had
evidently been sent out OF the room,
heard the faint hum of their voices al
they descended the stairs, yer a sup
pressed giggle now and then: they were
happy, no doubt, at the few moments
OF respite from constant watching,
which had apparently been accorded
them.
They ran quickly down the last flight
of stairs and across the hall toward the
servants quarters. Their chatteripg
wa heard family echoing through the
baize doors. Then nothing more.
Less than a quarter OF an hour went
by, and again she heard the opening
and shutting OF a door, and mems foot
steps on the landing.
Louisa could not believe either her
eyes, which were gazing on the clock,
or her ears. which heard now quite dis
tinctly the voice or Sir Thomas de-
scending the stairs. and Doctor New
ington's more pompous tones In reply.
The interview" remarked Mr.. War
rem, did not last very long"
But already she had risen from her
chair, desperately anxious, wondering
uLnAZ 49, - .Z Na.rlaa IA - II e.
shortness of the interview. She was
not kept long 1 n suspense, for a moment
or two later Sir Thomas Ryder came
In, followed by Doctor Newington. One
glance at her uncle's face told her the
whole disappointing truth. even before
he spoke.
1T was useless. my dear" he said,
Doctor Newington was quite
right. Lord R~adclyffe, I am very sorry
to say, Is hardly conscious. He IL. evil
IDENTIFY, unable to understand what is
said, and certainly quite incapable OF
making any effort to reply"
II was afraid So" added Doctor New
ington in his usual conventional tones,
the patient, you see, IL hardly con-
scious. His mind is dormant. He just
knows me and his nurses, but he did
not recognize Sir Thomas
Louisa said nothing; the blank, hope
less disappointment following on the
excitement OF the past two hours was
exceedingly difficult to bear. The ruiz
Ing passion--strong even in the midst
OF despair--the pride that IA In her.
alone kept her from an utter break
down. She was grateful to her uncle,
who very tactfulIy interposed his tall
figure between her and the Indifferent
eyes OF the doctor. Mr.. Warren looked
more sympathetic than ever, and that
was just as trying to bear as the
pompousness or Doctor Newington.
As a matter OF fact, Louisa had alb
solutely ceased to think. The whole
future from this moment appeared as
an absolute blank. She had not begun,
to enyisage the possibility OF going
back TO the hotel, having utterly failed
In accomplishing that which she had
set mind and heart to do; the throwing
OF the first feeble ray OF light on the
impenetrable darkness Of Luke's sup
posed guilt. She certainly had not en-
visaged the going to bed tonight, the
getting up tomorrow, the be-
ginning of another day with
its thousand and one trivial tasks and
incidents, all the while that she had
failed In doing that which alone could
prevent the awful catastrophe OF to-
morrow!
Luke standing In the dock. like a
common criminall
"Tll just see about getting a cab,
dear" said her uncle kindly.
The first OF those thousand and one
~trivialities which would 60 on and on