Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1912-01-17
CHAPTER XXI.

thls answer away before he
went on to say: "You have lis
tened to Zadok Browns testi-
mony. When he returned at be found
the stable door locked and the key
hanging up on its usual nail In the
kitchen. How do you account for
thisT"
There are two ways"
Mention them, If you please"
"Zadok had been to a dance and may
not have been quite clear as to what
he saw, or, finding the stable door
open, may have blamed himself for the
fact and sought to cover up his fault
with lie."
Have you ever caught him in lie?"
mo. But there's always a first
time"
You would impeach his testimony
then"
mo. You have asked me how this
discrepancy could be explained, and
have tried to show you"
"Mr. Cumberland, the gray mare was
out that night. This has been amply
proved"
"lf you believe Zadok. yes"
"You have heard other testimony
corroborative of this fact. She was
seen on the clubhouse road that night
by person amply qualified to identify
her"
$50 I've been told"
"The person driving this horse wore
a hat, identified as an old one of yours,
which hat was afterward found at
your house on a remote peg in sell
Som used closet. If you were not this
person. how can you explain the use
of your horse, the use of your clothes,
the locking of the stable door-which
you declare yourself to have left open
and the hanging up of the key on its
own nailP'
1t was a crucial question-how cru
cial no one knew but our two selves,
If he answered at all he must com.
promise Carmel. | had no fear of his
doing this, but | had great fear of
what Ella might do If he let this impli-
cation stand and made no effort to ex-
onerata himself by denying his pres
ence in the cutter and consequent re-
turn to the Cumberland home. The
quick side glances here observed cast
b her direction by both father and
mother showed that she had made
some impulsive demonstration visible
to them, IL not to others. and, fearful
of the consequences if ! did not make
some effort to hold her in check,
kept my eyes in her direction and so
lost Arthur's look and the look Of his
counsel as he answered. with just the
word l had expected-short and dog
ged:
81 cannot explain"
1t was my death warrant. i realized
mis- even while 1 held Elias eye with
mine and smoothed my countenance to
meet the anguish in hers, in the effort
to hold her back for q few minutes
longer till could quite satisfy myself
that Arthur's case was really lost and
that | must speak or feel myself his
murderer.
The gloom which followed this rec
ognition of his inability, real or fan
cied, to explain away the most damn
ing feature of the case against him,
taken with his own contradictions and
growing despondency, could not escape
my eye, accustomed as | was to the
habitual expression of most every per-
son there. But 1t was not yet the i'm
penetrable gloom presaging conviction,
and, directing Elias gaze toward Mr.
Moffat, who seemed but little dis
turbed either by Mr.. Fox's satisfaction
or the prisoners open despair, | took
heart of grace and waited for the dis
trict attorneys next move 1t was q
fatal one. | began to recognize this
very soon, simple as was the subject
he now introduced.
When you went into the kitchen,
Mr.. Cumberland, to get the stable
door key. was the gas Lit, or did you
have to light it?" .....
'It-it was lit, think"
Don't you know"
at was lit. but turned low. I could
see we'll enough"
why, then, didn't you take both
keys"
Both keysY"
"You have said you went down town
by the short cut through your neigh
hor's yard. That cut is guarded by a
door which was locked that night.
You needed the key to that door more
than the one to the stable. Why didn't
you take it,"
IL took it when l took the other
"Are you sureT
"Yes; they both hung on one nail.
grabbed them both at the same
time"
(Which of the two hung foremostT
Il didn't notice"
"You took both?"
"Yes, | took both"
"And went straight out with themr'
"Yes, to the stable.'
"And then whereT
"Through the adjoining grounos
downtown"
you are sure you went through MT.
Fulton's grounds at this early hour IN