Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-07-24

tue ulsudln sne mas SHOWN man sue
has taken no pains to understand"
You saw Miss Challoner lift her
| hand, you say. Which hand, and what
was in it? Anything"
"She lifted her right hand, but II
would be impossible for me to tell you
whether there was anything in it or
not. ! simply saw the movement be-
fore turned away. 1t looked like one
OF alarm to me. felt that she had
some reason for this. She could not
know that 1t was in repentance came
rather than In fulfilment of my
| threat"
A sigh from the adjoining room Mr..
brotherson rose, as he heard 1t, and in
doing so met the clear eye of Sweet
water fixed upon his own. It's lam
guage was, no doubt, peculiar and 1t
seemed to fascinate him for a mo-
ment, for he started as IL to approach
the detective, but forsook this inten-
ton almost Immediately, and address
ing the coroner, gravely remarked:
Her death following so quickly up
on this abortive attempt of mine at an
interview startled me by its coinci-
dence as much as 1t does you. II in
the weakness of her woman's nature,
IT was more than this--if the scorn
she had previously shown me was a
cloak she instinctively assumed to
hide what she was not ready to dis
close, my remorse will be as great as
any one here could wish. But the
proof Of all this will have to be very
convincing before my present convic-
tons will yield to 1t. Some other and
more poignant source will have to be
found for that instant's impulsive act
than is supplied by this story of my
unfortunate attachment"
Doctor Heath was convinced, but he
| was willing to concede something to
the secret demand made upon him by
Sweetwater. who was bundling up his
papers with much clatter
Looking up with a smile which had
elements in it he was hardly conscious
Of perhaps himself, he asked In an off
hand way:
Then why did you take such pains
to wash your hands of the affair the
moment you had left the hotel?"
Il do not understand
you passed around the corner into
- street, did you not?"
Very likely. l could go that way
as well as another"
And stopped at the first lamp
post?"
oh, | see. Some one saw that child
ish action OF mine"
What did you mean by it?"
Just wat you have suggested. I
| did go through the pantomime of
washing my hands of an affair CON
| sidered definitely ended. ! had resist.
ed an irrepressible impulse to see and
talk with Miss Challoner again, and
was pleased with my firmness. I'm
aware OF the tragic blow which had
just fallen, was full of self-congratu-
lations at my escape from the charm
1 which had lured me back to this ho-
! tel again and again in spite of my bet
| ter judgment, and wished to symbol
ize my relief by an act of which {
was, in another moment, ashamed.
Strange that there should have been a
witness to it. (Here he stole a look
at Sweetwater) Stranger still, that
circumstances, by the most extraordi-
nary Of condolences, should have Civ
en- so unforeseen point to it,"
You are right, Mr. Brotherson. The
whole occurrence is startling and
most strange. But life is made up of
the unexpected, as none know better
than we physicians, whether our prac-
tice be Of public or private char
acter."
AS Mr. Brotherson left the room,
the curiosity to which he had yielded
| once before, led him to cast a glance
of penetrating inquiry behind him full
at Sweetwater, and if either felt en-
barrassment, it was not the hunted
but the hunter.
But the feeling did not last.
1--WE simply met the strongest man
I've ever encountered" was Sweetwa-
ter's encouraging comment to himself
"All the more glory if / can find a
joint in his armor or a hidden pass
age to his cold, secretiVe heart"
CHAPTER XII.