Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-09-18

Edith? never!"
| The words were chokingly said; he
| was swaying, almost falling. but he
steadied himself
Who says that?" he asked
1T was the coroner's verdict"
| And she died that way-died?"
Immediately"
After writing to your
| Yes
What was in the letter.
Nothing of threat, they say. Only
| just cheer and expressions OF hope.
! Just like the others, Mr.. Brctherson."
And they accuse her of taking her
own life? Their verdict is lie. They
did not know her" Then. after some
moments of wild and confused feeling.
he declared, with desperate effort at
self-control: You said that some be-
| lieve this. Then there must be 9th
ers who do not. What do they says
Nothing They simply feel as you
| do. They see no reason for the act
/ and no evidence of her having medi-
tated 1t. Her father and her friends
insist besides, that she was incapable
of such horror. The mystery of 1t
is killing us all; me above others, for
I've had to show you a cheerful face,
with my brain Keeling and my heart
! like lead in my bosom"
She held out her hands. She tried
| to draw his attention to herself; not
from any sentiment Of egotism, but
to break, If she could, the strain of
these insupportable horrors where so
short time before Hope sang and
Life reveled in reawakened joys.
| Perhaps some faint realization of
this reached him, for presently he
caught her by the hands and bowed
his head upon her shoulder and finally
let her seat him again, before he said:
DO they know of-of my interest
in this?''
YES; they know about the two
o. BIS"
1.-THE two" He was on his feet
again, but only for moment; his
weakness was greater than his will
power.
"Orlando and Oswald Brotherson,"
she explained, in answer to his brok-
en- appeal "Your brother wrote let
tiers to her as well as you, and signed
them just as you did, with his ini-
/ tials only. These letters were found
In her desk, and he was supposed. for
a time, to have been the author of
4 all that were so signed. But they
found out the difference after awhile.
Yours were easily recognized after
they learned there was another o. b.
who loved her.
The words were plain enough, but
the stricken listener did not take
them in They carried no meaning
to him. How could they? The very
/ idea she sought to impress upon him
by this seemingly careless allusion
was an incredible one. She found it
her dreadful task to tell him the hard.
bare truth.
Your brother" she said, was de-
voted to Miss Challoner, too. He even
wanted to marry her. I cannot keep
back this fact. 1t is known every
where, and by everybody but you"
"OrIando?" His lips took an iron
ical curve, as he uttered the word.
This was young girls imaginative
fancy to him. why Orlando never
knew her, never saw her, never"
He met her at Lenox."
/ The name produced its effect He
stared, made an effort to think, re-
peated Lenox over to himself; then
suddenly lost his hold upon the idea
which that word suggested, struggled
again for it, seized 1t in an instant of
madness and shouted out:
yes. yes. | remember. | sent him
there" and paused, his mind blank
again
Poor Doris, frightened to her very
soul, looked blindly about for help;
but she did not quit his side; she did
not dare to, for his lips had re-
opened; the continuity of his thoughts
had returned; he was going to speak
Il sent him there" The words
came in sort of shout. Il was SO
hungry to hear of her and I thought
he might mention her In his letter.
Insane! Insane! He saw her and
What's that you said about his loving
her? He couldn't have loved her;
he's not of the loving sort. They've
deceived you with strange tales
They've deceived the whole world
with fancies and mad dreams. He
may have admired her, but loved her
no! or if he had, he would have re-
spected my claims"
'He did not know them"
A laugh; laugh which paled Doris
cheek; then his tones grew even
again, memory came back and he NUT
tered family:
THAT is true. said nothing to
him. He had the right to court her
and he did, you say; wrote to her;
imposed himself upon her, drove her
mad with opportunities she was
forced to rebuke; and--and what else?
There is something else. Tell me; /
will know all"
He was standing now, his feeble
ness all gone. passion In every Inca