The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1913-10-10

tears were dropping on her work.
Hearing a sound. she looked up and
saw Captain Brown. He had entered
as he had been used to enter, without
knocking she smiled at him family
was left of the three who had compos-
ed her little world He sat down be-
fore her and looked at her pityingly
with Lis gray eyes
Edith" be said, i've come to say
something to you. Your father and
mother being gone, you have no one to
rely op."
Eyes: 1 have you. Father often told
me that if he were taken away from
me could count on you for anything"
The fisherman WINGED. He had some
thing on his mind, something he had
dreamed without hope of its realiza-
ton. He had long wished for Edith's
love. the love of a woman, not a child,
for a man. Now that she was left
alone there seemed possibility thathe
might induce her to look upon him as
a suitor. But he had been twenty
years old when she was born. and she
had been accustomed to think of him
as something akin to a father. Her
reception of the opening of the pro-
posal he intended discouraged him.
But what is it you have to say to
me?" she added. seeing that he was
drawing back within himself. Her ques-
ton was accompanied by a reassuring
81 don't see how you can live here
alone" he said. land you have no rela-
tive to come and live with you.
was your fathers friend. He was like
a brother to me, and I've missed him
since he left us pretty nigh as much
as you have"
She interrupted him. Whether it
was to stave off what she saw was
coming or from a sincere desire to
know the truth he could not be sure.
'Tell me-" she said, what was the
trouble that came to the family when
l was little girl, and what was your
connection with it,
Your father told me that If I felt it
would be safe to intrust you with the
secret after you had become a woman
and he had gone had his permission
to do So"
"Intrust me. Did father doubt that
might safely be intrusted with any
secret?"
mot as a woman. only as an ire
sponsible child. l will tell you all. l
ought to tell you. for there is a reason
in it for my not saying what l have
intended to say. There was a man, a
misery wretch. who held a mortgage
on this house Your father was having
hard luck with his nets about that
time and couldn't pay the interest. The
old skinflint wrote him that he was
going to foreelose the mortgage. Your
father went to see him about the mat
ter and there were high words between
the two. The next morning the miser
was fssInd murdered"
Edith leaned forward to catch every
word. a look of dread on her face.
your father was arrested charged
with the murder. Nobody doubted that
he was guilty. and since a number
Of criminals had shortly before got
off by the inefficiency of the law a
number of men determined in this case
to be the law themselves. | got wind
Of the move and, taking my gun, went
10 the Jail to help the sheriff protect
your father. Nearing it, saw the men
advancing to attack 1t. Taking posi-
ton behind a tree, l fired several shots
lt them"
The captain paused.
"Well?" queried Edith.
81 killed one of them"
go on
''They supposed my shots came from !
the jail They all went away. You
ire the only person now living who
knows that there is blood on my
hands"
She reached for the hand on which
there was blood and asked him to go
)n.
Not long after this the police ran in
l criminal with some money and other
property on him that had belonged to
he murdered man. He confessed to
he murder. and your father was re-
eased."
With a sigh of relief Edith drew
AWAY and. resting her head on the
Ugh back Of the chair in which she
,at. covered her face with her hands.
Ter companion waited for her to re-
over from her emotion. Presently
he withdrew her hands and said:
Go on
There's nothing more to tell" the
aptain said. Il wanted to give myself
lp and take the consequences Of the
.illing | had done. but your father and
our mother dissuaded me. They said
t was perfectly legitimate and by 1t |
lad saved your fathers life, for 1t
urned out that the sheriff was unpre-
AIRED to defend him and was ready to
i've him up to the men who had
,rought with them the wherewithal
o execute him. suppose this is true.
Iut think would have felt better all
hese years If l had confessed"
Never mind that now. What was
t you were going to tell me before this
IgressionT"
81 can't do It."