The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-04-16

betNeen tneu ont ht1PPFu nHe'
ana looked Win alarm Alicia, who
had turned ashen white @ay
shats lie matteg You're pale =
death
/ lIcla could contain herself no long
Sef. Her nerves were on the point Of
| ,giyIngwaS. She felt that II she could
not SeonHdes her sectet4 to some one
she must go mad. Pacing the door
she cried:
what am / to do' What an, ] 70
do? j believed Howard guilty Why
! shouldn't 1? had no reason TO doubt
! his own confession! Every one be-
lleved this own father included
Why should j doubt 1t. But ] see It
| all now! Underwood must have shot
himselttas he said he would
Annie started. What did Mrs. JET
| fries mean? Did she realize the ire
mendoas significance Of the words she
was utteTing?
"As he said he wolld?" she repeat
ed slowly.
Eyes" said Alicia weakly.
Annie bounded forward and grasped
her companions arm. Her face
flushed, almost unable to speak from
suppressed emotion, she cried:
"'Ah! / begin TO understand. You
knew Robert Underwood? Howard
knows your Yoice&he heard you-taik,
ing to him oh, Mrs. Jeffries! Are
you the woman who visited his apart.
ments that night?"
The bankers wife bowed her head
and collapsed on a chair.
Yes" she murmured in low tone.
Annie looked at her in ama2ement.
"Why didn't you come forward at
onceF she cried. 3"Think OF the pain
which you might have spared us!"
Alicia covered her face with her
handkerchief. She was crying now.
1.-THE dlssrace-the disgrace!" she
moaned.
Disgrace" echoed Annie. stupe-
fed. Indignantly, she went on: "Dls-
grace-to you? But what OF me and
Howard"
Cant you realize what It means to
be associated with such crime?" she
walled.
"Diagrace!" cried Annie contemptu'
ously What is disgrace when a hu'
man life is at stake?"
1T seemed so useless" moaned Al
icia-"a use!eAs sacrifice in the face
Of Howard's confession. or course
If I'd known-if I'd suspected what
you tell me-I'd have come forward
and told everything-no matter at
what cost" Tearfully she added:
Surely you realize the position It
puts me in?"
A new light shone In Armies eyes.
What was this woman's misery to
her? Her duty was to the poor fel.
low who was counting the hours until
she could set him free. His stepmoth-
er deserved no mercy. Utterly self
ish, devoid of spark of humanity,
she would have left them both to
perish in order to protect herself from
shame and ridicule. Her face was set
and determined as she said calmly:
1T must be done now
"Yes," murmured Alicia in a low
tone that sounded like sob, at must
be done now! Oh, II I'd only done 1t
before-if I'd only told Mr.. Jeffries
the whole truth! You speak OF How.
ards sufferings. II he didn't do 1t.
he has at least the consciousness Of
his own innocence, but 1.-The con
slant fear of being found out is worse
than any hell the Imagination can con-
jure up. dreaded It'll dread 1t now
1t means disgrace-social ostraclsm
my husband must know-the whole
world will know"
Annie was not listening. Still be.
wildered, she gazed with the utmost
astonishment at her companion. TO
think that this mysterious woman
they had been seeking was Towards
stepmother.
so you're the missing witness we
have all been hunting for!" she said;
''f can't believe it even now. How
did It happen?"
"He and were once engaged |
broke 1t OF when found him out.
After married Mr.. Jetfries met In.
derwood again. Foolishly, allowed
the old intimacy to be renewed. lie
took advantage and preyed on my
friends forbade him my house.
He wrote me letter in which he
threatened to kill himself. i was
afraid he meant It'll wanted to pre-
vent him. went to his rooms that
night. I-didn't tell Mr.. Jettries.
When the truth is known and &C.
knowledge that visited this man
can you see what It means?-what
fuss therell be. Everybody will put
the worst construction on it"
Trust them for that" said Annie
grimly. She was sorry for the WON.
ans distress, yet, being only human,
she felt certain sense Of satisfaction
In seeing her suffer little Of what
she had been made to suffer.
They'll say that I-God knows
| what they'll say!" went on Alicia dis
tractedly.' my husband will be
dragged through the mlre OF another