Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-24
THE WHITE BLACKBIRD
HUDSON DOUGLAS.
tosyysssAs 1919. b. Lstt,s. Brswn I os>)

hands fall, prepared to do public penance
for her innocent and unwilling part In the
shameless fraud that had been perpetrat'
ed. She did not give q thought to the
future We're finally shattered and past re-
pair. But she wondered what the poor
folk she had befriended about the village
would have to say when they heard thai
she was no better than common I'M
poster. and the duchess, who had be-
friended her, and Justin Carthew. whom
Mr.. Jobling had treated as trespasseI
there.
1T is true" she asserted. desperately
IN tone which might have VETO touched even zen
now She almost broke down under
the dire humiliation she was enduring.
but the duchess would not let her sc
when she would have drawn away from
the arm at her waist, and she forced her
self to go on with her unspeakably hurt.
full confession.
1.-The locket was given me by the girl
who died in the desert-who was that
mans wife, she said. so that all might
hear. her face afiame now under the
others blankly believing glances. ~
didn't want to take 1t at all-but she be-
lieved she would not live long and felt
that it would be unkind to refuse"
Parish NJ Kissock looked round, in bale
he had thus thwarted and brought to
nought. But Capt. Doves evil eyes were
fixed on Lord Jura.
Did she tell you nothing at all Of her
self-or her history?" the duchess asked
very gently.
Not a word" Sallie answered, with
transparent honesty.
But there's another here that knew
who she was said Parish MKissock.
and pointed to Justin Carthew. who could
only nod most unhappily, avoiding Sallie' s
sudden. incredulous glance.
And at that Lord Jura seemed to start
from the stupor into which he had grad
ually lapsed. His haggard face grew dark
with insane and uncomfortable passion
as he began to realize the fiendish in
man whom he had, in the first place
wronged so cruelty. No other torture,
bodily or mental. could have caused him
such anguish as the thought of all his
He lifted two twitching hands and sud
denly leaped, as tiger might, at Parish
M kfssock's throat.
So swift and unforeseen was the move
ment that no one could interfere. But
he overshot his mark, and slipped and
M'Kissock stumbled aside, just In time to
escape his clutch. He came down with a
crash. and his eyeglass dropped and
splashed about him in fragments as his
he turned on one shoulder and thrust an
arm out, and was trying to rise when
something seemed to snap in the coat
pocket underneath him, and he uttered q
scream of agony as his arm collapsed
at the elbow, SO that he fell face for
with cramp.
Keep back shouted Slyne. And
Justin Carthew, in the act Of STOPPING to
try to help the ex-engineer, sprang to one
touch of wriggling thing. black and
Shiny. like live shoestring, which had
come slithering out from under the hand
with which the fallen man was clawing
at the floor. 1t was almost at Carthew' 8
ankles. He leaped convulsively again
little. venomous head writhed round and
struck more than once at the patent
leather Of his low shoes. and then fell
Imply back and lay still. He set his
heel on it. to make sure that 1t would
work no more harm, and turned hastily
toward Lord Jura again.
Herries was before him, however, and
had already lifted the stricken mans head
and shoulders little. Carthew would
have helped to raise him to a sitting pos
ture, but all his limbs curled in a dread
full CONFUSION, and Strengthened rigfdly
and curled again in a last awful spasm,
and SO relaxed. lifeless, while his rolling
eyeballs also grew fixed and still. He
had ceased to breathe.
He's dead" said Capt. Dove, and start
ed. as IL alarmed by the sound Of his
own voice. And for a space no one else
spoke, and no one moved at all The
only undertones that broke the silence
were the subdued. helpless weeping of
the three women, the muted moaning OF
the wind on the terrace without. Car
thew and Herries were still on their
knees, one on either side Of the dead
man. from one Of whose pockets pro-
truded q broken, empty cigar box. The
others stood staring down at him, as II
they could scarcely yet understand what
it was that had made such an instant
difference in him.
Carthew got stiffiy to his feet. 1--WE
must get the women away out Of this at
once" he whispered to Herries, and held
out a hand to help the old factor up.
Herries gazed at him out Of lackluster
eyes. into which slow return OF intelli-
gence crept as he, too. rose.
Yes. my lord" he answered. in low
voice, that yet was audible to all but the
unhearing ears Of him who had been the
ninth Earl of Jura, whose heritage was
now no more than quiet niche in the
lonely graveyard on the most seward OF
the Small Isles, and a young girls ig=
norant prayers that he might there find