The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-03
CHAPTER VII.
The peeIeion.

rM HOW that could openly assocd
 INN ate myself with Philip Hem W ley's wife in a struggle to re-
 tain for her what was justly her own, all feeling of doubt nished, and became grInaly confident of the final result
 ssT am glad to know that. ssT said, for now can work openly, knowing exact ly what ought to do. have felt like rat akulAing in q hole. believed what those men told me. They con- vfnced me with proofs could not ig- nore, but they must have lied. Would # be possible for Philip Henley to be la penitentiary convicted of crime 2
 It would not be, z she returned firm ly There was no time after l left < him 9cr ans grast and conviction. That alone is sufficient to convince me ot were amply sufficient. 2
 Then what do you think has occur red7',
 ,ssISither one of two things she said soberIy. He is dead or helplessly In the power or those men who sent you here. There is no other con1lusion pos stble. They had possession of his pa pers even his private memoranda, They knew more of conditions here than had ever been told. In my Judg ment, he is dead Otherwise l cannot conceive 1t possible they would dare at tempt to carry out such conspiracy The very holdness cf their plan con vfnoes me they believed no one lived to expose them They knew he was dead and believed, if I still lived. that knew nothing of his tnheritance. The telegram announcing the Judges death 1 I never saw It must hnve arrived while Philip was too intoxicated to grasp It's meaning"
 ~You know nothing. then. of the two men. Neale and Vail ?'
 .'No. There is a Iustus c. Vail. a lawyer. in the city ] found the name Tn the directory and called at his office He was away making political speeches, had been gone twd weeks
 Then the fellow assumed that name. thinking I might be familiar with 1t of the transaction As to NeaIe. I will go to the courthouse in this county and find out about him. You have told me the whole truth bout yourself nows''
 Absolutely. yes Here is my mar rdage certificate: have always kept 1t with me. for I have been afraid of him almost from the first. I gave you the name Bernard unthinkingIy. as that was the name he insisted upon living under, Is that all you wish to l know2''
 ..AlI now. yes. I must have time to think and plan what is best for us to do. can already see my duty guf- hciently clear. but not how to go at it The fact is, Mrs Henley"
 Would 1t not be better for you to call me Viola r she interrupted. Some one might overhear. and we must con tinue to carry out the deception. sup pose"
 .sThen, viola''-and her eyes sudden ly dashed into mine-s.the conditions l have already discovered here in this house are no less strange and danger ous than the mission which brought us here. Everything looks bad. There was murder committed in this house last night
 ..MurderY' Her face went white, heI fingers cIasping my sleeve. Who was IiIIed7 Coon bs? That voman?'' I "NeIther. A man I never saw be fore. I heard the shot and found him living dead on the floor of the real room. He had been shot in the Dael ce the head through an open window And told her the whole story
 Bewildered consternation was clear ly manifested in the girls white face and yet there was frmness to tn lips that promised anything but sur render. For an instant she seemed t' struggle to regain her breath-
 .sOh, how terrible! can scarcef. realize that all yon have, told me cal be fact There were pirates along thi coast once-I have read of them-bu now, in our age of the world even t dream of such a state Of affairs vzoui' be madness What can ft meang Hay