The Press., 1914-01-07

| as something, akin to a father Hel reception of the opening of the pro posal he intended discouraged him.
 "But what is it you have to say to mel" she added seeing that he was drawing back within himself. Her ques ton was accompanied by a reassurine smile. It brought him courage.
 ''I don't see how you can live here alone" he said, "and you have no rela tive to come and live with you. was your fathers friend. He was like brother to me, and I've missed hin since he left us pretty nigh as much as you have"
 She interrupted him. Whether it was to slave off what she saw was coming or from 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 I was a 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 woman and he had gone had his permission to do so."
 'Intrust me! Did father doubt that secret?"
 Not as a woman, only as an ire sponsible child. I will tell you all. l ought to tell you, for there is reason in it for my not saying what have intended to say. There was a man, a miserly wretch, who held a mortgage on this house. Your father was having time and couldn't pay the interest. The old skinfint wrote him that he was going to foreclose 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 found 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 ineficiency 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 to the jail to help the sheriff protect your father. Nearing it, I saw the men advancing to attack 1t. Taking posi- tion behind a tree, fired several shots at them"
 The captain paused.
 "Well?" queried Edith.
 "I killed one of them.'
 "Go on''
 "They supposed my shots came from the jail. They all went away. You are 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 on.
 Mot long after this the police ran ill a criminal with some money and other property on him that had belonged to the murdered man. He confessed to the murder. and your father was re- leased"
 With a sigh. of relief Edith drew away and. resting her head on the high back of the chair in which she sat, covered her face with her hands. Her companion waited for her to, re- cover from her emotion. Presently she withdrew her hands and said:
 Go on.''
 There's nothing more to tell,' the captain said. T wanted to give myself up and take the consequences of the killing had done, but your father and your mother dissuaded me. They said it was perfectly legitimate and by it had saved your fathers life, for it turned out that the sheriff was unpre- pared to defend him and was ready to give him up to the men who had brought with them the wherewithal to execute him. I suppose this is true, but I think would have felt better all these years if I had confessed"
 Never mind that now. What was it you were going to tell me before this digreSSion?'
 q can't do il"
 Then I will"
 She threw her arms about his neck and said: You will need some one to take the place of those who doubtless did what they could to make you feel satisfied that you did right in defend ing an innocent man even though you took a life in doing so. I will be that person.
 The story was told, though it was. the woman who told it. And now an other wife lies at night thinking of fisherman out on the black waters un- der the dome of heaven. waiting for the fishes to come into his net. When the moon glints the waves she sleeps calmly, but when she hears the wind rising or the deep moan of the fog born she shudders