The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1914-12-31
CHAPTea Xvu-coetInuco.

lie did not once interrupt her. Al
the time she was speaking he wai
studying the profile of her face az u
Fascinated by Its strange immobility,
For the matter OF a full half-houy ne
sat on the rail. his back against a post,
his arms folded across the breast OF
the thick ulster he wore, staring n
her, drinking - every word OF the
story she seio. A look OF surprise
creps into his face when she came to
the point where the thought OF marry.
ing Iietty to the brother OF her victim
first began to manifest itself in her
designs. For a time the look OF in
credulity remained. to be succeeded
by utter scorn as she went on with
the recital. Her reasons, her excuses,
her explanations for this master stroke
In the way OF compensation for all
that she had endured at the hands OF
the scornful Wrandalls, all OF whom
wer hateful to her without exception,
stirred him deeply. He began &c un-
derstand the forces that compelled her
to resort to this Machiavallian plan
for revenge on them. She admitted
everything: her readiness to blight
Hetty's life forever; her utter callous-
ness In laying down these ugly plans;
her surprising vindictiveness; her -
Elections on the Triumph she was 70
enjoy when her aims were fully at
tanned. She confessed to a genuine
pity for Hetty Castleton from the be-
ginning. but 1t was outweighed by that
thing she could only describe as an
obsession! How she hated the
Wrandalls! Then came the
real awakening: when the truth zane
TO her as n revelation from God. Hetty
had not been to blame. The girl was
innocent of the one sin that called
for vengeance so far as she was con
cerned. The Staying of Challis Wran-
dali vas justified! All these months
she had been harboring a woman she
believed to have been his mistress as
well as his murderess. II was not 80
much the murderess that she would
have foisted upon the Wrandalls as a
daughter. but the mistress! 4.
She loved the girl, she had loved her
srom that first night. Back of 1t all.
therefore. lay the stern. unsupported
truth: from the very beginning she In
stinctiyely had known this girl to be
innocent OF guile. Her house
OF cards fell down. There was moth.
ing left of the plans on which It had
been constructed. 1t had all bsen
swept awaJ, wen as she strove to
protect 1t against destruction. and the
ground was strewn with the ashes OF
fires burnt out. . She was
shocked to find that she had even
built upon the evil spot! Al
most word for word she repeated Het.
tvs own story Of her meeting with
Challis Wrandall. and how she went,
step by step and blindly. to the last
scene In the tragedy. when his vile.
ness, his true nature was revealed to
her. The girl had told her everything.
She had thought herself to be in love
with Wrandall. She was CO rrled away
by his protestations. She was infatu,
ated. (Sara smiled to herself as she
spoke OF this. She knew Challis Wran-
dall's charm!) The girl believed In
him implicitly. When he took her to
Burton's inn II was to make her his
wife. as she supposed. He had ar.
ranged everything. Then came the
truth. She defended herself. .
Il came upon her in the road on
that wild night. Brandon. at the place
! pointed out. Can you picture her as
l have described her? Can you pic.
ture her despair, her hopelessness, her
misery? ! have told you everything.
from beginning to end. You know how
she came to me. how I prepared her
for the sacrifice. how she left me. /
have not written TO her. l cannot. She
must hate me with all her soul, Just as
l have hated tho Wrandalls. but with
greater reason, l confess. She wodld
have given herself up to the law long
ago, II 1t had not been for exposing
me TO the world as her defender, her
protector. She knew she wac not NOR
ally guilty OF the crime OF murder. In
the beginning she was afraid. She
did no know our land. u laws. In
ums she came to understand that she
was In no real peril. but then Il was
too late. A confession would have
placed ME In an impossible position.
You see. she thought OF me all this
time. She loved me as no womao ever
loved another. Was not I the wife
Of the man she had killed. and was
not the noblest Of all women In her
syesy God! And to think Of what I
sAd planned for her."
This was the end Of the story.
The words died away In q sort III
vhimpering wall. falling In with the
vind to be lost to his straining ears.
0sr head drOopsd. her arms hung
unyly at her side.
E1g . long time he sat there In NJ
ls1ce. looking cut over the d~arkening
Sater. INVITING. unable indeed, to
aDeak. Hi hAAs4 vas full Of compass.
atsn for kaE Dfnsling strangely with
vhet was left Of scorn and horror.
Ulof could he say to her?
AZ last she turnsd to him. Now
ytu know al that I can tell you OF
Me<r< Cksfietop--of Hetty 0lynn. You