The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-07-06
?22 ?22 23

questioned Sedgwick.
 sgThat found you at Hedgerow l house. Yes" he said gently
 Whatever Wilfrid may have been.' she continued after a moments si- lenee, The was my husband. I bear his name, and to leave him in a name lese grave is to dishonor not him alone. but myself-s
 -xou would claim the body9s cried Alexander Blair.
 @what else is there for us to dor" she coun9ersd-
 ssAnd bring down upon us unavofda- bly the publicity which we have es- caped at So bitter d pricegT cried the elder Blair. ssHave we not suffered enough from the scandal Of his life mat we should be further involved in the scandal of his death2r g Hes right, miss. It won't do' 7 said Gae sheriH kindly
 The tension was broken by tremen- d1us sigh All eyes turned to Preston Jax who had risen and was leaning against the wall, his chin jerking gal vnn1caIly.
 We1l T' said Kent
 What are you going to do with me7'' ss7ou7 Ohs you go back to Irene, ? said Kent, with his half smile ssTh1tts IJA4 S9@A-4A4-A<-e "A AAAAS- &P Alklk&tN<1. The astrnloger drew q quick breath. The light of a great relief softened his hard little eyes A startled look widL- ened them as Marjorie Blair her own 3r1ubla forgotten for the nnoment. rose and went over to him. the reflection of another's happiness shining in her face and making 1t doubly lovely. A ring gIinsed in her outstretched hand
 Take this she said softly. flor your Irene May you be very. very happy togetherH
 Wh-wh-whutn I say7 whut'I I do to thank you, masasns x-I-I1I Jest tell you thlsr It's me for the straight and narrow from now on. And # ever you or Professor Kent or any of you want an Al. special charted, extra ce- lest5al star reading for self or friends, you-<y0u c-c-e-comea He made d rnsh Tor the hallway, and the door banged a period to his emotion
 T think" said Chester Kent graveIv, that lesson VIII last ?
 AS Marjorie Blair stood smiling, soft eyed. at the door whence the overcome starmaster had disappeared, Sedgvrick started to pass. With quick and unex- pected tact, Alexander Blair drew the sheriff and the lawyer aside, giving Co the young people their II oment- She looked up at Sedgwick with lifted eye brows.
 'sAre you not going to seak to me P, she said soEr0wfu1ly
 what is there to say except one thing-and that I may not say now
 MO, noT she whispered. i'm atfrfght- But say you forgive me.''
 Tou! For what7''
 For having believed even for an instant. what Father Blair said, that you were the murderer
 Sedgwick smiled bravely. That is all past.y
 And you'n think of me at least kindlyz'
 ~I'll think of you with every beat of my hearf," he said passionately
 Across her face passed the look of efairy wastfulness that was aII-her own. fsyo. she said. ..if would be Better-for. both of us-that you should forget for the tfme si He leaned over hers
 what shan assuage the unforsotten And teach the unforgetfuI to forsstg.s he quoted very low.
 eAnd yet she persisted, fit would be easier now that am going away
 Going away. For long2s
 She nodded with compressed lips Sedgwfck turned Livery white.
 ss0h, zdon,t look like that" she faI- tered tTs can't bear it! Can't you see that after what has happened I must gos I must have time to forget. There is so much to forget! Surely you can be padent-and trust
 He drew her gaze to his own, held if for the space of a heart beat and was gone
 Summer had waned from the coast and with it had passed the keenness of local interest in the strangest vic tim of Lonesome Cove Other subjects Of absorbing interest supervened dur ing the long winter, among them the rumor that Hedgerow house was to be sold before summer
 And young Blair's body along with ft expect remarked EIs1er Dennett ma1evolently. Seems to me, if I was a millionaire like Alexander Blair, wouldn't sell my own flesh and blood, dead or alive ~
 Of Alexander Blair himself nothing had been seen in the neighborhood since mid-JuIy nor of his daughter-in- law. Hedgerow house was in charge of Gansett Jim as caretaker Profes- sor Kent had left about the same time as the Blairs, but Francis Sedgwick had stuck to the Nook Though his work prospered, the worker had paled
 Wind borne on the blast of mid March gale. Chester Kent dropped down at the door of the Nook one wild afternoon without warning As al ways, he was 1mpeccably clad. though his stout boots showed the usage o1 recent hard wear Throwing open the door, he called his friends name
 Instantly the artist came lopine down the stairs and had him by the shoulders.
 i've got a caller up above" he said after tho usual greetings and queB