The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1914-07-16

thorities. am not morally guilty O
crime. A year ago feared the con
sequences of my deed, but l have
learned much since then. / was Q
stranger in new world. In England
we have been led to believe that you
lynch women here as readily as you
lynch men. / now know better thar
that From you alone l learned my
| greatest lesson. YOU revealed to me
the true meaning of human kindness
You shielded me who should not
| Even now-I believe that your first
impulse was tender one. l shall
not forget 1t, Sara. You will live to
regret the baser thought that came
later on. l have loved you-yes, al.
most ss good dog loves his master
1t is not for me to tell the story OF
that night and all these months to
the world. would not be betraying
myself, but you. You would be called
upon to explain, not l. And you would
be the one to suffer. When you met
me on the road that night / was on
my way back to the inn to give my
L
impossible for me to do so now. My
lips are sealed It rests with you,
Sara"
Sara Joined her in the broad win
dow. There was strangely exalted
look in her face. A gilded birdcage
hung suspended in the easement. With
out a word, she threw open the win
dow screen. The gay little canary in
the gilded cage cooked his head and
watched her with alert eyes. Then
she reached up and gently removed
the cage from It's fastenings. Putting
1t down upon the window SILL she
opened the tiny door. The bird hoped
about his prison in a state of great
excitement
Hetty looked on, fascinated.
At last yellow streak shot out
through the open door and an instant
later resolved itself into the bobbing.
f1uttering dicky-bird that had lived
in a cage all its life without an hour
Of freedom. For q few seconds II
circled over the tree tops and then
alighted on one Of the branches. One
might well have imagined that he
could hear its tiny heart beating with
terror. Its wings we're half-raised and
futterfng, its head jerking from side
to side in wild perturbation. Taking
courage, Master Dicky hoped timo-
rously to nearby twig, and then ven-
tured a flight to tree top nearer the
window easement. Perched in it's top
most branches he cheeped shrilly, as
If there was fear in his little breast.
In silence the two women in the
window watched the agitated- move
ments of the bird. The same thought
was in the mind of each, the same
question, the same intense wish.
A brown thrush sped through the
air, close by the timid canary. Like
a flash it dropped to the twigs lower
down, its wings palpitating in violent
alarm.
"Dicky!" called Sara Wrandall, and
then cheeped between her teeth.
A moment later Dicky was fiuttering
about the caves; his circles grew
his winging less rhythmical,
till at last with nervous little flutter
he perched on the top of the window
SO near that they might have
reached to him with their hands. He
sat there with his head cooked to one
side.
"Dicky!" called Sara again. This
lime she held out her finger. For some
lime he regarded it with indifference,
diofo hn
more flight, but much shorter than the
irst, bringing up again at the shutter
op. A second later he hoped down
md his little talons gripped Sara's
niger with an earnestness that left
10 room for doubt.
She lowered her hand until 1t was
wen with the open door of the gilded |
age. He shot inside with whir that |
scramble. With his wings |
olded, he sat on his little trapeze |
nd cheeped. She closed and fastened |
he door, and then turned to Hetty.
my SYMBOL" she said softly.
There were tears in Hetty's eyes.
Leslie did not turn up at his fathers
idce IN tne Hlgh street That night
ntil Booth was safely out of the way.
lie spent dismal evening at the boat
lub.
His father and mother were in the
brary when he came home at half
ast ten. From dark corner of the
arden he had witnessed Booths early
eparture. Vivian had gone down to
he gate in the low-lying hedge with
er visitor. She came in a moment
fter Leslie's entrance.
Hello. Les" she said, bending an
lquiring eye upon him. isn't this
arly for you?"
Her brother was standing near the
replace.
There's heavy dew falling, Ma
'r," he said gruffiy. "Shan't touch