The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1914-06-27


other days toward you. do not love
you. still / do not hate you. do not
forgive you, and yet / think | have
come 10 see things from your point
OF view. can only repeat that |
do not hate you as ! once did"
She paused. The Wrandalls were
too deeply submerged in horror TO
speak. They merely stared at her as
II stupefied; as breathless, as motion
less as stones.
There came day when observed
that Leslie was attracted by the guest
in my house. On that day the plan
took root in my brain. l."
Good Cod" fell from Leslle's lips.
'You-you had that in mind?"
1T became a fixed, inhexible pur-
pose, Leslie Not that / hated you
as / hated the rest. for you tried to
be considerate. The one grudge | held
against you was that In seeking 10 sus-
tain me you DETAINED your own brother.
You came TO me with stories of his
misdeeds; you said that he was a
scoundrel and that you would not
blame me for showing him up Do
you not remember? And so my plot
involved you; you were the only one
through whom / could strike. There
were times when | faltered. ! could
not bear the thought of sacrificing
Hetty Castleton, nor was IL easy TO
thoroughly appease my conscience in
respect TO you. Still, IL | could have
had my way few months ago, IL
coercion had been OF any avail, you
would now be the husband of your
brothers slayer Then | came TO
know that she was not what | had
My bubble burst. l came out OF the
maze In which ! had been living and
saw clearly that what | had contem-
plated was the most atrocious-"
"Atrocious? cried Mrs. Redmond
Wrandall between her set teeth. "Dia-
bolcal! Diabolical! My God Sara,
what a devil you" She did not com.
plete the sentence, but sank back in
her chair and stared with wide, horror
struck eyes at her rigid daughter-in-
law.
Her husband, his hand shaking as
II with palsy, pointed finger at Het-
ty. And so you are the one we have
been hunting for all these months,
Miss Castletonl You are the one we
want You who have sat at our table
you who have smiled Ia our faces"
"Stop, Mr.. Wrandall!" commanded
Sara, noting the ashen face Of the girl
Don't let the fact escape you that
am the guilty person. Don't forget
that she owed her freedom, If not her
life TO me- / alone kept her from
giving herself up TO the law. All that
has transpired since that night IN
March must be placed 10 my account
Hetty Castleton has been my prisoner.
She has rebelled a thousand times and
/ have conquered-not by threats but
by love! DO you understand? Be
cause OF her love for me, and because
she believed that loved her, she sub
mtted You are not to accuse her,
Mr. Wrandall Accuse mel ! am on
trial here. Hetty Castleton is a wit
ness against me. II you choose TO call
upon her as such II not | sh II ask
her to speak in my defense, if she can
do 50"
This is lunacyi" cried Mr. Wran.
dali, coming to his feet Il don't care
what your motives may have been.
They do not make her any less a muir.
deress. She"
I'VE must give her over to the po-
! lice" began his wife. struggling TO
her feet She staggered. It was
Booth who stepped quickly to her side
to support her. Leslie was staring at
! Hetty.
Vivian touched her fathers arm.
She was very pale but vastly more
composed than the others,
Father. listen TO me-" she said Her
voice trembled in spite of her effort
to control IT, I'VE are condemning
Miss Castleton unheard. Let us hear
everything before we"
Good Cod Vivian! DO you mean
/ to-"
How can we place any reliance on
what she may say" cried Mrs wran,
dali.
Nevertheless, said Vivian firmly
Il for one shall not condemn her un