The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-05-28

N HSSu az plOUl lldL II was Ills
shadow l saw"
And wasn't it,"
Judge Ostrander, I never thought
differently till after the trial-till
after the earth closed over my poor
husbands remains. That was why |
could say nothing in his defense
why | did not believe him when he
declared that he had left his stick be-
hind him when he ran up the bluff
after Reuther But later, when it was
all over, when the disgrace of his
death and the necessity of seeking
a home elsewhere drove me into SELL
Ing the tavern and all it's effects, |
found something which changed my
mind in this regard, and made me
confident that l had done my hus-
band great injustice"
You found? What do you mean
by that? What could you have
found%
His peaked cap lying in a corner
of the garnet. He had not worn it
that day; for when he came back to
be hustled off again by the crowd
he was without hat of any kind, and
he never returned again to his home
you know that, judge. had seen the
shadow of some other man approach
ing Dark Hollow. Whose, l am in
this town now to find out"
Judge Ostrander was a man of
keen perception, quick to grasp an
idea, quick to form an opinion But
his mind acted slowly tonight. DebO-
rah Scoville wondered at the blank
ness of his gaze and the slow way
in which he seemed to take in this
astounding fact.
At last he found voice and with it
gave some evidence of his usual acu-
men.
Madam, a shadow is an uncertain
foundation on. which to build such an
editice as you plan. A dozen men
might have come down that path with
or without sticks before Mr. Etheridge
reached the bridge and fell victim
to the assault which laid him low"
Il thought the time was pretty
clearly settled by the hour he left
your house. The sun had not set
when he turned your corner on his
way home. So several people said
who saw him. Besides"
Yes; there is a besides I'm sure
of it."
q saw the tall figure of a man,
whom l afterwards made sure was
Mr.. Etheridge, coming down Factory
road on his way to the bridge when
| turned about to get Reuther."
"All of which you suppressed at the
trial"
q was not questioned on this point,
sir"
"Madam2-he was standing very
near to her now, hemming her as it
were into that decaying corner-"l
should have a very much higher opin,
ion of your candor if you told me the
whole story"
81 have, sir"
His hands rose, one to the right
hand wall, the other to the left, and
remained there with their palms rest
ing heavily against the rotting plas
ter. She was more than ever hemmed
in; but, though she felt trife fright
ened at his aspect, which certainly
was not usual, she faced him without
shrinking and in very evident surprise
ut seems too slight al fact to men
ton, and, indeed, | had forgotten it till
you pressed me, but after we had
passed the gates and were we'll Out
on the highway, | found that Reuthel
had left her little pail behind hel
here, and we came back and got it
Did you mean that, sir?"
Il meant nothing; but | felt sure
you had not told all you could about
that fatal ten minutes. Yout came
back. 1t is quite walk from the road
The man whose shadow you saw must
have reached the bridge by this time
What did you see then or-hear?"
Nothing. Absolutely nothing, judge
| was intent on finding the baby's pail
and having found it | hurried bacl
home all the faster"
And tragedy was going on or was
Just completed, in plain sight from
this gap!"
81 have no doubt, sir; and if hat
looked, possibly John might have beer
saved"
The silence following this wal
broken by crash and little cry
I Peggy's house had tumbled down.
The small incident was a relief
Both assumed more natural postures
$50 the shadow is your great ant
only point" remarked the judge.
Il shall not desist, Judge Ostran
der"
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