The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-06-25

ter" pursued he. IL you do not come
here you may expect to see me at
jrdge Ostrander's. | do not quite
like the position into which you have
been thrown by these absurd insinua
lions. 1t may even lead to your losing
the home which has been so fortu.
nately opened for you, II this &C
ours you may count on my friendship.
Mrs. ScoVille. | may have failed you
once, but / will not fail you twice"
Surprised. almost touched, she held
out her hand, with cordial Thank
you" IN which emotion struggled with
her desire to preserve an appearance
Of complete confidence in Judge Os-
trander, and incidentally IN his son,
Then she turned to go.
The lawyer appeared to acquiesce in
the movement Of departure. But
when he saw her about to vanish
through the door some impulse Of
compunction, as real as It was surpris-
ing, led him to call her back and seat
her once more in the chair she had so
lately left.
u cannot let you CO." said he, "un-
til you understand that these insinua-
lions from a self-calfed witness would
not be worth our attention If there
were not few facts to give color to
his wild. claims. Oliver Ostrander
was In that rayine connecting with
Dark Hollow, very near the time Of
| the onslaught On Mr.. Ether1dge; and
he certainly hated the man and want
ed him out of the way The whole
town knows that. with one exception.
You know that eSception?"
Il think So" she acceded, taking
fresh grip upon her emotions
THAT this was anything more than
a coincidence has never been ques-
toned. He was not even summoned
% witness With the judges high
reputation in mind do not think a
single person could have been found
IN those days to suggest any possible
connection between this boy and a
crime so obviously premeditated But
peoples minds change with time and
events. and Oliver Ostrander's name
uttered in this connection today would
not occasion the same shock to the
community as it would have done then
You understand me, Mrs, Scoville?"
You allude to the unexpected sep
aration between himself and father,
and not to any failure on his part to
sustain the reputation of his family
"Oh, he has made a good position
for himself, and earned universal con,
sideTation. But that doesn't weigh
against the pretudices of people,
roused by such eccentricities as have
distinguished the conduct of these two
men"
"Alas!" she murmured, frightened
to the soul Tor the flrSt time, both BY
his manner and his words.
You know and know" he went or
with a grimness possibly suggested
By his subject, that no mere whin
lies back OF such a preposterous Sc
clusion as that of Judge Ostrander be
hind his double fence. Sons do moi
cut loose from fathers or fathers from
sons without good cause. You car
see, then, that the peculiarities o
their mutual history form but {
poor foundation for any light refuta
ton Of this scandal, should it reach
the public mind Judge Ostrandel
knows this, and you know that he
knows this; hence your distress. Have
| not read your mind, MADAME"
mo one can read my mind an!
more than they can read Judge Os
trander's," she avowed in last des
perate attempt to preserve her secret
You may think you have done SO
but what assurance can you have o
the fact?"
You are strong in their defense.
said he, "and you will need to be i
the matter ever comes up, The shad
ows from Dark Hollow reach far, ant
engulf all they fall upon.