The Monte Vista journal. (Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, Colo.) 1888-1921, 1915-07-10

CONC upon tnem IN the lonely Oen.
you thief" Irwin repeated. First
you I'LL . man with drink and then
you rob him"
You know better than anybody
that Clay requires no help when II
comes to drinking" sneered the at.
torney.
Irwin answered with an oath and
there was = struggle as the younger
man broke away from him. Leaping
back with an agility remarkable In
= man who had so little outdoor train
Ing. Stone seized one OF the empty
bottles and raising It. rushed at Irwin
as II to brain him. Quick as his OPP
ponent had been. Irwin was quicker
and his silver-plated revolver spoke
before Stone had covered half the dis
lance between them, With a crash
the appraised bottle Numbered to the
floor and Stone. smothering an oath,
grasped his wounded right hand with
his left. Clay slowly sank, an inert
mass across the table. And then It
was that the curtain was violently
pulled aside, and then It was that the
Mortified and startled dancers at Mrs.
Van Lind's ball gazed in spellbound
wonder at the unfinished tragedy that
was to mean ruin to so many lives.
1t was the beginning of the end.
".
Twas the day after the Van Linds'
ball
Stone had left this dance Immediate
ly after the startling scene in the den,
and had spent the time until daylight
with party OF his gay companions.
And now. looking At and debonnaire.
despite his revels Of the night before,
he was calling on Mrs. Blake
She could not hide the infatuation
she felt for him, and solicitously she
examined his bandaged hand
IT'S mere scratch" he lightly as
sured her, and adroitly he turned the
conversation to Mrs. Clay and her
losses.
You still have the l. o. U. she gave
your" he asked
She showed 1t to him.
You must go to her." he said, and
demand payment"
But this is Sunday. Horace. And.
besides, she has no money"
Solicitously he leaned towards her.
Loverlike his arms stole about her a.
he moved closer to her on the garden
bench.
But this is important, dear" (His
voice was soft and caressing.) I'm
her Jewel safe she has a paper-a
confession-that l must have. Go to
her today-now-deman your money.
And when she refuses, ask for a Jewel
AS security Get her to show YOU her
Jewel case. Make her open the safe
on some pretext. Get that paper-get
1t for me-and we will go away togeth-
er. Remember, we are to be married"
To know how well his plan succeed
ed, we have only to turn. one hour
later. to Isabelle's pretty boudoir.
Clay was there. And Irwin. And the
chief OF police. They had asked him
to come that he might see the con-
fession. and act quickly without wait
ing for the courts action on Monday.
They feared that Stone would leave
town. Time was precious.
The door OF the secret safe in the
wall was wide open. The cover OF
the jewel case WAS up. The paper
was gone.
More OF your drunken folly" r.
win shouted. II suppose you told
Stone last night. when he pumped you
In the dem
stone got nothing from me-" Clay
doggedly replied. II never talk when
am drunk"
And only Isabelle. shrinking in the
big chair before the fireplace, knew.
Only she could have told where the
paper went. Only she could have told
and she remembered 1t all so dis.
tinctly now-how Mrs Blake had
moved suddenly toward the safe, as
she had carried the jewel case to the
table by the window Only she could
have told OF that faint momentary rus
tie OF paper she had heard In the brief
instant that her back was turned
"A paper gone" she muttered to her
self In anguish. Then Mrs. Blake is
the thief. and II tell, she'll expose
me-"
Though Isabelle well knew that for
her to hold her tongue meant poverty
and hardship all her life; though she
knew that 1t meant the entire loss OF
happiness for herself and her hus-
band, who could not exist without the
luxury to which they had been accus-
toned, though she knew that her &C.
ton was draQRing down her father