Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1915-02-11

I
he had done. You may now understand
what | mean when | say that the cir
who went to Burtons inn with him
did me service. | will not say that
| considered her guiItless at the time
On the contrary, | looked upon her In
quite different way. had no means
OF knowing then that she was as pure
as snow and that he would have de
spoiled her OF everything that was
sweet and sacred to her. She took his
life In order to save that which was
dearer to her than her own life, and
she was on her way to pay for her
deed with her life II necessary when
l came upon her and interviewed"
"You-you know who she is?" said
Mr.. Wrandall. in low. incredulous
voice
81 have known almost from the be-
ginning. Presently you will hear her
story. from her own lips"
Involuntarily four pairs OF eyes shift
ed. They looked blankly at Hetty Cas-
Teton.
Speaking swiftly, Sara depicted the
scenes and sensations experienced dur
ing that memorable motor journey to
New York city.
Il could not believe that she was a
vicious creature. even then. Some
thing told me that she was a tender
gentle thing who had fallen into evil
hands and had struck because she
was unevil. | did not doubt that she
had been my husbands mistress, but
| could not destroy the conviction that
somehow she had been justified in
doing the thing she had done. MY
gravest mistake was in refusing to
hear her story in all of its details.
| only permitted her to acknowledge
that she had killed him. no more.
did not want TO hear the thing which
l assumed TO be true. Therein lies
my deepest fault For months and
months | misjudged her in my heart.
yet secretly loved her Now under
stand why loved her. 1t was because
she was innocent of the only crime |
could lay at her feet. Now | come
to the crime of which | stand self
accused. | must have been mad all
these months. have no other defense
TO offer. You may take ii as Won see
1t for yourselves. do not ask for
pardon. After | deliberately had set
about to shield this unhappy girl-to
cheat the law. if you plcase-to cheat
YOU, perhaps conceived the horrible
-hought to avenge myself for all the
indlgnities | had sustained at the
hands OF you Wrandalls. and at the
lame time to even my account with
ne one woman whom | could put nv
niger upon as having robbed me OF
my husbands love. You see | put it
mildly. | have hated all OF you. Mrs.
W randall. even as you have hated me.
oday-now-l do not feel as | did in
other days toward YOU. | do not love
you, still do not hate you. do not
forgive you. and yet think | have
come to see things from your point
OF view. | can only repeat that
do not hate you as once did"
She paused. The Wrandalls we're
100 deeply submerged in horror to
speak. They merely stared at her as
If stupefed; as breathless. as motion.
less as stones.
There came day when I observed
that Leslie was attracted by the guest |
In my house. On that day the plan
took root in my brain /"
Good Cod" fell from Leslies lips.
'You-you had that in mind?"
1t became a fixed, infiexible Dur
pose. Leslie. Not that | hated you |
as | hated the rest, for you tried to |
be considerable. The one grudge | held |
against you was that in seeking to sus.
tain me you DETAINED your own brother
You came TO me with stories OF his
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 1t easy to
thoroughly appease my conscience in
respect to you. STILL If could have
had my way a few months ago. II
had been of any avail. you
'SNiN NV NC lnC uuSDdHu Oh your
brothers slayer Then | came to
know that she was not what | had
thought she was. She was honest.
Ny bubble burst. / came out OF the
maze In which | had been living and
raw clearly that what / had contem-
plated was the most atrocious-"
"Atrocious?" cried Mrs. Redmond
Nrandall between her set teeth. "Dia-
'olicall Diabolical! My God. Sara.
what devil you" She did not COM
olete the sentence, but sank back in
Ter chair and stared with wide. horror
struck eyes at her rigid daughter-in-
aw.
Her husband, his hand shaking as
with palsy, pointed finger at Het-
y. And so you are the one we have
'een hunting for all these months.
Mss Castleton! You are the one we
want! You who have sat at our table.
'ou who have smiled in our faces"
Stop, Mr.. Wrandalli" commanded