The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-03-26


often fraught with great pain and
sometimes with unimaginable horror.
1t was such to Deborah; the pain and
horror holding her till her eyes, &C
customed to realities again, saw in the
angel face which f1oated before her
vision amid a swarm of demon masks,
the sweet and solicitous countenance
of Reuther.
Reuther, taking her mothers hand
in hers, said softly:
Il knew you were not seriously i'll.
only frightened by the crowd and their
senseless shoutings. Don't think of 1t
any more, dear mother. The people
are dispensing now, and you will soon
be quite restored and ready to smile
with us at an attack SO groundless it
is little short Of absurd
Astonished at such tranquility where
she had expected anguish If not stark
unreason, doubling her eyes, her ears
for this was no longer her deli
cate, suffering Reuther to be shielded
from all unhappy knowledge. but a
woman as strong if not as wise to the
situation as herself-she scrutinized
the child closely, then turned her gaze
slowly about the room, and started in
painful surprise, as she perceived
standing in the space behind her the
tall figure of Judge Ostrander.
Pardon" she entreated, forgetting |
Reuther's presence in her conscious |
ness of the misery she had brought
upon her benefactor. Il never meant |
Il never dreamed-'
ooh, no apologies" Was this the
judge speaking? The tone was an ad- i
monitory, not a suffering one. 1t was
not even that of man humiliated or
distressed. you have had unfor- |
tunate experience. but that is over
now and SO must your distress be"
Then, as in. her astonishment she |
dropped her hands and looked up, he
added very. quietly, Your daughter |
has been much disturbed about you,
but not at all about Oliver or his good |
name. She knows my son too we'll, |
and so do you and l, to be long af- |
fected by the virulent outcries of a
mob seeking for an object upon which !
to expend their spleen" r.
Deborah was glad to sit silent un-
de- this open rebuke and listen to
Reuther's ingenious declarations, |
though she knew that they brought no
conviction and distilled no real COM
fort either to his mind or hers.
YES, mother, darling" the young
girl was saying. These people have
not seen Oliver in years, but we have,
and nothing they can say, nothing that
any one can say but himself, could
ever shake my belief in him as a man
incapable of really wicked act. He
might be capable of striking sudden
blow-most men are under great !
provocation-but to conceal such a
fact-to live for years enjoying the
respect of all who knew him, with the
knowledge fostering in his heart of an
other having suffered for his crime
that, that would be impossible to Oil
yer Ostrander."
Some words ring in the heart long
after their echo has left the ear. I'm
possible! Deborah stole look at the |
judge. But he was gazing at Reuther,
where he well might gaze, if his sink |
ing heart .craved support or his
abashed mind sought to lose itself in !
the enthusiasm of this pure soul, with |
its loving, uncalculating instincts.
Tell the Judge who is as confident
of Oliver as l am myself that you are
confident, too. That you could no
more believe him capable of this abom.
Unable act than you could believe it |
of my father
Il will-tell-the judge" stammered |
the unhappy mother. Judge" she
briefly declared, as she rose with the /.
help of her daughters arm, my mind |
agrees with yours in this matter What |
you think, l think" And that was all |
she could say.
AS she fell again into her seat. the
Judge turned to Reuther:
Leave your mother for little |
WHILE" he urged, with that rare gentle
ness he always showed her. Let her |
rest here a few minutes longer, alone !
with me-
Yes, Reuther," murmured Deborah, |
seeing no way of avoiding this inevi- (
table interview. Il am feeling bet !
ter every minute. I will come soon"
The young girls eye faltered from
one to the other, then settled, with a
strange and imploring look upon her
mother. Had her clear intelligence
pierced at last to the core of that /
mothers misery? Had she seen what |
Deborah would have spared her at the |
cost of her own life? 1t would seem
so, for when the mother, with great !