Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-05-06

ness in her movement, a dignity and a
grace which spoke of ease, not shock.
What if she had not scent What if
my deed was as yet unknown! Might
| not have time for-for what? | did
not stop to think; l just pressed on,
saying to myself. let Providence de-
eide. If l meet any one before reach
my own door my doom is settled. If
l do not"
And did not. AS turned into the
lane from the ravine | heard a sound
far down the slope, but it vas too dis
tant to Great apprehension, and l
went calmly on, forcing myself into
my usual ~leisurely gait, If only to
gain some control over my W emo
tons before coming under Oscars eye.
That sound | have never understood
1t could not have been Scoville, since
in the short time which had passed he
could not have fed from the point
where j heard him last into the ravine
below Ostrander lane. But, If not he,
who was it? Or If it a he, and
some other hand threw his stick
across my path, whose was this hand
and why have we never heard any
thing about it? 1t is a question which
sometimes floats through my mind,
but | did not give it a thought then,
l was within sight of home and OH
ver's possible presence; and all other
dread was as nothing in comparison
to what felt at the prospect OF meet
ing my boys aye. My boys eye! my
greatest dread then. and my greatest
dread still! In my terror Of it | walked
as to my doom.
The house, which | had left empty,
l found empty; oliver had not yet re
turned. The absolute stiffness of the
rooms seemed appalling. Instructive
ly l looked at the clock. 1t had
stopped. Not at the minute do not
say it was at the minute-but near
very near the time when from al
innocent man l became a guilty one
Appalled, at the discovery, l fed tc
the front. Opening the door, | looked
out. Not a creature in sight, and not
a sound to be heard. The road was
as lonely and seemingly as forsaker
as the house. Had time stopped here
too? Were the world ard its inter
ests at a pause in horror of my deed
For a moment l believed it; then more
natural sensations inte-Vened, and, re
ioicing at this lack of disturbance
where disturbance meant discovery
| stepped inside again, rewound tht
clock, and sat down in my own room
Ny own room! Was it mine any
longer? It's walls looked strange; thu
petty objects of my daily handling
unfamiliar. The change in myself in
fected everything l saw / might hav'
been in another mans house for al
connection these things seemed t
have with me or my life. Like on
set apart on an unapproachable shore
I stretched hands in vain toward al
that l had known and all that hal
been Of value to me.
But as the minutes passed l begal
to lose this feeling. Hope, which
thought quite dead. slowly revived
Nothing had happened, and perhapt
nothing would.
Men had been killed before, and tn,
slayer passed unrecognized. VIII,
might it not be so in my case? If tn,
woman continued to remain silent; |
for any reason she had not witnesse,
the blow or the striker, who else wa
there to connect me with an assault
committed a quarter of a mile away
No n knew of the quarrel; and
they did, who could be so daring a
to associate n of my name with a
action SO brutal? A judge STAY hi
friend! 1t would take evidence of
very marked character to make eve
my political enemies believe that.
AS the twilight d~eepened | rose frol
/ my seat and lit the gas. / must nc
be found skulking in the dark. The
| began to count the ticks measurin
off the hour. If thirty minutes NOR
passed without a rush from without
might hope. If twenty?-if ten?-the
it was five! then 1t was
All! The gate had changed to. The
t were coming. could hear steps
voices-a loud ring at the bell.
! moved slowly toward the front.
!, feared the betrayal which my ash
n face and trembling hands might max
Agitation after the news was to |
8 expected, but not before! So I lie
the hall dark when l opened the doc
And thus decided my future.
For in the faces of the small CROW
which blocked the doorway I detectt
nothing but commiseration; and VIII
e a voice spoke and I heard divers a
cents surcharged with nothing mo
grievous than pity. | realized that n
e secret was as yet unshared, and, sc
ing that no mar suspected me, fol
bore to declare my guilt to anyone.