The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-07-02

defaced, content has come again,
am no longer a deceiyer. my very
worst is known"
"Oliver?"-This some minutes later
Are we alone?"
Quite alone. father. Mrs. Scoville
Is busy and Reuther- Reuther is in
the room above. can hear her light
step overhead"
The Judge was silent. He was gaz-
Ing wistfully at the wall where hung
the portrait OF his young wife. He was
no longer In his room, but In the
CHEEKY front parlor. This Deborah had
insisted upon. There was. therefore.
nothing to. distract him from the con-
temptation | have mentioned
There are things want to say to
you. Not many; you already know my
story. But ! do not know yours, and
] cannot die till do. What took you
into the ravine that evening, Oliver.
and why, having picked up the stick.
did you fling 1t from you and fly back
to the highway? For the reason
! ascribed to Scoville? Tell me, that
no cloud may remain between us. Let
me know your heart as well az you
now know mine"
The reply brought the blood back
into his fading cheek.
Father, have already explained
all this to Mr.. Andrews, and now will
explain 1t to you. never liked Mr..
Etheridge as well as you did, and
brooded necessarily In those days
over the influence which he seemed to
exert over you In regard to my future
career. But ! never dreamed OF do
ing him harm. and never supposed
that | could so much as attempt any
argument with him on my own behalf
till that very night of internal compli-
cations and condolences. The cause
OF this change was as follows: I had
gone upstairs. you remember. leaving
you alone with him as knew you d. !
sired. How | came to be in the room |
above don't remember, but was |
there and leaning out of the window |
directly over the porch when va and |
MT. Etheridge came out and stood In
some final debate on the steps be- /
low. He was talking and you were lis
tening, and never shall forget the ef-
feet his words and tones had upon me.
mad supposed him devoted to you,
and here he was addressing you tartly
and In an ungracious manner which
bespoke man very different from the
one had been taught to look upon as
~ ut \ .
before this display, and finding him
lust human like the rest of us, the
courage which | had always lacked in
approaching him took instant posses
sion of me. and determined with a
boys unreasoning impulse to subject
him to a personal appeal not to add
ais influence to the distaste you at
present felt for the career upon which
mad set my heart Nothing could
lave been more foolish and nothing
more natural, perhaps. than the act
Which followed. Iran down into the
-ayine with the wild intention. so
strangely duplicated in yourself few
minutes later, of meeting and pleading |
ny cause wita him at the bridge, but
mike you, ! took the middle of the ,
ayine for my road and not the Sc I
luded path at the side. 1t was this /
7hich determined our fate father for {
ere | saw the stick and, catching II {
p without further thought than of the I
AGILITY 1t offered for whiting, started b
nth 1t down the ravine. Scoville was
OF In sight. The moment was the
ne when he had quit looking for Reu-
her and wandered away up the ra.
lne | have thought since that per- +
APPS the glimpse he had got of his lit a
g one peering from the scene Of his z
rime may have stirred even his guilty a
onscience and sent him off on his s
lrposeless ramble; but, however this Il
as, | did not see him or ANYBODY g
Sc as took my way leisurely down 4,
wards the bridge whiting at the q
lex and thinking of what should 4
" to Mr.. Etheridge when | met him !,
nd now for fate's final and most fataI =,
UGH! Nothing which came into INV =,
IND struck me quite savorably. The =,
counter which seemed such very 70
mple matter when first contem. o,
ated 1t, began to assume quite a diff. .,
rent aspect as the moment for it an. e.
cached. BY the time had come +.
reast OF the hollow, was tired of ~
9 whole business. and hearing his 70
iistle and knowing by it that he was ~
ny near. | plunged up the slope 70 -
old him. and hurried straight awav ~
. town. That is my story, father =,
heard your steps approaching as -
inged across the path into which
d thrown the stick in my anger at
wing broken the point OF my knife
lde upon 1t, thought nothing ~
I'm then. Afterwards believed -
I'm to be Scovilles, which NAV 81. ~ -,
INT to you for my silence about this VI VI
ole matter both before and during -
trial was afraid OF the witness ~ ~
nd and OF what might be ELECTED t ua
m me II once got into the hands of ~
lawyers. My abominable reticenca 'n'
regard to his former crime would
brought up against me, and | was .S'
young, too shy and uninformed ~ .n'
e such an ORDEAL ~ -. Wv