The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-05-14
CHAPTER v,
EXCERPTS,

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one Of the dodgers at the ClaymOre
Inn had great cause for complaint the
next morning, A restless tramping
over his head had kept him awake all
night. That 1t was intermittent had
made 1t all the more intolerable. Just
when he thought it had stopped it
would start up again--to and fro, to
and fro, as regular as clockwork and
much more disturbing.
But the complaint never reached
Mrs. Averill. The landlady had been
restless herself. Indeed, the night
had been one Of thought and feeling
to more than one person in whom we
are interested. The feeling we can
understand; the thought-that is, Mrs.
Averills th0ught-we should do we'll
to follow.
The one great question which had
agitated her was this Should she trust
the judge? Ever since the discovery
which had changed Reuthers pros.
poets she had instinctiyely looked to
this one source for aid and sympathy.
But her faith had been sorely shaken
In the interview just related. He was
not the friend she had hoped to find,
He had insisted upon her husbands
guilt, and he had remained unmoved,
or but very little moved, by the dis.
appointment Of his son--his only re-
naming link to life. Judge Ostrander
might seem cold-both manner and
temper would naturally be much af-
fected by his unique and solitary mode
of life-but at heart he must love Oil
yer. 1t was not in nature for 1t to
be otherwise. And yet
1t was at this point in her musing
that there came one of the breaks in
her restless pacing. She was always
Of an impulsive temperament, and al
ways giving way to it. Sitting down
before paper and ink she wrote the
following lines:
My Darling If Unhappy Child:
L know that this sudden journey on my
part must strike you as cruel, when. IL
ever, you need your mothers presence
and care. But the love l feel for you,
my Reuther, Is deep enough to cause you
momentary pain for the sake of the great
good l hope to bring you out of this
ShadoWy quest l believe, what I said to
you on leaving, that a great injustice was
done your father. Feeling so, shall re-
main quiescent and see youth and love
slip from you, without any effort on my
part to set this matter straight? I can
not. have done you the wrong of ST.
lence when knowledge would have saved
you shock and bitter disilluson, but will
not add to my fault the inertia of a cow
ardiy soul. Have patience with me. then;
and continue to cherish those treasures
of truth and affection which you may one
day feel free to bestow once more upon
one who has right to each and all Of
them.
This is your mothers prayer.-DE-
BORAH SCOVILLE.
1t was not easy for her to sign
herself thus. It was name which
she had tried her best to forget for
twelve long, preoccupied years. But
her purpose had been accomplished,
or would be when once this letter
reached Reuther. With these words
In declaration against her she could
not retreat from the stand she had
therein taken.
She recommended that rapid walk
ing to and fro which was working
such havoc in the nerves of the man
N the room below her. When she
paused 1t was to ransack trunk and
bring out a fiat wallet filled with news
paper clippings, many of them discol-
bred by time, and all of them showing
marks Of frequent handling.
The first was black with old head.
ines:
CTo BE CONTINUED