The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-02-24
CHAPTER Xvn-(continued J


l happened to glance at her hands,
folded in her lap, and saw that they
were fairly biting into each other.
In jail" she whispered, and now
there was no color in her face.
Forgive me. Miss Vaughan" said,
hastily. That was brutal forgot
you didn't know
Tell me-" she painted. Tell me!
can stand it! Oh, you foolish man,
didn't you see--I was trying to nerve
myself was trying to find out.
1 caught the hands that were bruis-
ing themselves against each other and
held them fast
Miss Vaughan" said. listen to me
and believe that l am telling you the
whole truth. The Coroner's jury re-
turned verdict that Swain was guilty
OF your fathers death. AS the result
Of that verdict, he has been taken to
to me before the officers took him
away were that he was innocent, and
that he had no fear"
Surely" she assented eagerly, The
should have no fear. But to think Of
him in prison--it tears my hear"
Don't think of it that way" pro-
tested. He is bearing it braVely-
when / saw him last he was Smil-
ing"
But the stain-the disgrace"
There will be none: he shall be
freed without stain-I will see to that"
But l cannot understand" she said,
how the officers of the law could blum
der So"
IAN of the evidence against him."
said, was purely circumstantial. ex-
cept in one particular. He was in the
grounds at tho time the murder was
committed; your father had quarreled
with him, and it was possible that he
had followed you and your father to
the house, perhaps not knowing clear
ly what he was doing. and that another
quarrel had occurred. But that amount
ed to nothing. Young men like Swain.
even when half unconscious, don't muir
der old men by strangling them with a
piece of curtain cord. To suppose that
Swain did so would be absurd, but for
one thing-n0. for two things"
What are they?" she demanded.
"One is that the handkerchief that
you had tied about his wrist was found
beside your fathers chair-hut 1t was
not upon that the jury made its find
ing"
What was it, them"
1T was this: Swain SwOrc positive
ly that at no time during the evening
had lie touched your father"
Yes, yes and that was true. He
could not have touched him
And yet" | went on slowly, prints
of SWANS blood stained fingers We're
found on your fathers robe"
But" she gaspcd, pulling her hands
away from me and wringinE them to-
gether, how could that be? That is
impossible!"
Il should think So too" l agreed. If
l had not seen the prints with my own
eyes"
You are sure they were his--you
are sure?"
Il am afraid there can be Ii" doubt
OF it," and I told her how Sylvester
had proved it,
She listened motionless. mute. scal G.
ly breathing, searching my face with
distended eyes. Then. suddenly. her
face changed, she rose from her chair.
flew across the room, opened book
case and pulled out a bulky volume.
bound in vellum. She turned tn" pages
rapidly, giving each of them only 4
glance. Suddenly she stopped, and
stared at a page, her face livid.
What is it?" | asked. and FASTENED
| to her.
1T is the book of finger prints" sh"
gasped. "A great many-Uh, Il great
many-my father collected and stud
led them for years. He bClieveu-I do
| not know what he believed"
She paused. struggling for breath.
We'll" said; what them
Mr.. SWANS was among them" she
were here-page 230-see. there is an
| index-'Swain, F., page 230.
She pointed at the entry with shak-
ing finger.
We'll" said again, striving to un-
derstand, what OF it?"
Look" she whispered, holding the
book toward me, that page is no long
| er there! 1t has been torn out!
Then with q conVulsive shudder, she
closed the book, thrust it back into its
place, and ran noiselessly to the door
| leading to the hall She swept back
the curtain and looked out.
"Oh, is it you, Annie?" she said. and
/ saw the Irishmaid standing just out
| side. II was about to call you. Please
| tell Henry to bring those tables and
chairs in from the lawn"
Yes. maam" said the girl, and
| turned away.
Miss Vaughan stood looking after her
| for q moment, then dropped the cur
/ tain and turned back again into the
room. I. saw that she had mastered
| her emotion, but her face was still
| dead white.
AS for me, my brain wasIGWhirling.
| What if SWANS finger prints were
missing from the book? What con-
nection could that have with the blood
stains on the roSe? What was the
meaning of Miss Vaughan's emotion
Who was 1t She had expected to find
listening at the door? I could only
stare at her. and she smiled slightly
| as she saw my look.
But what is it you suspect I
stammered. II don't see >.
Neither do l." she broke in. But
| I am trying to see--I am trying to see!'
| and she wrung her hands together:
The disappearance OF the prints
seems plain enough to me-" said Hin
| man. coming forward.
| ''Mr. Vaughan no doubt tore them out
himself. when he took his violent dis
like to Swain. The act would be char
acteristic Of a certain form of mania.
Nobody else would have any motive
for destroying them; in fact, no one
else would dare mutilate q book he
priced so highly"
Miss Vaughan seemed to breathe
more freely, but her intent inward
look did not relax. 49,.
AT least that is an explanation" -
agreed
Human. confidently. Can you sug-
gest any other. Miss Naughan"
NO" she said slowly; no, and
walked once or twice up and down the
room. Then she se&ped to put the