The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-02-24
CHAPTER xvII-tcontinued.)

AoAoSo AL i1S iap, LII "a LID SiiCS
We're 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. 1 forgot
Tell mel" h painted. Tell me-!
can stand it! Oh, you foolish man,
lidn't you see-I was trying to nerve
myself was trying to find out.
ing themselves against each other and
held them fast.
Miss Vaughan I said. listen to me
and believe that 1 am telling you the
whole truth. The %coroner's jury re-
turned a verdict that Swain was guilty
of that verdict, he has been taken to
the Tombs. But the last words he said
to me before the officers toe him
away We're that he was innocent. and
| that he had no fear"
Surely" she assented eagerly, h
should have no fear. But to think Of
him in prison-it tears my heart"
Don't think of it that way!'' I pro-
tested. He is bearing it bravely-
when I 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 1 cannot understand" she said,
how the officers of the law could blum
| der So"
"All of the evidence against him." I
said, was purely ci~rcumstantial. ex-
cept in one particular. He was in the
grounds at the time the murder vas
committed: our 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
&c 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-no, for two things"
What are they" she demanded.
zone is that the handkerchief that
you had tied about his wrist was found
not upo that the jury made its find
ing"
What was it, them"
1T vas this: Swain swore positive
ly that at no time during the evening
had he touched your father"
Yes, yes; n that was true. He
could not have touched him."
And yet" / went on slowly, prints
of SWANS blood stained fingers were
found on your ather's robe"
But" she gasped. pulling her hands
away from me and wringing them to-
gether, how could that be? That is
impossible!"
81 should think so, too" I agreed, "if
I had not seen the prints with my own
eyes,
You, are sure they were his-you
are sure?'
q am afraid there can be no doubt
OF it," and I told her how S.i-ester
had proved it.
She listened motionless, mute, scare
ly breathing. searching my face with
I Iictl,llnI nrnc - FNhar c,,1lnr1Iy lnt
face changed, she rose from her chair,
flew across the room, opened a book
case and pulled out a bulky volume
bound in ve!lum. She turned the pages
rapidly, giving each of them only a
glance. Suddenly h stopped, and
stared at a page, her face livid.
What is it?" l asked, and FASTENED
to her.
ct is the book of finger prints she
gasped. "A great many-oh, a great
many-my father collected and stud
led them for years. He believed do
not know what he believed"
She paused, struggling for breath.
WELL" l said; what them"
MI. SWANS was among them" she
went on, in the merest whisper. They
were here-page 230-see, there is an
index-'Swain, F., page 800"
She pointed at the entry with a shak-
ing finger.
We'll" I said again, striving to I'M
derStand, what or IT.?
Look" she whispered, holding the
book toward ME, that page is no long
er there! 1t has been torn out!"
Then, with a 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
7 saw the Irish maid standing just out
side. Il was about to call o u. Please
tell Henry to bring those tables and
chairs in from the lawn"
Yes, ma'am," said the girl, and
turned away.
Miss Vaughan stood looking after her
for a moment, then dropped the cur
tain and turned back again into the
room. l saw that she had mastered
her emotion, but her face was still.
dead white.
AS for me, my brain was whirling
What if SWANS finger prints were
missing from the book? What con-
nection could that have with the blood
stains on the robe? What was the
meaning of Miss Vaughan's emotion:
Who was it she had expected to fine
listening at the door? l could only
stare at her. and she smiled Slightly
as she saw my look.
But what is it you suspect?"
stammered. Il don't see ="
Neither do l." she broke in. "Bu'
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-" sale Hin.
man, coming forward.
"Mr. Vaughan no doubt tore them on
himself. when he took his violent dis,
like to Swain. The act woul be char.
acteristic of a certain form Of mania
Nobody else would have n motiv,
for destroying them: in fact, no m
else would dare mutilate a book h
priced SO highly"
Miss Vaughan seemed to breathe
more freely, but her intent inward
look did not relax.
AT least that is an explanation?
i agreed.
SIT is the true explanation sait
Human, confidently. Can o sug
sest any other. Miss Vaughan"
No" she said slowly: no" a n
walked once or twice up and down tn