Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-02-23
CHAPTER XvII-(Continued.)

loomiiy; and it has ended in putting
swain in jail"
| happened to glance at her hands,
olded in her lap, n saw that they
we're fairly biting into each other.
I'm jail!' she whispered, and now
here vas no color in her face.
"forgive me, Miss Vaughan" l said,
hastily. THAT was brutal. L forgot
ou didn't know"
Tel me-" she painted. Tell ne!
lidn't YOU sce-I was trying 20 nerve
nysclf-i was trying to iind out.
1 caught the hands that were bruis-
ng themselves against each other and
leld them fast.
Miss Vaughan I said. listen to me
md believe that L am telling you the
whole truth. The ~coroner's jury re-
urned a verdict that Swain was guilty
II your fathers death. AS the result
II that verdict, he has been taken to
he Tombs. But the last words he said
o me before h officers took him
way were that he was innocent, and
hat he had no fear"
Surely she assented eagerly, he
ihould have no fear. But to think OF
him in prison-it tears my heart"
Don't think of it that way!" / pro-
csted. HI is bearing it bravely-
when / saw him last he was smil-
n.y."
But the stain-the disgrace"
here will be none; he shall be
reed without stain-I will see to that"
But | cannot understand" she said,
how the officers of the law could blum
Ter So"
"All of the evidence against him." 1
laid, was purely circumstantial, eX-
sept in one particular. He al in the
grounds at the time the murder was
committed; o u father had quarreled
With him, and it was possible that he
,ad followed you and your father to
he house, perhaps no knowing clear
y what he was doing, and that another
.uarrel had occurred. But that amount
d to nothing. Young men like Swain,
Ter old men by strangling them with a
piece of curtain cord. To suppose thai
Swain did so would be absurd, but for
,nc thing-no, for two things"
What are they?" she demanded.
zone is that the handkerchief that
1ou had tied about his wrist was found
beside your fathers chair-but it was
ng."
What was it, then?"
1T was this: Swain swore positive
y that at no time during the evening
lad he touched o u father"
Yes, yes: and that was true. He
| :OuIu IOt nave IOucNeQ MIN.
And yet" l vent on slowly. prints
" SWANS blood stained fingers were
Ound on our fathers robe"
But" she gasped, pulling her hands
iway from me and wringing them to-
sether. how could that be? That is
mpossible!"
Il should think so, too" I agreed. eff
had not seen the prints with my NV
Eyes,"
you are SUI they were his-you
Ire sure?'
Il am afraid there can be no doubt
" it, and 1 told her how Sylvester
lad proved it.
She listened motioniess. mute, scare
Y breathing, searching my face with
ace changed, she rose from her chair,
lew across the room, opened a book
:ase and pulled out a bulky volume
bound in velluil. She turned the pages
'apidly, giving each of them only a
lance. Suddenly she stopped, and
stared at a page, her a livid.
What is it?" / asked, and fastened
o her.
1T is the book of finger prints" she
iasped. "a great many-oh, a great
nany--my father collected and stud
ed them for years. He believed do
aot know what he believed"
She paused. struggling for breath.
VGll, ! S0lOS WlldI ClGH
"Mr. SWANS was among them" she
vent on. in the merest whisper. They
we're here-page 230-see, there is an
ndex-'Swain, F.. page $780,"
She pointed at the entry with a shak-
ng finger.
We'll" ! said again. striving to un-
ierstand, what OF it?"
Look" she whispered, holding the
,ook toward me, that page is no long
II there! It has been torn Quit"
Then, with a c%onvulsive shudder, she
.losed the book, thrust it back into Its
,lace, and ran noiselessly to the door
eading to the hall. She swept bach
the curtain and looked out.
"tOh, Is it you, Annie?" she said, anG
saw the Irish maid standing just out.
ide. Il was about to call you. Pleas,
ell Henry to bring those tables ant
chairs in from the lawn"
YES, ma'am." said the girl, an
turned away.
Miss Vaughan stood looking after he
.ain and turned back again into tn
room. I saw that she had mastere,
her emotion, but her face was still
lead white.
AS for me, my brain was whirline
What IL SWANS finger prints wer
hection could that have with the blood
stains o. the robe? What was th
meaning Of Miss vaughan's emotion
who was 1t she had expected to fin
listening at the door? / could onl
stare at her. and she smiled slight
as she saw my look.
"But what 10 1t you suspect"
stammered. II don't see :"
Neither do /" she broke in. "Bu
, t am trying to see-I am trying to see!
and she wrung her hands together.
The disappearance Of the print
seems plain enough to me-" said Hin
Imam. coming forward.
I*Nr. Vaughan no doubt tore them O,
! himself. when he took his violent dia
! like to Swain. The act would be chaI
lcteristic Of = certain. form Of manil