The Elbert County tribune., 1917-06-01

brain almost refused to accept what
her eyes beheld:
Beloved Dick: Don't hate me for
compelling you to make this trip, but
| am frantic with jealousy of Gloria,
and If you fail me will do something
desperate. Your adoring and once
adored LOIS"
Gloria dropped on a marble bench
while the ground seemed to be shaken
beneath her. So Freneau had planned
to make journey with Loisi 1t was
plainly Mt Lois demand, yet he had
consented and arranged to go. The
story Frank Mulry told her had been
a lie, too. Freneau had had an affair
with Lois. with the wife of Gloria's
own brotherl
This treachery in her own house
hold was like nausea; 1t sickened
her. She turned TO Royce. no longer
demanding, but appealing: in heav-
ems name tell me the truth"
Royce felt that the time was over
for deception. The truth could not
hurt Gloria worse than appearances.
"You shall have the truth, Gloria,
or as much of it as l know. / tried
TO keep it from you because you were
i'll and you were young and was
afraid that the ugly reality would kill
you. While you were still very i'll
with pneumonia l stumbled on the
fact that Freneau was carrying on
an affair with-with the woman, the
wretched woman who wrote that let
ter. happened to overhear him tell
her to meet him at midnight at the
pavilion near. the monument l bad
known that he was scoundrel, and
had always been roue. But you had
loved him, so 1 had begged him to
play fair with you. And he had prom
ised.
when 1 heard him make that rem
dezvous with-with that woman, L
went right to him and told him that
knew of his vile scheme. / demand
ed that he break off the affair. Be
sides, the womans husband was one
of my dearest friends and / wanted to
protect his home as well as your heart
'Freneau laughed at my earnest
ness and rldiculed me, resented my
interference, called me meddler and
busybody. I told him / would pre-
vent his treachery at all costs. l
took my revolver with me. didn't mean
to kill him. The revolver was not
even loaded. But intended to fright
en- him with it.
81 never dreamed. of course, that
yourself with would give you sight
of the whole tragedy. 1 waited and
waited for Freneau to appear. At
last l walked down the drive expect
ing TO meet him. I found his body Iy-
Ing In the snow. knelt down and
listened to his heart. 1t was still. He
was dead beyond all rescue.
"I saw that envelope In his pocket.
l didn't know what was in 1t, but was
afraid of what it might contain. 1
imagined the police discovering him
and the newspapers publishing what
was found on his person. Before /.
realized what 1 was doing took the
envelope. / saw somebody coming along
the drive. / didn't know who it was.
1 don't know now, but ran away.
when / got back to my office I got
word that your nurse had called me. 1
ran to your house. You told me you
had seen the murder done. You had
seen me without recognizing me. 1
told you it was q delirium like the
other you had had. l looked through
the binoculars. When l went out on
the drive Freneau's body was gone. 1
was dumfounded. l almost believed
that / had imagined the whole thing
myself.
II went to the pavilion. There saw
a woman, the woman, waiting for Ere
neau. L told her that he had been