Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-02-23
|. d You xiii my Dick? z


pain. her rs now. You've got to be-
lieve me-"
Believe you? When you told me
that all | saw was dcIirium? When
YOU drugged me thai night In the hope
that I would forget? When you dragged
his body away and threw IL in the
river? Ugh, the horrible brutality of
itl'
That's too false even for you 10 be-
Iievc. Gloria" Royce protested. II did
act drag his body away. and you know
It,"
II know nothing of the sort. I
tainted as you stole This envelope
from his body. DO you deny that you
did thatf'
Royce stood trembling with confu-
sion. Gloria took his silence for a
confession. She quivercd before the
confirmation Of her charge. From her
weak hand the envelope slipped. As
she bent 10 recover il one OF the in
closed letters fell out and the breeze
blew II crisply away. opening ii as il
tluttered. She caught it at the edge
If the pool. She could not help read
ing IL at Il glance.
The handwriting she recognized
without the aid Of the signature. Her
brain almost refused to accept what
her eyes hehrId:
Beloved Dick: Don't hate me for
compelling you 10 make this trip. but
l am frantic with jealousy Of Gloria,
and'if you fail me | will do something
desperate. Your adoring and once
adored LOIS"
Gloria dropped IN a marble bench
while the ground seemed TO be shaken
beneath her. So Freneau haG planned
10 make n journey with Lois II was
plainly M Lois demand. yet he had
consented and arranged 70 70. The
story Frank Mulry tuld her had been
Y lie. too. Frencau had had An affair
with Lois. with the wife Of Gloria's
own brother.
This %treachery in her own house
hold was like a nausea: IL sickcned
her. She turned to Royce, 10 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,
nr a. much ~ ii a. | know. ! tried
10 Keep il from you because you Mere
III and you were young ana | was
afraid that the ugly reality would Kill
you. While you were still very iii
with pneumonia | stumbled On the
fact that Freneau was carrying on
an affair with-with the woman. the
wretchcd woman who wrote that let
Ter. | happened 10 o%verhear him tell
her to meet him at midnight al the
pavilion near the monument. | had
known that H. was n s%cnnndrel. and
had always been a roue. But you had
loved him. ~ | had begged l.m 10
play fair with You. And liz had prom
iSpd.
when ! hoard him make that rem
devious with-with that woman. +.
went right to him and told him that
I knew II his vile scheme. | demand
cd that he break of the affair. Be
sides, the woman'S husband was one
OF my dearest friends and ! wanted 10
protect his home as well as your heart.
"Freneau laughed mt my earnest
less and ridiculed me. resented my
interference, called me mclaltr ami Il
%husyhody. told him ! would PEE
yen. his treachrry ut al costs. I
took my revolver with me. | didn't mean
10 XIII him. The revolver WAS not
ever loaded. But | Intended 10 fright
On him with il.
II never dreamed. Of course. that
the binoculars | gave You to amuSe
Yourself with would give you n sight
az the whole tragedy. | waited and
waited for Frcncau 10 appear. AT
last ! walked down The drive expccti
inc 10 meet him. | found his body lyl
ing IN the snow. | knelt down and
listened ~ his heart. N was still. IIel
was dead beyond I'M rescue.
Il saw that envelope in his pocketl
! didn't know what was III II. hut waSl
afraid Of what il might contain. II
imagined the police discovering hinI
ana the newspapers publishing what
WAS found al his person. Before II
realized what | was doing | took the'
envelope. saw Someb0Gy coming aluugl
the drive. | didn't know who il vas.l
don't know now, but | ran away.
"When I got hack Ia my office 7 gotI
word that y0ur nurse had called me. n
ran 10 your house. Ynu told me youl
had seen the murder done. You had
seen me without recognizing me. II
told YOU il was a delirium like the,
other YOU had had. | looked through
the binoculars. When | went out on
the drive Freaeau's body was gone. Il
n dumfounded. | almost believed.
that | had imagined the whole thing
myself.
Il went 10 the pavilion. There ! saw
a woman. the woman. waiting for II
neau. | told her that he had
killed. She was frantic with grief. ]
sent her home and went back to you'll
You were in a state Of hySteria. | gavel
sou a drug To keep you from losing
yOur mind.
Il had no idea then, and have none
now. rs to the murdarer's noma ar thai