Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-25
What Alice Holcombe Convinced
Madge She Believed.

What Alice Holcombe Convinced
Madge She Believed.
why don't you speak," Alic.
Holcombe demanded fercely. Il
can't be possible that you-tha
you-"
will you stop this nonsense a
once?" I retorted with two pur
posed Feasibility in my manner.
wished to conceal my real uneasi
ness at her tidings, and l counted
upon the natural resentment she
would probably feel at my rudeness
to divert her thoughts from the track
they were travelling.
But the obsession of danger tc
the man she cared for so devotedly
was too strong upon her for any
side racking of her thoughts.
Il wish it were nonsense" she
said mournfully, then swiftly seized
my hand in grip that hurt. Tel
m, you don't believe Kenneth had
anything to do with"
1t was no time tor a Puritanica
searching of my soul as to my
thoughts or convictions. My reply
was prompt, emphatic.
"Of course l don't; but people
will begin to believe that he had il
youths best friend don't pull
yourself together. You don't know
that Mrs. Stockbridge's people are
trying to blame him, and every
repetition of such a guess upon your
part is distinctly harmful to him. u
TO you imagine for one
second that I'm breathing such a
thought to anyone but yourself?
Do you think l would hint it to you
were you not already more familiar
with the whole wretched story
than any one else outside the family
and me?"
Her One Fear.
Her voice shrilled passionately at
me. Before | couud answer she
spoke again, this time with dull list
less torres
"But ] do know they're going to
blame him. They were planning
even while she lay there to take her
body to her fathers house"
why, that is perfectly natural I
interposed, impatiently. Surely,
everyone would wish to get as far
way from that house as possible"
That's all right" she retorted,
"but they were planning it without
even the pretence Of consulting Ken
meth. They absolutely ignored him,
and I noticed that they did not speak
to him or he to them unless it was
an absolute necessity"
Strange Facts.
"That does look-odd." I saw
that any attempt of mine to belittle
her conviction only strengthened
l might as we'll speak my real
thoughts where / dared to do so.
You'd think so if you'd seen
them" she said bitterly. Then her
voice hoarsened. 'The miserable
wretchesl" she cried. "All of these
years they've been glad enough to
have their daughter off their hands,
to shift the horrible burden of her to
Kenneth Stockbridge's patient
shoulders. It's beeen Ken, dearest
and our dear SON and How wise
and patient he is with poor Milly."
And now they're ready to turn on
hirl like so many wolves"
Il don't understand it." | said
half to myself. Didn't you tell me
that it was to her people that Mr..
Stockbridgee always appealed when
she got too unmanageable, and that
then they arranged for her stay in
sanatorium?
"Of course" she retorted. That
was simply self-protection. When
Milly took one of her temper sprees
she was just as apt to empty boil
ing teakettle over the member of the
family nearest to her as she was to
do anything else. She did throw a
lighted lamp at her mother oace, just
missed her, but started a lively
little fire that kept the whole family
busy for time"
What an awful woman she WASP
The exclamation broke, from the
despite my natural conjunction at
speaking i'll of the dead.
THAT doesn't half express it"
Alice Holcombe's tone was distilled
"And to think that her
malevolence hasn't stopped with her
death, but is reaching out still to you
and me-"
The Question That Sorely Troubled
Madge.
If had not been secretly prepar-
ing myself to hear almost anything
the mysterious death Of
Milly Stockbridge think that l
should have betrayed What knew