Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-20
THEN READ THIS

lHEN hEAD lGlS
TIE TOLD that story to Notary
IL Pierre, hiding nothing. slossing
\ nothing; but his soul was sick within
him as he put into words what he
realized must be a dreadful weapon
when placed in the possession OF ru-
NOR and suspicion.
II may speak, must speak" said
Notary Gendreau, when AldriCh had
finished. "It has been written that
Rumor is a foul bird. But I call
Rumor, which an enemy trains, a
snake. and it bites the unwary from
behind M'ser Aldrich, 7 do not know
what mark your bullet found that
night on the road east Of Monarda.
Perhaps it did not find any mark eX.
cept tree. But this I do know.
The men who found the body of Vetal
Beaulieu found empty shells from
rife near by. It is said by men who
understand firearms that exploded
shells have a distinctive mark, that
the firing.pin of every rifle makes its
own individual nick"
THAT is true, Notary Pierre, I un.
derstand firearms"
"Rumor says that those shells have
been sent away to the experts, and
that men on this border will be called
on to furnish marks of the firing
pins of their rifles for compari-
son. Some person, Mser is spend.
ing much money to hire experts, to
secure evidence for the courts. I have
heard all that. 7 nave felt it to be
my duty to tell you"
but I did not leave the highway
that night, Notary Pierre. l sat on
ran with me. The shells were lacked
onto the road was not in the woods
near the hillock where they found
vetal Beaulieu."
"But men who have much money
and great hatred and can hire wit
nesses and experts and arrange plot
and manufacture evidence-those men
can make the acts Of an innocent man
look very black, M'ser. I have studied
the law; ! have heard of many horrors
wrought by circumstantial evidence.
/ tell you all this for your warning -
Aldrich grew white to his lips.
Accused of the murder of Evan.
geline's father?
It had not come to that yet. But
his quick fears leaped to the conscious
ness of what all this might mean.
Accused of comprising Vetal Beau.
lieu's death by the accident Of a
random bullet?
Even if intent We're not asCribed to
him his situation was damnable. lie
sagged down in his chair, horror and
fear on his countenance.
"One of the men who found the
3 body is a man who works for David
Roi," the notary went on. you should
know all. You must protect yourself
M'ser"
The officer had agonizing realization
of what a coil surrounded him, when
circumstances We're considered.
Jack Hebert had spoken warning
truth far back on that June night in
Bois-de-Rancourt clearing. when love
had first broken into full bloom and
yetal Beaulieu had attempted so ruth
lessly to uproot il. There had beer
threats and defiance then. He hac
scattered his empty rihe.shells reel;
,essiy since that meeting-he had FREE
recklessly. He could not stand before
a tribunal and swear that he had no
killed vetal Beaulieu, though it wa
plain from what the notary had SAT-
q that enemies had employed subtl
means to bring the thing closer hom
to him.
He staggered to his feet and spok
his gratitude to the notary as best h
could. He did. not protest his innc
cence. Down in his consciousness
there lurked horrible doubt of himself
He could not carry that hellish dis
tyacted doubt to Evangeline in he
.yoe even though he went TO her Il
u nrotest his innocence in intent.
Ha rushed to Representative Gilt
ford.
..Notary Pierre is right" said th
,,.tr,arch, when he had listened. "Yo'
bsva got to protect yourself, my boy
-, 1. tbe chap who is spending none
,his thing. If he can't get til
IL, himself, he reckohs you won't b
ma no get her, either, after he ha
,,,.s,ered this dirty mess ON to you. 1t
hsa Aldrichl We might as well Loo
= the thing right square in the eye
,,,r, can do lot of things for love of
man but I don't believe Evangelin
asaulieu is the sort to marry you il
,na face and eyes of this thing. She
,ns l,nd who would let her hear
,,ss.k frst. You get outside to tn
s,sv as quick as horses legs and stear
- ret YOU there. Put your case 4
s ~ hands Of your lawyer chum. Yo
'svs rot fight ahead OF you-a
'~-s.s 4 neht ~ a man ever buckle