The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1920-10-21

~ W"Ntu tAANI SUI tANtN 0AAAJ kNA N1A@A
periods stiIl his unexpected and
draadful end had bereft me Of practi-
cally every hope OF being acquitted OF
tho absurd charge against ma Wlck.
Il wRs plain, intended 20 dlBcinim an
khowiedge Of my relationship to Mr..
CASTOR. and now theirs was no one
else to explain how I happened to be
living in the b,1ilding at the time Of
Miss Lutan's murder. Unfortunately
/ had destroyed both Mr.. 0aston's let
ter to me and the note from my
mother which had FIRST told me Of the
old mans Intention. My great-auht.
learned from the newBpapers. had
been completely prostrated By the
tragedy and had been unable to come
to the funeral. The shock Of the news
Of her husbands violent end had left
her In q very critical condition. Il
seemed to have wholly deranged her
aged brain, and the physicians SUM
moned to the Maine camp where she
was refused to permit her to be re-
moved from there or to let an. one
talk with her, declaring that the least
excitement Of any sort would be apt
to have fatal results.
To be sure there was my mother.
who could prove my relationship. but
felt there was little use Of dragging
her into 1t. On reading Of her uncle's
death she had hastened on from the
West to attend his funeral and had
been puzzled and alarmed by not and
ing me there. All the time had been
In prison had been writing her my
usual weekly letter. affecting cheer
fulness l was far from feeling and tell.
ing her nothing Of what had happened.
Her letters to me, addressed to the
Granddeck, had been forwarded by the
post office, so that until after she ar.
rived in the city she knew nothing Of
my plight. It had been my hope that
/ would be able to conceal everything
from her until after had been trium-
phantly acquitted. II were not she
would know the worst soon enough.
When she first learned, or from
what source, of my predlcament l was
unaware. did not even know Of her
presence in the city until the day after
my great-uncle's funeral, when-just
twenty-four hours before my trial was
to begin-a keeper brought me word
that she was waiting downstairs to
see me.
1 steeled myself for the Interview
with her. Naturally l expected that
she would be terribly horror stricken
and shocked at my plight but what
her attitude toward me would be
could not conjecture. fully expected
nothing but reproaches from her. She
had been so opposed to my coming to
New York that felt certain that shs
would insist that my conduct must be
responsible for my being where l now
was. For years, 1t seemed to me, the
relations between my mother and my.
self had been nothing but continuoui
Understandings. To my great
amazement and bewilderment not an
unkind word nor the suggestion Of q
reproachful thought came from heI
lips.
"Oh, my boy, my boy" she had cried
as she saw me, Il know you didn't Dc
1t. know my boy Is lnnocentl Wha
can ! do to help your"
In that glorious, wonderful momen
of reaction all resentment ! had Eel
toward her forever vanished. haC
one sacred, unforgettable glimpse o
the eternal greatness Of the Mother
heart, ever ready to forgive, ever quicl
to comprehend, ever prompt to aid
For one sweet hour we talked to
gether. more understandlngly thai
ever before in our lives. Freely ant
fully told her everything. even to m.
: wonderful but hopeless love for Bar
bara Bradford. She was willing, anx
T. ious, eager to aid me-but what wa
there that she could do2-what wa
? there that anyone could do?
It was hopeless for lone woman o
limited means, QnacQualnted with tn
J big city and unused to its ways. to al
+ tempt to battle against such powerful
and desperate criminals as were cor
cerned In the far-reaching plot {
= make me the scapegoat Of their heir
!. GUS misdeeds. Il could only advis
her that she see McGregor and Col
! man and be guided by what they sul
8 gested.
When the morning Of my trial actI
'' ally arrived entered the courtroom
. a state of dull apathy. The night b.
= fore had not slept at all. had sper
v all the black hours reviewing my III
9 especially the last year, thinking wit
i what high hopes and great expects
, tions l had come to the metropolis an
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