The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-10-16
CHAPTER XIII.

Coming as it did as q dire climax to
all my other troubles, the shock Of old
Rufus Gaston's murder sent me into
an apathetic state from which it
seemed impossible for me to arouse
myself. Without hope and even with
out interest l duly awaited the APP
proach of my trial for murder.
While there never had been an op-
portunity for any bond of affection to
become established between my aged
relative and myself-in fact, | had
seen him only three or four times in
my whole life, and then only for brief
periods-still his unexpected and
dreadful end had bereft me of practi-
cally every hope of being acquitted of
the absurd charge against me. Wick,
it was plain, intended to diSclaim all
knowledge Of my relationship to Mr..
Castor, and now there was no one
else to explain how / happened to be
living in the building at the time Of
Miss Lutan'S murder. Unfortunately
| had destroyed both Mr.. Gaston's let
| ter to me and the note from my
mother which had first told me of the
old mans intention. My great-aunt.
learned from the newspapers, had
been completely Frustrated 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 a very critical condition. II
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 he re-
moved from there or to let anyone
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 it. On reading OF. her uncle''
death she had FASTENED on from thu
West to attend his funeral and ha(
been puzzled and alarmed by not find
ing me there. All the time had beef
in prison ] had been writing her nj.
usual weekly letter, affecting cheer
fulness was far from feeling and tell
ing her nothing Of what had happened
Her letters to me. addressed to tn
Granddeck. had been forwarded by tn
post Office, so that until after she ar
rived In the city she knew nothing o
nv plight. It had been my hope tina
I would be able to conceal everything
from her until after had been trium
phantly acquitted. If were not sh
would know the worst soon enough.
When she first learned, or frOr
what source, of my predicament wa
unaware. did not even know OF he
presence in the city until the day afte
my great-uncle's funeral, when--jus
: twenty.four hours before my trial wa
i. to begin-a keeper brought me wor
, that she was waiting downstairs I
J. see me.
g | steeled myself for the intervie'
with her. Naturally expected tht
D she would be terribly horror stricke
and shocked at my plight, but whf
y her attitude toward me would be
$ could not conjecture. / fully expecte
nothing but repr0aches from her. ST
II had been so opposed to my coming
n New York that felt certain that ST
8 would insist that my conduct must
g responsible for my being where no
p was. For years, IT seemed to me, Il
" relations between my mother and m
s self had been nothing but continuo1
d misunderstanding. To my gre
y amnzement and bewilderment not ;
q unhind word nor the suggestion of
d reproachful thought came from h
lips.
$. "oh, my boy, my boy she had crl