New Britain herald., 1921-07-23

Listen to me, you fellers; there amt much use in your questionin', me about this here feller I said right off an' I say now that I hate hlm worser'n poison. "You-all got the idea that he killed this here woman. I'm tellin' you honest that wish t Gawd you could prove it on him. Elf you need any help, I'll help you.
 But I don't know as he done it. I aln't hardly got no reason to think so All 1 could swear to was that on the evenin' the woman was killed he was in the woods near the lodge.'' What time was that?' Bout somewhere around o'clock or a leet1e after, I should say' |! Did he know that the Forests were coming to the cabin?" . If he did he was a wonder. Mo- body hereabouts knew of it'' They logged around a bend in the road. Far ahead, and coming toward mem, was a horse, and as they drew closer Carroll saw that there was a sir1 upon it.
 Even before he could see her face ne admired the costume of divided riding skirt and blue-collar'd middy blouse; his eyes glistened with frank admiration at the ease with which she ; sat her animal Gone from Mart's face was the easy, indifferent smile; gone from his manner was the lolling shiftlessness. The buggy and the girl drew close to one another. And just before they passed Mart Farnam raised his hand and removed his battered felt hat with a flourish
 "Evenin', Esther.'
 The girl looked at him. She looked through him. She galloped by with out a sign that she had seen Far nam, the buggy or the occupants of the buggy!
 For few moments Farnam's face grew beet red Then the color reced- | ed, leaving deathly pallor. His | sinewy frame shook as though with palsy, his feet scraped a bit. Carroll turned to gaze after the girl He had been amazed by her virile beauty. She was an exotic in | this drear waste. And Farnan The eyes of the swamp angel were fixed on nothing. They were mar l rowed, now; a bitter glance staring out from under half-closed lids. For while no one spoke, and it was Carroll who broke the silence broke it because he had to, and seek l ing to be as tactful as possible under l the circumstances. .=.. Mighty pretty girl, wasn't she, Sullivan? By the way, Mart, who is she?''
 Farnam moistened his lips with his 1 tongue "She-she-" He choked, then began over:
 She's the reason I hate Conrad | Heston!'' CHAPTER W. "Cherchez la femme!" The words slipped from the tight-pressed lips of Jim Sullivan and reverberated in CarrolTs ears. Find the woman! Here, at least, they had found a woman; a woman in some way mixed up with the mysterious Conrad Heston! l For some time there was silence in the battered buggy as it clattered along the corduroy roadbed. The grim silence of the forest enfolded
 them like muffling mantle. But Car roll was too vitally interested from a personal, as we'll as a professional, standpoint to allow the matter to drop where it was | You have known her long?''
 To his surprise Mart Farnam an swered frankly. It was almost as though he was eager to speak of her | to some one. T been knowin' her all my life.''
 What is her name?"
 Esther. Esther Devarney.'
 And Heston?" suggested Carroll,
 softly.
 The bruised fingers of Mart Far
 nam's left hand balled into bony fist He seemed oblivious to the pain
 the action must have caused. Hes more her kind. She's been sort of
 highbrow sence her old man sent her
 to school down to Charleston"
 Educated, eh?"
 Yep. Plenty of book-1earnin'. It
 sort of got high-falutin' notions into
 her head an sence she graduated
 there she cain't sort of seem to fit
 into her home no more. Amt none of the folks around here seem to
 understand her. They say I'd be fool
 ish to marry her, seein' as she
 wouldn't never be contented and we'd
 alters be unhappy. But that ain't
 getting around the fact, MT. Carroll,
 that I want to marry her an that
 hate the man who took her from
 me- Conrad Heston?'
 Yep. He's the one. That's why II hate him. He ain't my kind. I
 guess you'll understand him better'n
 I do. He's got book-learnin', too; and
 from the time he got here flrst-off
 an met her. they been that thick.
 But you know well as I do that he
 ain't the marvin kind-not where a
 girl like her is concerned"
 You don't mean-?' Yes" bitterly, T do mean-jes'
 that She's been goin' to his place
 day after day sence he's been alivin'
 there He's been amakin' love to
 her. An if he'd been fxin' to marry
 her, there's been plenty of chance
 met her bout three days ago." t'The ninth? ?'