The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1922-09-12
CHAPTER VII.
Confession.

Captain West and Carroll inter-
changed questioning glances, as Il
each expected the other to make the
initial move out of the puzzrng STU
alton. Burke's failure to identity
Mrs Lake rnystifed them, if it not
not convince them.
The eyes of Lake and the clergy
man wandered from the detectives to
the immobile face of Burke, and
back again to the puzzled counre-
nances of the police officers. Mrs.
Lake had slid into a chair, her trem-
bling limbs unable to sustain the
weight of her body.
West was the first to speak.
eve will withdraw he said, beck
oning to Carroll and Burke. st APP
preciate your courtesy, sir" he added
to Lake.
Left alone with her husband, Mrs
Lake became possessed of a somber
calm. in which she gathered strength
to speak.
Harvey" she began. with just the
slightest tremor in her voice, '' I sup
pose it is needless to tell you I am
the Margaret Case for whom they are
looking. You must have guessed it
from what took place!"
Before you judge me- she plead
ed, before you come to any decision,
I want you to listen, to let me relieve
my heart of the weight that has dead
ened the happiness that should have
been mine.
Harvey" she continued quickly,
sit may be that you remember how
I hesitated, how 1 wavered, when you
asked me to be your wife. You won
dered at my hesitancy, knowing, as
you did, the depth of my love for you.
My perplexity was not due to the fact
that I would be unhappy with you
it was something far from that No,
I was struggling with myself, trying
to rouse the courage to tell you-to
be frank with you-to let you know
why I left New York. But I shrank
from che consequences of the avowal
that I had been-that I had BEEN
-. She felt the walls of Their throat
draw together, and she could not Ut
ter what was in her mind
''Oh, Harvey, I wanted you - 7
needed you" she sighed. st wanted
TO be your wife-to make your home
lovely for you. Without you the ru-
ture' looked so barren; with you It
seemed too full of rosy promises. And
the dread of losing you. the fear that
you would not understand, stifed the
courage within me. It made me a
cheat, and I suffered you to marry
ne Win the secret tndL you SnCuIQ
have known locked within me. But
at the price of what agony!"
A moan, deep and Iong-orawn, was
the only sign he gave that he was
awake and heard.
She continued to drag the pas,
from the private chambers Of her
memory
Burke lied when he said he didn't
recognize me. 7 was engaged to shfrr.
believing he was honest. Well. he
took me out for a wax one Gay ano
left me at the entrance to- Contra,
Park. 7 waited or a bench for him
ana when he returned ne gave me- a
package. Then he 1efr me. saying he
would call at the mouse n the eve
ming.
II had not gone a block when ]
was arrested. He was arrested as ne
was walking IN the opposite direction
by detectives who evidently had been
shadowing him. Carroll was the one
who arrested me.
1T is useless to tell of the trial
| They proved he was q professional
| thief and that I was engaged to him
He swore that I didn't know the
package contained. stolen Jewels, bu,
| the prosecutor insisted I was a part
ner in his crime and that was about
| to hide the proceeds of the robbery
] was convicted. I was sent to this
Wonlen's Reformatory. and remained