Show The House of the Whispering Pines I B Anna Katharine Green I O. O P. P PUTNAM'S Is I's SONS Copyright 1910 by New Now York and London ANNA KATHARINE CHAPTER SS Ho Ho or You There Thera Is No Third A heavy y summons JI lies s like Ilko load Joad upon m me And Acid yet ct 1 I would not sleep Merciful pow powers rs ne Restrain in m me mA the cursed thoughts that nature Gives Given way to In repos repose Macbeth For several eral days I T had bad been ill The They were ere merciful days t to mo me I was far too weak for thought though Then there camo a period of conscious rC rest t then renewed interest in life and m my mr own o fate fato and reputation What had bad happened hap paned daring this interval I had a confused memory of ba bal having l seen Cliftons Clifton's 8 face faco at m my b bedside but butI I was sure that no words word had passed between us When Whon would ho come comen n again Rin f When should uld I boar hoor about Carmel Carmel Car- Car mel and whether sho wore yot alive or orm m mercifully dead like liko her sister I mi might ht read the papers but they had bad boon been ca carefully carefully care care- c I fully tally ke kept t from me Not ono was 10 in insight sight Bight The he nurse would undoubtedly give che me the information I desired bu but Kind as she sho had bad been I dreaded to consult con con- suit sult a r about matters which involved in in- in m my very existence and ever every overy remaining re ro- ro- ro hope Yet I r must know for or I t could not help thi thinking kin now and I dreaded to think amiss and pile Tille up misery mis- mis nus- nus I cry ery for myself when I needed support and consolation I wot would d risk ono one question but no more moro I would ask about tho the inquest Had it been held If she sho said lid y ye yes yes-au ah if she said I I esl-I I should know that Carmel woe waa dead and tho news coming thus would kill me So I asked nothing nothing noth noth- in ing and was lying in a sufficiently feverish feverish feverish fever fever- ish condition when hen the thc doctor came inson in son saw my state and thinking to cheer me me mc up remarked blandly lyou You are well e enough this morning mornin morningto o to o hear good news Do you Jou reco recognize nizo tho the room you are aro in 1 Im Pm in in- in tho hospital am I not 7 Ie Hardly You aro are in one ono of Mr In own rooms Mr OHa en was the tho head keeper II You You are arc detained do- do tamed now simply l as a witness I was struck to tho the heart terrified in in an instant What Wh Why What has happened I questioned rapidly half starting up then falling on back-on my pillow under his astonished evoN eye evo N Nothing ho ho parried seeing his bis mistake and ana resorting to tho soothing II The have had bad time timeto process 8 They simply to think You Youre You're ro not the sort of man mau manfrom manfrom from which criminals criminal are arc made That's nonsense I retorted reckless reckless reck reck- less les of his opinion and made to know the truth yet shrinking horribly from it U Criminals Crim nals are arc made from all kinds of men men- neither are the police so philo philo- Something has occurred But dont don't tell ten m me me- me I protested inconsistently inconsistently as as he be opened his lips It Send Send for Mr Clifton Hes He's my friend I can better bear bear bear- Here he is ill said Mid the doctor as the thedoor thedoor door softly opened under the nurses nurse's careful hand I looked up saw Charles Charles' faithful face and stretched out mv my hand without I speaking Never Neer had 1 t needed a friend more mort and never had I been more constrained constrained con con- strained in my greeting I feared to show hoW my real rul heart my mx real f fears my mr myreal myreal real reason for tor not hailing my m- release as every t one evidently expected me to tol toI I With a gesture to tho he nurse the doctor doctor doc doe tor tiptoed out muttering to Clifton as ashe 1 he p passed led some word of warning or casual casual cas cas- ual instruction in The nurse followed and aud Clifton comin coming forward took a seat at my side Bide He was cheerful but not too Jo cheerful and the air air of slight constraint which tin tinged ed his manner as much as it did mine did not escape inc me I Well old fellow fellow ho bo b began begani began began- ani an- an i i M My hand went up in in entreaty Tell Tell ell mo me why they have havo withdrawn i their suspicions Ive I've heard nothing nothing- I read nothing nothing for for for days I dont don't understand under under- stand this move For reply he laid his hand band on mine min Youre stanch ho he be began an You I havo have m my regard Elwood Not many men would have stood the racket and sacrificed themselves 8 as you yeti ou have done The fact is r recognized now and your Bur motive motive- I must havo turned very white for ho he stopped and sprang to his feet searching for some restorative I felt lt the tho need of blinding him bim to mv my condition With an au effort which shook mo JOO from head bead to foot I lifted t myself from tho the depths into which his words hud had plunged me and fi fighting for self control faltered forth feebly enough h Dont be frightened Im I'm all right amnia n l guess I m in not very strong stron yet et Sit down 1 dont don't need anything He turned and surveyed me mo carefully and Dd finding my color r restored reseated himself and proceeded proceeded- more more circum circum- Perhaps I had bettor better wait till tomorrow tomorrow to to- tomorrow morrow before I satisfy your curiosity said he v And leave lea me to imagine nA all sorts of pf horrors No Tell mo roe at on once c. c Is ls- ls is has is has anything happened at the tho Cum- Cum l berlands' berlands 7 Yes What you OU feared has bas happened hap bap No No no no Carmel is not dead Did Bid you au think i I f meant that Forgive C mo rno I I should have havo remembered that you that you hail had other causes for anxiety than the theone out one weighing ing n on our pur minds s She is holding h r own own just just t hodin holding it but it-but but that is so 60 something in one ono so young O and naturally healthy I could see that I baffled him It could not bo be o helped I did not dare daro to utter titter tho the question q with which my DIY whole MU roul was full I could only look my entreaty Ho lIo misunderstood it it as was natural enough h. h U Sho Sho docs does not know yet what is in store for her ber were his words and I 1 c could only Ho tin still and look at him helplessly and t ti try y not to show the tho de dc- pair lair that was sinking me mo deeper ans deeper into unconsciousness semi semi U When she ho cornea comes to herself sho she will have hI have to to bo be told rold but you YOli will be bo on your your feet then and will b bo ho allowed no DO doubt to soften the blow for her by your comfort com com- C comfort tu fort rt and ami counsel Tho The fact that it must have been you you if not he he- he Ho Hoi Hel Did I shout it it or was the tho shout bout simply in iii m my own on mind mind- mindI l' l I J trembled trem trem- bled hIed as aft I roso rose on on m my elbow I searched his face ace in iu terror of-my of r. r wv self betrayal but his only compassion a arid and d anca an au ca eager er desire to clear the air nir between us Ute b- b telling mo me the tho exact facts Yes Yes Ses Arthur His HilS guilt has bus not been proven ho has haH not oven cn been remand- remand od hi his sisters sister's case caso is too pitiful and Coroner Perry too roo soft hearted where any of that family is involved ed But no noone noone noone one doubts his guilt and ho he does not deny it himself You know probably know probably no ono better that better that he cannot very consistently consistently con con- do this in face of th the c evidence accumulated a against him e evidence stronger er in many re regards ards thau than that ac accumulated accumulated ac ac- cumulated against Tho Iho ho l grateful boy boy boyl the the Pardon pie me J J dont don't oft often n indulge in n against unhappy men meu who have their punishment before them but I was wast t thinking ink 11 of you and what you have havo lI suf suf- f. f in this jail where hero you havo not belon belonged belonged no cd no not for a day Dont Don't think of me The words came with a gaa gasp I was never so 80 hard hart put to tJ it not it-not not when I first r realized that I had bad boon been seen with my fingers on Adelaide's throat Arthur A booby and a boor but e certainly not the slayer of his sister unless I had been mistaken in all that had bad taken place ii in that clubhouse previous to J my entrance into it on that fatal ni night ht As I c caught u ht Clifton Clifton's s 's 8 eye eyo fixed upon mo me I repeated though with more mOle self control I hope Dont think of me I Im I'm not thinking of myself You spook k of evidence What evidence Give me d details tails Dont Don't you ou seo that I am Dm burning with curiosity curiosity curios curios- curiosity ity ity I shant shan't b be myself till I hear This alarmed him hind Its a risk said he ho The doctor told me mo to be bf careful not to excite o you ou too much But Bat suspense is always more marc intolerable than e certainty and you have havo heard too much to bo be left in in I ignorance of tho the rest Yes CS y yos yoe s I 3 agreed eed feverishly fc pressing his hand It all aU came about through h you ho he blundered on You told of ot t tb fellow fellow fellow fel fel- low you saw ridin riding away from Tho The Whispering Pines at the time timo you entered entered en en- the grounds I passed the story on to the tho coroner and he ho to a Now York det detective the they have put on this ease case He and Arthurs Arthur's own surly nature nature na no ture did the tho rest I cringed crin ed where here I lay This was m my work Tb The person who out o of the clubhouse grounds ground's while whilo I stood in the tho clubhouse hall was Carmel Carmel and and the tho clue I had given instead of baffling bat bat- flin fling and confusing them thorn had led directly di di- to Arthur Seeing nothing peculiar peculiar or or at all events e J giving vin no evidence of having noted Doted anything peculiar in my movement move move- ment Clifton mont Clifton went evenly on pouring pouring pour pour- ing n into my astonished ears the whole long stor story of this detectives detective's I heard of his T visit resit sit at the mechanics mechanic's cottage and of the identification of the hat bat marked by Eliza Simmons' Simmons floury thumb thum b with an old ono one of Arthurs Arthur's fished out from one ono of the Cumberland closets then as I lay dumb in in m my secret se se- secret cret dismay and perturbation o 01 of ArtIlUr's Arthurs Arthur's Ar- Ar thurs thur's acknowledged cd visit to the clubhouse clubhouse club- club house and his abstraction of or the bot- bot which to all minds save my own 1 perhaps connected him directly and ano and well nigh unmistakably with the crime The fin finger er of Godl God Nothing else elso Such coincidences cannot be bo natural was as my my thought And ADd I braced myself to meet the thc further dis disclosures I saw awaiting me But when these disclosures were made and md Arthurs Arthur's conduct at nt tho the funeral was given its natural explanation by bythe bytho ho tho finding of tho the telltale ring rint in Adelaide's Ade- Ade aido's laido's casket I Iwas was so affected both by jy the tho extraordinary natura of the facts act and the tho d doubtful position in in which they hey seemed to placA place one ono whom born even oven now I found it difficult to believe belie guilty of Adelaide's Adelaide 8 death death- that Clifton Clifon Clitton Clif- Clif ton on aroused in spite of his own excitement excitement ex ex- to a n sudden realization of my condition bounded to his feet teet and im im- im- im cried out I had to tell you It was your our due duo and you would n not t have havo been sat sat- if I had not But I fear that I rushed my narrative too suddenly upon you that you needed more preparation prepa prepa- preparation ration n and that the tho greatest kindness I can tan show you now is is to leave before I do further mischief I 1 believe I answered I kno know that his lis idea of leaving was insupportable to 0 me That I I wanted want him im to fo stay until I had had bad time to think and adjust adust ad ad- just myself to new conditions Instinctively In In- I did not feel as certain of Arthurs Arthur's guilt as he lie did My own case caso had taught me tho the insufficiency of circumstantial evidence to settle setHe a mooted fact Besides I knew w Arthur Arthureen oven en better than I did his sisters He was as full of faults and as lackin lacking in n amiable and reliable traits as any fellow rellow of my acquaintance But he be hemd had md not the tho inherent snap which makes br tor crime He lacked the vigor which God od for forgive ve me mo the thought lay thought lay layjack back jack of Carmels Carmel's softer characteristics r. r could not imagine him guilty I could for all my love imagine his sister sis sis- sis sis- is ter cr to so and did The Tho conviction would not leave my mv mind Charles said I at last struggling lin linfor for or calmness and succeeding better in inny in my ny task than cither either ho be or I expected what motive do the they assign for this deed Why should Arthur follow Adelaide Ade Ade- laide aido to the tho clubhouse and kill her Sow Now if ho had followed me me- me You were at dinner with them that ni night bt and know what she sho did and what hat she he vowed about the wine He was very angry antry Thou Though h ho bo dropped his lis glass and aDd let it shiver on the board boar ho 10 himself says taJ's that he was desperately desperate desperate- I ly y put put out with her and co could Id only drown mown his mad emotions in drink Ho He knew that she would hear bear of it if ho went ent to any saloon n town to so eo ho stoic the key from your bunch and wont Vent to help himself out of ot the tho club club- hous That's how bow be he came cameo cameto cameto to o bo be there What followed who knows He won wont won't t. t te toll tell and we e can can only conjecture The ring which she certainly wore that ni night ht might give the secret ecret a way away but it is not gifted with though houth as a silent witness witness wit wit- ness neM it is is exceedingly c eloquent Tho The episode of the rin ring confused me 1 r c could uld mako make nothing out of it could not connect it with what I myself knew of the tho confused experiences of that ni night ht But I could recall the dinner and tho tiro st sullen len aspect not unmixed with I awo awe with which this this boy boy contemplated his liis sister when his own on glass fell from his nerveless fingers My MX own heart was not in in the business it was on the elopement I had planned loaned but bub I could not help seeing what I l' have hove just mentioned men men- Honed and it recurred to mo mu now now with fatal distinctness The awe awo was as as great groat as the sullenness Did that offer a good foundation for crime crimo I disliked disliked dis dis- liked Arthur I had no use for the boy and aud I wished with all my heart to detect guilt in his bis actions rather than in in those of the tho woman I loved 10 But I could not for forgot forget ot that tin tinge e of awe on ou features too heavy to mirror very cry readily the tho nicer feelings s of tho the human soul It would como come up and under tho the influence of this impression I said Are Aro ro you ou sure suro surp that lie ho made no ItO denial denial denial de de- nial of thi this crime That does not seem like Arthur guilty or innocent Ie He Ile He made nono in m my presence and aud andI audI I was waR in the coroners coroner's office when tho thorin rin ring t was S produced from its secret hiding hid hid- lag ing place and |