Show HE H E mu K E by VICTOR ROUSSEAU if CHAPTER continued 16 stake yourself easy he said sullenly 1 I any liand land in it I 1 dont know what nhat happened but I 1 guess ohe elie go eo to the camp against her will mrs bostock stock he leered claybe ala he laed taken a fancy to lee iee chambers I 1 saw something of 0 that sort eort in tte wind and so go I 1 started to carry out our plan our blanp plant kitty hitty the one that greed on to keep her any anay from will carruthers sald said bowyer venomously lie expected an outburst but kitty kilty was beyond that now you know that ive come about will slie she said in a choking voice 1 I dont know what to do nobody but you ou can am help me ine what shall ahall I 1 do bowyer pretended to 0 o reflect it dont quite see what I 1 cun can do sirs hostock he answered 1 I dont believe lies hes gunty of course he fail tant gull guilty tyl t ive ire always said lie but hell have hare to take ills verdict froni from the jury what Is there we vib can do kitty looked nt at him in tion the lafell zile bhe gasped teats Tt lats what iut hut that ims has nothing to do with joes joea death sirs mrs Il bile to tier her feet confronting him blitt dramatic indignation you rou know that it lias bas everything she ahe cried youre playing with me and torturing nip me ito do you suppose I 1 dont know eliat shying about him that tie he forgot forged joes joea name tp those checks und and murdered film to prevent do you suppose I 1 dont know that when I 1 gave gae you tin tile combination bi just to help hap will that you w put those el lecks let nio me tell tho the truth on oil the witness stand I 1 she pleaded standing before him film with clas lied hands and the tears raining down her cheeks cli eeliS tell rell the truth you must bs be rand mad III I 1 ilia shouted if the jury knew that dequit llila it could lie be arranged id say I 1 gave cine uio the combination tu to lee ice chow beh ber again bower began to be afraid of kitty but this time it was her stupidity lie feared and lie law this was has the ocen slon to let loose one of ya noted 1 dafies 14 fi 1 them bile 1 screamed with ito ho pain ula understand each edich other wity kitty bostock I 1 lio lie gilted lilted lit in a furious olac voice ril ill tule take up your our proposition and show you what eliut it means listen I 1 first break your our solemn cove coie ilant with nic me dishonest you llie ilie sort made between people every day le ilie played fair with you aind aull ploy piny fair with nio me or aull lose your fortune every ei cry penny of if lt it first second so BO surely as you iou go BO iett tile tho othega box with such n ill say bay YOU ou lie IN ril ill say lio lie MUS your jour lover ill nay may that hint tie lie killed joe at your in ill sti gation YOU ou wanted to be rid of jilin him ill say that you went to lilt hig and lived there alint almost next door to him ill bring forward a workman who alio saw you two to to geher on lite ono one evelln ill swear abenr its a concocted story made up by you to free your paramour lylial alint sort eort of figure to do you think cut in the witness box lien kitty lioa tovell had calculated rightly upon a woman like kitty pitted petted rind spelled from birth tile lie astounding fact of phy slen violence comes as a stu that breaks down tile lie souls it li Is only on repetition lint tho the n reaction action comes cams and bowyer calculated rightly again kitty kilty Ill tie lie wild said ge gently lilly 1 I promise you that lie shall ho be freed I 1 have tile ans inci ins the lite influence the power I 1 know lie ho murder joe keep your fiend and nil all shall lie ho well I 1 swear it do you belleve mel nio site etie looked it at idin blin us ns if lie he find tier lier acs yes I 1 beleto bel itye you ou she bhe answered so purely as you speak ono one word hell hang bong keep quiet quIe tand and lie ho shall bo be saved tilso rne me stiv say ing nirl V 9 oil ill say any nothing waited mailed katt kitty wringing tier her hands 1 I promise you cu I 1 see bee I 1 now and she went out of the lionso with tier her fiend low dubious and yet ct bilth illi the sure conviction that bowyer could gave eato wilton bowyer could save lint but nobody else could do 10 so sliu bile aull trust tila film because there was A as nobody else to tf truid Il Ilet eteen nein tile the house ani an lie ho station WHY kilty ITOW grow conscious con silous of 01 an old annn walking beside her trying to to per Alf orbed lit in her thoughts silo did not know liow how long lie he had been there suddenly acho he zeI that this ani nn jim cletts she back agnost looking nt at film with eyon wrab wilu w ala fear jim nodded and smiled 11 ats h till nil erht dont be of hu nic e alre mr ts toek lie said youre mighty worried nent you ou now I 1 gregs guca we vo nil all are wont you iou go gt to mr vayne and nd tell him what you ou know they alic lind had reached lne ane Stat lolL tile arnin tar or clayton was waiting jim foll follwell wel kitty into inisi tho lh compartment biad aai tool hio keat beat beside her ber tom howler bowyer swore hed save sae him if if I 1 if f 4 questioned jim if I 1 kept silent but III speak I 1 vill rill I 1 never trusted him air lawyer told roe me I 1 hold the line ond and I 1 wanted to save the money to help will lie ile promised that when tile the smash came hed tale take the shares off my iny hands nt at par if id gle give him the combination of tile the safe tie so that lie he could rind find out about the plans I 1 gave gaie it to him the safe was mine and I 1 was trying to help will and I 1 told tom bowyer bower the secret of the wheat lands so eo that hed know lie he losing anything by buying my shares site she let her head fiend fall at nral rallin nt jimi shoulder subbing uncontrollably jim laid lili fits rough hand on her hair there child I 1 guess you feel better now dont conj you 1 he be said you understand the wrong that you were doing the way v wrongs rungs generally done and now well go to air payne and fix things up fur for will CHAPTER the closing of the trap payne was struggling with ills his perplexities about a month before the date set ret for the trial when jim hetts betts and kitty came to ills hla office kitty sobbed out her story while payne listened in utter amazement why did you ou do this mrs lira bos took lie asked when he had heard tier her to the end because Bec I 1 love will and wanted to help film librn she answered you are wl wang ng to tell this story in tie witness box just as youve told it to fo me 1 I hilll cried kitty if it will save sae will it 11 its ita needed to save him blin 11 6 0 0 0 0 As the he day of the trial drew nearer payne loue knew wills case was desperate public opinion was inflamed against him and bowyers Ho skillful campaign had borne rich fruits without an linus but in the resolve to clear ills own reputation for laxity quinn had find worked up tile the case until each link appeared complete ander III 11 she let her head fall against J alma MIS shoulder sobbing uncontrollably sen sell who followed the indian witnesses testified reluctantly that lie hail had over beard wilton request tile the p pseudo po to delay their journey to clayton ns na tie lo 10 did not wish jpe Bo bostocks Bol locks stoCks death to be known for business reasons until some time ina later t r there followed ILi pIllon und jean pas who stated slated that they had been told by the outlaw lm kett that wilton lind find murdered joe bitstock liming already come to tile name opan ton irn unil and being afraid of having file lio guilt laid to them they had find decided to run nin away suddenly there came a buzz of excitement cit elt ement til in the court room all eyes arc abere turned toward the lite crown cronn attorney at whose side aide stood huwer himself and it was evidently erl dently tile the laten ion of the prosecution to cliff him to tile the stand idinea Ia inea bics attracted upward suddenly saw kitty in tier black dented in tile front row 61 tile thu gallery tier her eyes fixed in terr ipen the lie newcomer anti and ns as it 1 drawn by the force of tier her will bowyer looked up nip anti and illano saw the flick a smile cross lila red vuo buo c bowyer culled called deposed that ho he had known joe hostock intimately for sev girat virat years they had always been friendly chouch often business rivals when did you iou first arst learn of ills his naked asked tile alio frown attorney not for several days after gut but you iou met ilia accused nt at the day companas comp anys tore store at nig big muskeg a few dia days after the event two anys after what ild did tie lie say to you about the tal gedys ito ho toll told roe me jog joe bostock was not with him film 11 amod aad lie ho said nothing about ills bis death wo vo I 1 knew nothing about it for two or three days after that was his demeanor that of a guilty man payne lane leaped to fits feet 1 I object to that question I 1 he shouted but bowyer was as already answering ile he looked like a man mad with fear I 1 As he spoke he glanced upward there came a scream from the gallery and kitty fell ell back fainting la in her chair the court adjourned until the morrow payne went ent to hla his client almost dimmed immediately lately what do you ou make of it all asked wilton gravely gra iely it looks bad answered payne 1 I was a fool to tilde joos joels death inquire for kitty when you go 6 back and try to let me know how she la Is wont you oua 7 and tell her not to worry tell her im going to pull out triumphantly for the sake of the line said willon payne iane left him with the resolve to put kitty upon the stand lie ile did not tell ell wilton this lie he would have hae avoided this had it been possible lul but it was the only chance remaining the jury might believe her suddenly there leaped into paynes mind the overwhelming biero helming conviction that tant bowyer was at the back of the murder nothing else could explain his vindictiveness lie he learned that kitty katt was recovering and before returning to inform wilton lie he had bad the impulse to go to jim betts quarters he wanted to see the only man who still be bloed in waltons Wil tons innocence at betts belts home he wa told that the old man had left clayton claiton two weeks before and had not yet let returned payne made his fits way flonly baik back to the jail lie he had to uphold lila faith alone lits lils falth in an acquittal it was MUS the hardest job ho he had ever had in tits his life CHAPTER the guilty mani the inquest on the lie bodies of flack ett and iee chambers had established the fact ascertained by a search party on the lay day after the ore that there were no human remains under the clio timbers of 0 the camp i noimi tins tills wizen atle maile made to trace Al mcdonald cDonald and tits his daughter failed it was generally believed that they had been lured there by the out laws and had either cither died in the flames llamo or had find been murdered and their bodies disposed of ofa jim kelts betts had find nothing more sub stan lint than anyone else on which to base ills search lie was resolved to free wilton anti and having failed with kitty lie determined to discover the other nan man who he felt sure had been nid up in waltons Wil tons life it sile she still lived urn um betts belts built up tile the theory wilton had arrived at the camp too ton late to save the girl from bowyer IS owyer and hint flint hulf balf crazed site she had fled with tier her father into the wilderness 11 hl i went to the fishing ashing camp and spent a day prowling among tile ruins but bill ho lie learned nothing there them then lie went to the he store it was still empty for n rew new trading post was being established northward and the company had not replaced the factor factora perhaps would not do so hetts betts broke in n everything averi tiling was its as it had been on the night of the tire ahre hut but betts quickly discovered that someone had been there abere since for in the lie just dust that cov cred the floor door of Bl ollys bedroom were tile the faint imprint of feet A womans comans foot I 1 that was all the clue be hetts Is got bill it satisfied him lie he cast bilboul about hini him northward and eastward going into every indian encampment und and hulking with the lip inhabitants lint hut it was ns it week before tie lie got ills second clue 4 0 0 0 molly and tier iier father left wilton beside tile road ond and crept stealthily into tile the und when they were ero 11 sufficient distance frum from the caknip the nindo mado a wide detour crossed the alie roa I 1 and took tile trull trail back toward the portage encountering nobody on tile lie way there tile the factor got aioo IV and ami ninde made up a pack t acl of food kni leni for two weeks journey they pin lint on their snowshoes and started east AN feard ard had that the fatin rs had comille completely telY left him said bild nothing to him about it ir howe ammer er fearing to it to his fits ali teriOn they traveled viled for or eight days on lit alic eighth Al mcdonald cDonald or of weakness lie ho had overtaxed hia alii tl they were vere nn an indian intel that let leil to a little Alo moravian ravian anit minion slon talve miles all further on when tile reached it at nightfall At cDonald wan in a raging feier lint half llie lite brother brollier brot lier in r i bogge them lie h put pitt tile the factor in 0 o tied bed aind nursed jilin 1 ft I chirp attack of Holmn ilij in fits delirium roved inerio all the ills of nf hie file past tortured bill liliie bight ight titter night ho hived rn dived il whit ernly gentled lit in alij lilt ili till at t last tin delirium left hirn aind in clance gere miln I int into the sl lea own soul rould could no more piss tile real ur ul la tip lie was ua in 1 1 fever to 10 bi be akillo ila ha wanted ills fits rille lio cleal led and hollod 11 it lie asked for hl ili began examining the wrings ASA A molly gine gave them to illin she bho that of the lie aril broken and thero there alas dished li shed ll 11 oil into tier mind the memory of tier her discovery inside liege inge the porm ge on that day hen wn 1110 ha saved fmc wilton she would not let ilia dirk dark thought in tier heart come into con hut but she kneeled lit the factors alt sidi her arins around ailin If flint in I 1 brou trou liling youl you the she pl blended ended tell bl SIc Donnld cDonald was slinking shaking like oa nn aspen ita its hiesl lie int hilr hied bled ill if ive repaid its fur for wrone that ans done me and mine what time have you done whom have you ou repaid you must tell lite lie ile clutched nt at tier 1 I warned him what lot would be if lie he come came between 1110 and mine and when lie he sent will corruthers to steal you from me ine for lie acif wal nt lit tile the back of chati I shot blot him whom hollys gray eyes searched into his fits soul joe I 1 after tt a lung long time molly took the lite factors hands in liers hers well go on silo said in a hard voice thank boj no innocent man has been suspected suspect etl ill stay with you lou ril ill never speak peak of this again but atut tf if ever the guilt Is unjustly placed on anyone you will go back to clayton and confess the truth or ill denounce you aye ill go BO back molly lie cried no man shall liang for me I 1 swear it if yell stay by nie me till then alien molly she left him and with a singular clarity of mind as if there were nothing more to fear or hope and no room tor for further feeling site she went to the door and looked out across the snowbound wilderness slie she saw it a figure tramping th thron rought gli tie the snow toward the mission and thus jim betts found her CHAPTER A dramatic moment the second day of waltons Wil tons trial wai occupied by the handwriting experts Fent gentlemen lemen brought to clayton clay ton at fat tees leesi who unanimously v flod that the he on the |