Show QUESTION not propounded in court but makes subsequent pro dosal very easy dy by GERTRUDE MARY SHERIDAN tho the flashlights ot of tho the camera men boomed from every angle ot of tile tho courtroom Thoro Tho waa a suppressed cheer following tho the solemn announcement of tho the foreman ot of tho the jury not guilty cameras and eyes sought bought ono one capo cial corner of tho the place it was waa khero a dignified fine faced old man had sat eat all through tho the trial whore where lie ho sat now n ow lie ho was wad iho accused robert dayton A faint expression or of graft fl fi catlon cation crossed his bla face then it softened down to extreme tenderness evelyn ills his daughter his constant companion during tho the trying ordeal ot of tho the past few days had thrown her arms about hla his neck and was waa sobbing bobbing out her joy oy upon his bosom not guil guilty tyl 1 title oho gasped oh father did you hear bear what could it be my child replied mr dayton proudly 1 I ox ex pecked it it was waa so unjust so cruell murmured evelyn illow how dared they bring that dreadful charge and against you you dear good fattier father whom everybody loves and evelyn did not exaggerate in her filial statement it had bad boon been a nine days wonder to tho the littia city when ono one week after tile tho destruction by fire of the unused plant 0 of tho the dayton manufacturing company two former partners ot of mr air dayton had bad accused him of burning down tho the property there had boon friction and litiza aton between the three partners so BO severe that mr dayton had closed down the tha works lie iio had bad offered ills hla partners a fair settlement which they had bitterly refused the fire had bottled it all the only beneficiary bonoll clary through the insurance was mr dayton this point ills his enemies had used against him and this together with tile the vague evidence of a night watchman that lie he had bad seen a cloaked person resembling the manufacturer tn in appearance near the factory at S J we can never tell what we owe you she said nino nine tn in the evening one hour before the fire wits was discovered had bad formed the basis of the accusation tn in court mr dayton had bad been able to prove that he be had bad been confined to tho the house bouso all that fatal day with a slight indisposition lie ile had bad gone up to tits his room at eight the jury had bad only his unsupported word for this for no member of the household was able to say eay that ho he had been seen again until the ensuing morning the base implication of the prosecution was that mr dayton had bad slipped out of the house between the hours of eight and ten in the evening they hinted that ho he had fired tho the plant and returned to io his room before the names flames wore were discovered it was at the darkest moment in tho the trial tor for the anxious father and daughter when their lawyer called dr paul merwin merwan A serious faced young man the gaytons had bad never seen before took the witness stand I ite he te was carefully but not expensively dressed it was notable that ho he never even glanced at the accused man nor hla his daughter his evidence wan plain simple and convincing he was a comparative stranger in the city working up a small practice the evening of the fire he had been resting tn in the garden of the vacant house adjoining the dayton mansion doctor morwin swore positively that ho he had bad sat there the dayton house tn in clear view from eight tn in the eveni evening ngun un til nearly eleven p m during all that time he be testified ho he had beer been in full sight of the music room where miss dayton was entertaining some guests and the up stairs apartment in a wing of the house where her father bad boen been studiously engaged in going over some account books tha prosecution was confounded the lawyers asked a tow few to tomal ques tlona there ther was no refutation ot of the evidence robert dayton was waa a free reo ruan man honorably acquitted tho the young physician was close ut at tho the side eldo of 0 mr gaytons Day tons attorney lilt it tho the latter approached his hirs client just thon then the acquitter man was surrounded by a crowd of arl friends e edg evelyn faced the young physician lit in an im impulse 1 alse ulse of deop deep joy she ebo put out both her hands wo we can never tell what we owa you she BUO paid fervently almost bro kenly it has baa boon my great fortune to bo be of service to you replied doctor merwan modestly for it a moment her hands rested in hla his close earnest grasp almost gulck ly sho she withdrew thorn them it wua wits fortunate tho did not ask you the question dr mor win the young lady hoard the law yer pay aay more than once that night evelyn thought of the young physician some how she could not forget a single incident of their meeting tho the day following tho the I 1 impression mp was deeper than ever tile tha next day she eho p passed abao d doctor morwin on the other side aide of 0 tho the street ire he bowed politely poll tely then she cho began to learn now things about tho the object of llor her interest evelyn discovered that the young man was having an uphill up hill time of it la in malting mailing professional headway ile ho hail had cast in III hla his lot with a poor but ing clientele aad she eho believed lolle vod hla hid service fees to bo be few and far between ono one day evelyn wont went to her bar father 1 I am afraid you have been so eo busy you have forgotten to write dr morwin an acknowledgment ot of our thanks papa sho she said demurely 1 I declare de claro that la Is so exclaimed mr dayton 1 I will attend to lc it n once tho the manufacturer penned a rind and gra gracious clous aoto to tho the young matt man it received formal recognition but dr moraln did not presume to appear in person ile ha seems to actually avoid us un said evelyn to herself quite disappointedly then her face brightened an aa tho the suggestion came to her mind to invite dr morwin to a pending lawn party on the dayton grounds there never was a more and companionable fellow evelyns brothers voted in favor of the tha young doctor before tho the evening was over so interesting looking and hand somo some declared Eve evelyna lyno boat girl friend evelyn herself hora elf bo however wever could not rid herself of tile tho notion that dr merwin marwin somehow hold her at a distance ile he was reserved with her to a a degree she could not understand thero there seemed to bo be a barrier beaw between edn them it to Is not of my making mourned pretty evelyn as tho the evening closed and the doctor agreed to como come again in later years evelyn never forgot tho the third evening he called ile he seemed more care tree on that occasion lork than he ever had been before then moonlight a charming garden spot the air like now alno and la ia the hazy silence evelyn bald f dr merwin I 1 have always wished to ask you a very particular question for some time i yes ho be intimated gently with his usual rather sad smile you remember that day la in tho the court room when we first met 1 11 I havo have not forgotten it ho he replied an and evelyn dEvelyn noted the samo same vivid expression in his face akin to longing to deep emotion that bad struck her on tho the occasion referred to mr telford said to you at it was fortunate tho the prosecution did not aate you tho the question yes spoke saoko dr merwin tn la a low tone what did ho be menn mean 1 must I 1 toll tell you the question ask ed her companion a strange restraint in his bearing 1 I very much wish you would mr air telford was intimating that had the other side questioned me too closely it might havo have been embarrassing for me and yes perhaps tor for you 1 I do not understand murmured evelyn yet feeling intuitively that some vital revelation was about to be disclosed it if they had asked how I 1 came to bo be in the adjoining garden pursued dr merwin 1 I should have been compelled to tell them that P yes that prompted U velyn evelyn half playfully that tho the evening I 1 was in the next garden was one of many evenings I 1 spent there I 1 had known you tor for a a long time before that miss dayton you had known mo me for a long time she repeated vaguely but you did not know me ilow how could you 1 I an humble striving stranger inger who once longed to see sea you again aga I 1 n even it jt it was a stolen view and then founds found tho the pleasure of life in listening to your beautiful singing I 1 had bad promised myself that would be the last evening I 1 dared to worship tho the star at a distance tan e and now I 1 will go mr dr Af erwin said evelyn softly dont go tway thayl copyright 1512 by W G Chap chapman maii |