| Show A 72 J M I 1 SS I 1 N M A by MARY R P HATCH author of the bank tragedy copyright Copy richt 1892 by le leo bad and sheperd shepard CHAPTER continued much had been caid raid regarding the motives of his client but mr stevens contended the were ere manifestly as great on the part of the defendant chere was no doubt he had become enamored N with ith his brothers wife and he had decided to possess her for bia own he had repeatedly urged marriage lage but not until after the beath of lenora who had been mur alered to remove so dangerous a wit ness to his past when he became convinced that the workman called primus edes was no other than the true vane hamilton there was vas but one course open he must renounce his claims or remove the true owner he ile chose the latter the shot was either fired by his own hand or by his emissary solomon marks who was a fit tool for any such emergency the judge was very impressive in his summary of the case which he eald said was different from any other on record he not only reviewed the evidence on both sides as usual set ting forth the claims of each and ex pla ining corroborating and collateral ivl vi dence but he spoke of the gross charges which would be made after wards of forgery perjury and per haps murder against the person who sustained defeat he solemnly chang ed them therefore to deliberate long and wisely before deciding that the gravest conviction of duty and jus tice called upon the best and wisest faculties of the human mind to aid them in a decision like this upon which rested such great and arid unusual issues it was not alone a question of property but of famil and of life and death therefore let them dellb erate well before deciding two nights and a day passed be ore a decision was reached and then it was in favor of the present incur bent of the hamilton estates who w v as declared to be the true and legal own tr r vane hamilton and an order for the arrest of henry ashle alias allas mus edes was filed by the order of J A brothers curse will rest upon you to the end endi the judge upon the charge of forgery perjury and embezzlement when the decision was made known it would have been hard to tell which tace was more pallid of the two men r f the one who had just been declared guilty or the one who had gained the cult suit for a moment they turned to gaze into each other others s faces while a shade of acute regret passed over that of tha one declared to be vane hamil harrill ton but on the other a look of ter anger rested do not think he cried in thrill ing accents that you will ever be allowed to enjoy your Ill gotten pos sessions cessions our mothers mother s spirit will prevent that you will never know a moment s peace and a brother s curse will rest upon you to the end re member my words As for justice looking about the court room and cor cov ering cring with his gaze the judge and jurymen there Is no such thing that will do said the judge cold ly you have nothing to complain of and the prisoner the sheriff from the court house mrs hamilton leaning on the arm of mrs fry went to the latter s house for or she would not enter her house while tenanted as it was there was no doubt thought mrs fry that she really did believe that the man now a prisoner was in reality her husband but the good lady herself had had her mental faculties so played upon at tho trial that it almost seemed as if it ehe she herself were another person I 1 wouldn t any case at court lot not one single minute she said to dan one lawyer gits up an proves it all out thethis that man Is vane hamil ton so you see it is all jest as easy ss print then another lawyer gits up and kicks the bucket over an proves that the first Is all a tur terrible lie though hes master polite about it hia his man Is vane hamilton an be le explains it all out jest as plain and easy as t other did only direck cantry its my private pinion them aurmen t know no more bout it U than I 1 did tenn rate they looked puzzled as could be after mr MT stevens got up and spoke his piece fore then I 1 as sure edes had the worst oil out t but I 1 was breffle sorry tor for im but after mr stevens showed out bout how that ashle came an jest how it all hardened harr ened I 1 was jest sure 4 ml AA adf 1 aaa S lie d git the case but lor sake there ain t ao no justice in the land CHAPTER undercurrents that the rev arthur ham merly sat by his study table trying to fix his mind upon the sermon he was war writing but it would wander in spite oi 01 himself to the scene in court peculiarly trying to one of his senst bf atles for he could but pity the pale pile shrinking woman whose trials were laid bare to the public gaze ind he could but pity the one who had lost the suit whether guilt or innocent for his heart was a merciful one so when a timid knock came to his ears he welcomed it as a diversion rom torn troublesome thought and wheel ed grom the table just as a lady en in response to his invitation it was mrs hamilton the minister arose and bowed hast ly fly and in some confusion can I 1 do anything for you youa he said earnestly I 1 will it if I 1 can oh I 1 don t know I 1 don t know he che cried I 1 came to you for I 1 have no one else to go to I 1 want some one to advise me who is very wise and good and I 1 know of no one but you I 1 am not very wise nor good he aid gently but I 1 will do my best to ill 01 you ou ic in any way that I 1 can I 1 dont don t know that you can aid me or that any one can I 1 dont don t know what to do I 1 haie hane been so terribly shocked hocked hoc ked the past week I 1 have heard uch dreadful things said about my co conduct induct and you may think me very wicked but indeed I 1 am not I 1 have tried to do just right and she look ed up piteously as a child might into rhe the minister ministers s face never before had he lie seen her stirred from her usual queenly bearing and the sight moved h m as nothing else could I 1 know I 1 he said soothingly you have tried to do just right but maj aou ou not hae haie been mistaken 7 no I 1 am not mistaken I 1 am more firmly convinced than ever I 1 know he is not my husband and noth ing shall induce me to say otherwise how can you ou be so sure how can I 1 be so sure you never loved or you would know I 1 should know my husband husbands s soul in any body il if he claimed me I 1 did not know at first because he did not recognize me but when he did I 1 was sure I 1 tried not to be precipitate but all the time I 1 knew knew but the other man looks more like dour husband ah ali but his soul is a stranger to my soul and she looked up in an earnest almost wild manner that touched him greatly do you mean to appeal tor for an other no it would do no good then what can be donea I 1 don dont t know unless aou ou appeal to him I 1 appeal to hima yes to the man who has frauda antly got possession of our home you are a good man and might know of some way to touch his heart you ire very persuasive very eloquent but it if he Is such a man as s you think him still there is some vulnerable I 1 lace in his soul th a Is in every ne tie I 1 think to doubt it would be to doubt the good father would he do you think allow any of his its crea tures to be so depraved that they could not be redeemed from sin sina chis man must be the twin brother t f my husband and he must have good in his nature still for his par ants were good people and wicked environment cannot quite change quite pervert a noble nature can ita perhaps not still you cannot conceive of the difference between good bringing up and the reverse be lore fore I 1 came here I 1 was engaged in missionary work that brought me in contact with the most degraded peo rie lie they actually had no conception of goodness no belief in a better life it if people seemed good they deemed it hypocrisy they would laugh to scorn any appeals to conscience for they literally seemed to have none such people deserve the profound e eit et t pity but he is not like that he ile is edu bated he is capable of affection my children love him and he appears to at t liaa Aridi Sll y love them he ile has hai noble impulses such a man can be appealed to mrs hamilton you are the one to make the appeal oh ob I 1 cannot there is a reserve between us that no words tit bf mine can bridge when in his presence I 1 for set get avei everything athing bit b it that he has rob bed me of happiness at other times I 1 can think of him as unfortunate ind to be pitied I 1 will talk with him then for yos and do what I 1 can said the minister oh thank 3 sou on thank you she said gratefully I 1 sometimes think there was never so unhappy a worn wom an as I 1 torn from my husband and torb forb adden to mourn because the be liet lief is general that he is not my bus land and to be called unfaithful I 1 the most faithful of wives k it is indeed hard said the minis ter whether right or wrong in yo ir I 1 elief I 1 know your heart Is true it your faith in me is a great corn com fort she saia lifting her eyes earn etly to his face fa c e you will see him nd do what vou cana les les I 1 will see him and do what I 1 can and then mrs hamilton left the tudy and the minister thrust his ermon one side and bent his head n deep thought how could he touch this man if he were the impostor mrs hamilton conceived him to be bea could he doi doa it ita could any one onea he doubted it still he would try it was not riot ate barely nine clock he would go that iera ier night changing his dressing gown tor for a coat and mal ing some other trifling alterations in his dress he set out on his errand anaf soon reached the hamilton residence he rang the bell and was admitted into the hall which held a few boxes and a trunk mr carter and mr hamilton came to greet him and the former said as he stepped over a box vane Is going to the hotel for or he will not keep constance from her home any longer he is a noble fel low mr air hammerly the minister felt a chill creep over his Us resolution but for a mo moment ment whether she was right or not he bould kep his promise to mrs hamil harrill ton and as soon as mr air carter left the room excusing himself on ac count of some duty mr Harn hammerley merley broached his errand I 1 do not say mr hamilton that aou ou are not what you seem but I 1 came simply at the request of mrs hamilton amilton rl who really believes that iou lou are not her husband it is her solemn conviction and it is cruelly unjust to rank her with the many unfaithful wives some of whom might make pretences such as hav havo leen een ascribed to her you surely rio do not think her capable of such las baseness eness no I 1 think she is sincere I 1 in br belief she Is a ble woman lal itce capable of such rn act it wg way jl antt NL my wish to have her name dragg d before the public as it was mas but one cannot do as he would at such times mrs hamilton Is co convinced minced that 1 3 ou are her husband husbands s brother that iou ou have been led almost without oll tion of your own to wicked courses which are at variance with bour real nature she thinks with different environments you would have been a different man what else does she saya asked mr hamilton as the minister paused she wished me to appeal to you to 0 o give her back her happiness she is very miserable verv much chang ed from the happy woman I 1 first knew when I 1 came to Groi edale she is a rare woman one among a thou sand you are right she is one among a thousand would you ghe up such a awman 19 I 1 the ministers hot face flush ed alth emotion to be continued |
