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Show I VICTOR ROUSSEAU j f (THWART KIDU COMPANY CHAPTER XXI Continued. 17 A cry broke from Wilton's lips; lie r;iiM l liis arms and let tliem fall again. I'uyni' sjliinred t tlie jury. Their eye's v. -r? riveted on Kitty's fiice. He knew Unit lie had scored. A disagreement even an acquittal if nil went well. "Thank you,'' lie said quietly. The crown attorney, who had heen whispering wilh Bowyer, came forward for-ward to cross-examine. "Vou told us, Mrs. linstock," lie said in his suavest tones, "that you loved, i.nd slill love, the defendant. How long have you loved him?" "Kvcr since I first saw him," whispered whis-pered Kitty. "iiow soon after your marriage did jou make his acquaintance?" "I saw him first on my marriage day, at the church. He was my husband's hus-band's best man." A stir among the soctators. Payne clenched his fists and groaned. Everyone Every-one saw what was coming everyone but Kitty. "Then you were in love with him before you married Mr. Bostock? N'ot long before let us say half an hour? Vou married a ni:n whom you had ceased to love for half an hour?" "I did not realize it then." "But you realized it soon after? Vou were not Heartbroken when Mr. Bostock died?" "I cared for Joe. I admired and rejected re-jected him." "But not in the same way? Vou couldn't love two men in that way at the same time?" "No." said Kitty tremulously. "In fact, after the first shock was over, you felt that life might become worth living again?" "I don't know what you mean" cried Kitty desperately. "The court will," said the attorney, with a meaning glance toward the ,'tiry. "Don't let me perplex you. Now please answer me carefully. You persuaded per-suaded the defendant to let you build and occupy a cottage on Big Muskeg, close to his own, and hidden from the s glil of the camp?" "lie tried to stop me. I've said that already." "It has duly impressed us, Mrs. Bostock. Bos-tock. However, in the end he yielded?" ' "He yielded because he thought that . 2 was only interested in the work. He cited for Miss McDonald. He never dreamed I cared, until I told him." '"-' you told him! What did lie Kay ?" "'t cut him to the heart." Only a thread divided the tense drama of the colloquy from inex-t-'r guishahle pathos. The attorney mapped in : "In fact, you found him a regular ,'"cpli in his relations with you?" And the whole court was dissolved in laughter. Kven the Judge placed Lis hand across his mouth. "Then will you tell me how you five came to be seen kissing and embracing em-bracing one evening on the shores of Big Muskeg? But I won't press that ; 'est ion. We shall have further evidence evi-dence to offer." The mischief was done. The net that had heen woven about Wilton could not be broken by the hypothesis of conspiracy. Kitty's confession of 1 er love supplied a stronger argument i gainst him. and threw the dark fliadow of collusion about her, too. Mechanically Me-chanically Payne called the next wit- M'SS. But before he could take the stand there came sounds of an uproar in the :rret. There was a struggle at the entrance. Then, to the amazement of a!!. Molly stood in the doorway. Jim Betts was with her, and together to-gether they supported the frail form ef McDonald. I'liliindered. they went down the courtroom, while the spectators gaped, end suddenly, standing up in their ' plat os, gave rousing, riotous cheers, l uliimlcred and nnrebuked. Despite the general belief in Wil-ioTds Wil-ioTds guilt, stories concerning Bowyer's picsen.o at the camp on the night of the lire hud heen widely bruited. The party were still advancing when Bowyer loosed himself in one of his I arow smal rages. "Put them out of here" he bawled. "It's a trick a staged trick to will Mt'.nathy for that man!" "Be .-ilent!" thundered the Judge: and then he turned to Payne, who was at bis side, speaking in a low voice. ""he court will adjourn for half an , hour." he ordered. "And no person v ill leave this courtroom in t lint interval." inter-val." Molly, with a little cry. ran to tlie (! k ami liutig herself into Wilton's artas. And at this the building rang again with the spectators' cheers. It was not for a full minute that the Ei.ard drew her away. CHAPTER XXII ', The Amazing Truth. j "Donald .McDonald to the witness box !" sain the court clerk. ! Helped by Payne and the policeman. lie olii factor made his way painfully towr.rd it and sat down. Death was upon him; so meager and 1 weak he looked that it seemed as if the man lived only in the impassioned Cre of his eyes qud the purpose Hint tar" tether his trembling body. "Vou are acquainted with the circumstances cir-cumstances of Joe Bostock's death?" asked Payne. "Tell its w hat you know-about know-about it." "I killed him," said McDonald, sim-ph. sim-ph. Bowyer leaped to his feet; the crown attorney, turning, as if he had been prepared for tlie movement, pushed him down sharply into his chair. Then the story, at last unsealed, hurst from the factor's lips in an irresistible ir-resistible Hood. "Aye, I shot Joe Bostock !" he cried. "Often Fd warned him what would be if ever he came betwixt me and mine. And when he sent Will Cnrruthers there to steal Molly from me for I ken weel that was Joe's doing I knew the time had come. "Tom Bowyer there bad a hold on me. Aye, Tom, your time's come, now. and I've listened to ye so long yell listen to me. He was ever at me threatening me with the auld threat if I dinna obey. When he came to the store a year ago I spoke of Will Carrutliers. and how I feared he'd been sent by Joe to take Molly away from me. 'Your vlianee will come. McDonald,' McDon-ald,' he said. 'Ye'll catch the twa o' them in the bush togither.' T ha' one "I Killed Him," Said McDonald, Simply. death on my soul now,' I said. He laughed that fox-laugh of his. 'Ye're afraid,' he taunted me. And that taunt and laugh put the de'll Into me. "'Listen, now, McDonald.' he said, 'if ye could kill Joe Bostock and no suspeecion come on ye. would ye do it?' lie knew tlie rancor thai was like a living coal in my heart, and he yaw that he'd won. Then he told me his plan. I was to pretend a stroke, so that my foot would he useless, use-less, and my arm would hang useless iit my side. Then, lie said, there'll he no possible suspeecion on me. As he said, 'twas nought to feign a stroke nought at all. Just to lie down and breathe heavy, and never forget I couldna use my arm or leg. "lie went aw a' and left nie T the tliochl. It gre.v in me until it filled my heart. Then one Iiicht he cam' to me Molly didna know that and he told me that Joe nn.l Will Cnrruthers were coming to tlie portage, and I could catch them alone. Tlie chance came. .Tub's was in the bush, and Melly'd gone to the Indian camp. "I slippit out o' bed and took the ritle and one cartridge, put on my snow-shoes, snow-shoes, and ran across the muskeg. It wasna long before I saw them on the ridge, black against tlie gray sky. I crept up behind the rocks till I was a hundred paces awa'. Joe Bostock's back was turned. I drew a bead on his heart and fired. They baitli fell down. I ran back to the store and went to bed. Jules dldna see me, and Molly hadn't come name." He groaned and hung his head upon his breast. The voice of Payne cut the silence like a knife. "Vou are telling this of your own free will, McDonald?" he asked. "As God is my witness! I'm tellin' this because my time's come now, and I wouldna have Will Carrutliers swing for that red fox yonder." "What was the nature of Mr. Bowyer's Bow-yer's hold on you, McDonald?" The crown attorney stood up with a wry smile. "I object to that question," he said quietly. "I'll put it in this way, then: Why did you hale Joe Bostock?" "Aye, I'll tell that, too," : nswered McDonald. "Joe was married when he was a young man, long ago. A good girl. A sweet lass from my ane town in Scotland. They were both young. They quarreled. She wanted to vex him. She made up a story that showed her to be a bad woman. She went too far. Joe believed her. She went to him and told him that she'd lied. He wouldna believe her word. Because the foolish girl had manufactured manufac-tured proofs false proofs; and the lying ly-ing scoundrel whom she trusted claimed they were true. "He blackmailed her after Joe had left her. She was at her wits' end. She went to his office to beg him to tell I the truth. I happened to go there. ! I overheard. She became frenzied and I drew a revolver on him. He struck her. He got her by the throat. He had a paper-weight on the table, a sharp-edged sharp-edged nielal thing like a cleaver. I struck him once with it. It split his skull from side to side He died. E'en while I watched him he died. "The girl was mad wi' fear. I took her awa'. I married her, for Joe had divorced her in the States. But that fox, Bowyer, knew. In my folly I'd told him all. He said he'd be my friend. He got me my position at the portage. I've lived there ever since first with my wife, then with my fears, and always with Molly with Molly, her child and Joe's!" The girl's cry rang wildly through the courtroom. She reeled and ran toward hint. Wilton, unhindered, stooped down from the dock and supported sup-ported her. She clung to him, wild-eyed wild-eyed and helpless. Nobody intervened. Even when Bowyer sprang forward, though the judge rapped his gavel smartly, it seemed oniy an automatic or perfunctory act, for he made no effort ef-fort to prevent his speaking. "Bet me finish it!" he yelled fiercely. "He didn't die, you fool you old fool ; Lord, you've heen a laughing stock these twenty years He's here in court, and he's been blackmailing me as he blackmailed you. Clark, I the master-forger and safe-breaker though we didn't need you for that step forward! Look at his head. McDonald, Mc-Donald, and then see if you remember him ! "He's spoken true! The old fool's spoken true ! I've handled many a man and woman in my time, but God Himself, Him-self, they say, can't handle a fool." j He, swung around on his accomplices. "Keep your wits, I'h.vre!" he howled in wild derision. "Vou didn't know how Joe died. You're only tlie thief the common thief I hired to work for me. Vou won" swing for litis. Neither will 1. I look my chances but, by God, I couldn't handle a fool !" They rushed toward him, hut Bowyer Bow-yer was quicker than they. And. as the single shot echoed through the courtroom Wilton saw that Molly was already mercifully unconscious. Pan he knew that all the past woull become dimmed with her awakening. (THE END.) |
