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Alton had no paper of its own The nearest was printed in

Stanbridge One e paper, and paid for it in farm produce He had a little far souls The Stanbridge paper

had arrived the night before, and the h to

i in the store He was

accustomed to do so Likewise Gordon, when he was not too hurried,

would open his New York paper, and read the"headers" to

a wide-eyed audience Thisthe paper was in the box as usual,

with a nuestive way around

James, as he took the parcel from the postmaster There were no

lock-boxes

Jaood-natured, and the eager hunger in thepathetic about this outreaching for intelligence of

their kind, and its progress or otherwise, a folk,

who had so to count their pence that a newspaper was an unheard-of

luxury to thelanced over the headlines on the first page

Now, had he looked, hesinister and malicious

in the curious eyes, but he was so dazed by the very first thing he saw

as to be for the ht of the

first page was the headline: "Strange dual life of a prominent physician

in Alton, New Jersey Doctor Thomas B Gordon has lived with his wife

for years, and called her his ed sister, Mrs Clara Ewing Upon

her death, a few days since, he revealed the secret Will give no

reasons for this strange conduct, simply states that he was justified,

even compelled, by circumstances" Then followed a caricature portrait

of Gordon, a photograph of the house, one of the village church, and the

cerave, with various surh to fill the column

James paled as he read He had not known of

Gordon's action in telling that the dead woman was his wife He looked

around in a bewildered fashion, and ry eyes One sloatingly "Some news

this mornin'?" he observed, with a smack of the lips, as if he tasted

sweets

Then James arose to the occasion He faced them all and smiled coolly

"Yes," he replied; "you mean about Doctor Gordon?"

There was ato end "I suppose it is news to

you," he said, when he had finished He looked at them all with a

superior air He looked older and more manly than when he had first come

in their midst He was older and nized it, not sullenly nor defiantly, but with the

unquestioning attitude of the New Jerseyman when he is really below the

scale in birth and education Still their faces all expressedand cruel curiosity, which they hesitated to put into words

They knew that Elliot was to marry Gordon's niece; they were overawed by

both men, but they were afraid of Gordon

Still Jie of his ," he said, "that Doctor Gordon should hev came

and went here for years, and all of us thinkin' his ere his sister

when she were not"

"Well, what of it?" asked James

The men stared at one another

"What of it?" repeated Ja

cri his wife by his sister's naain the men stared at one another, and Jie to speak "S'pose him an' her were

married," he said, in a thin voice like the squeal of a fox

"Which of you wants to be knocked down can make a statement to the

contrary," thundered James "Is that what you make of it?"

Gooded shoulders,

Goodman spoke "Nobody never knohat is true or ain't true in them

newspapers," he observed, and there was a note of alar in the whole colu as you intimated," James said hotly "Don't put it off on the

newspapers!"

Then another man spoke, a farmer, tall, dry, lank, and impervious He

was a man about ere ill-reports His wife had died some years

before, and he had a housekeeper, a florid, blonde creature, dressed

with dingy showiness, of whohs "All ant to knohy Doctor Gordon has never said that her was his wife,

and not his sister," he said in a defiant nasal voice

The nant Jim Goodman saw his chance He jumped upon it like a

spider "That's so," he said "Why didn't he say she was his

housekeeper?" There was a shout of coarse laughter The farave a

hateful look at Goodman and puffed at a rank pipe

James was furious, but he saw the necessity of a statement of some kind,

and his wits leaped to action "Well," he said, "suppose there was a

question of aped

"Money!" said Goodman

"Yes, money," pursued Ja opposed toto

disinherit a woman if she married the man they did not pick out for

her?"

"Was that it?" asked Good to discuss

Doctor Gordon's secrets with you It's none of your business, and none

ofis this, suppose there had been a girl

years ago with a very rich bachelor brother Suppose the brother had

been jilted by a girl, and hated the whole lot of wo married himself, and his sister would be his only

heiress, and he had set his foot down that she should not marry Doc--the

man she had set her heart upon Suppose he went to--well, the South Sea

Islands, for the rest of his life, to get out of sight and sound of

women like the one who had jilted him, told his sister before he went

that if she married the man she wanted he would make a will and leave

his money away fro,

suppose she hit upon the plan ofit quiet"

"Was that it?"

"Didn't I tell you that I would not say whether it was or not? I only

say suppose that was the case Doctor Gordon has a n parts You can see for yourself how easy

it irl?" asked Goodrily "That is nobody's business," said he "She is

Doctor Gordon's niece"

Good?" he asked

"Couldn't it possibly have happened that two sisters of Doctor Gordon's

married two brothers?" Jay driving hoan to realize how the fairy tale which

he had related in the store would not in the least impose upon Clemency,

how she would almost inevitably hear of the statements in the papers He

wondered ed a secret which

he had kept so fiercely for so long

When he reached hoave Gordon

his lanced at it, then at James

"Have you seen this?" he asked

James nodded

"I suppose you think loomily, "but

the truth is I kept the secret while Clara was alive, though I found I

could not, oh, God, I could not after she was dead and gone! I had not

realized what that would e her as my wife, dead

or alive I found that when it came to the death certificate, and the

notice in the paper, and the erection of a stone to her memory, that I

could not keep up the deception, no matter what the consequence My God,

Elliot, I cannot coainst the dead! Dead, shelast night in the

Stanbridge Record, and yesterday, while you were out three reporters

froood and

sufficient reasons, which were not dishonorable toI suppose the poor fellows had to

tax their iinations to fill their coluard to Cle painfully appealing in Gordon's look and manner He see that he was able to

say to soothe him, commended the course which he had taken, and told hi the insinuations which

had led him to fabricate such a tale Gordon smiled bitterly "All your

felloant of you is food for their animal appetites or their

mental," he said "They must have meat and drink for their stomachs, as

well as for their curiosity and malice I have lived here all these

years, and labored for thehty poor recompense, and sometimes

for none at all, and I'll warrant that to-day I am more in their minds

than I have ever been before, because they have found out my secret,

which has been the torture ofabout it"

"I will go and see," replied James

The minute he saw Clemency, as in the parlor, he knew that she

knew By her side on the floor was the Stanbridge Record She looked

at James and pointed to it without a word Her face hite as death

James took up the paper That merely announced the fact of Mrs Gordon's

death, dwelt upon her reat suffering, and stated briefly the astonishment hich the neas received that she was Doctor Gordon's wife, and not his sister, as

people had been led to suppose "Little Annie Codht it

over," said Clemency "She said her mother sent it It is just like her

"

Mr Codman was the minister

Jaht of the absurd

story which he had told, or rather suggested, at the store, and realized

that such a fabrication would not answer here

Immediately Clemency fired a point-blank question at him "Who am I?"

she asked

"You are Doctor Gordon's niece, dear"

"But--she was not hter of Doctor Gordon's youngest sister, who died when

you were born"

Cle, her forehead knit, a keen look in her blue

eyes "I knew my father was dead," she said after a little "Uncle Tom

has always told me that he passed away three months before I was born,

but--" She raised a puzzled, shocked, grieved face to James "What is my

name?" she asked "My real name?"

James hesitated Then his mind reverted to the tale which he had told at

the store He could see no other way out of the difficulty "Did you

never hear of two brothers azed at him with a puzzled, almost suspicious, look "I knew I

had an aunt and cousin in England nalish aunt was not e, that she had lish aunt is your uncle's own sister," said James

"I see: my own mother and my aunt were sisters, and they married

brothers," Clemency said slowly

"That is unusual, but not unprecedented," said James He had never been

involved in such a web of fabrication He felt his cheeks burning He

was sure that he looked guilty, but Cle, still with that puzzled knitting of her forehead and

that introspective look in her blue eyes "I wonder if I look in the

least like my own mother?" she said in a curious voice, as of one who

feels her way