Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-06-18

take him"
,, Watson disappeared. turned the key Of the
outer door, and sprang toward the closet. AS |
unlocked it, l remembered the look she had Civ
en- me as l shut it, and wondered, with bea-
ting heart, whether the same expression would
greet my enraptured gaze when l opened it,
There she stood, with her eyes calmly fixed on
mine.
"You are safe, dearest" I murmered.
She did not rebuke me for calling her so: and
emboldened by her silence, took her hand to
lead her from her narrow prison. She moved for
ward and fell into my arms corpse!
| cannot well recall what followed. l only
know that tried every means for her restoration
to life: but alas. without success. Us orc thing
i Twas firmly convinced-she had not died from
sufocation. l had once seen the body of man
who was killed by the falling in Of the mouth of
a pit. recollected his purple and swollen face
and his lax, warm limbs. She was pale, rigid
cold. The tumut of her own emotions must
have killed her the moment the door was closed
upon her. By some means l kept my secret
from the knowledge of Watson and every one
else. All that night was trying to recover her
Then formed the project of shutting her up in
the he,closet-locking up the chambers, and going
abroad for twenty years. But that idea was re-
jected as quickly as formed, for it would be hard
ly possible that thespresence of a dead body in
the house should not be discovered before that
time. Next, I thought of setting fire to the
place, burning all my books and papers, making
funeral pile Of them; and thus running myself
to save the secret. But that thought, too, was
dismissed. 1t might cause loss of life and prop
erty to many innocent people, and would be
bunglng proceeding after all; as, if the fire was
discovered early, policemen, fremen, mob, all
would brake in, and finding her body there, all
would be lost-for it was more to save her repu-
tation than my life, that was striving and plot
ting
In the meantime / was prey to the most
painful anxiety. | was sure that by that time
she must have been missed and sought for. Per
haps she has been seen to enter my chambers
Every step that heard, feared might be that
of policeman. In the morning stranger cal
led on business. This, of course, was nothing
extraordinary; but when he had gone felt that
he was detective officer, and had come as aspy.
I thrust few clothes into earpet-bag, inten-
ding to escape France. caught up a box of
matches, to set the place on fire. l grasped
razor, and looked eagerly OF its keen edge a9 shr
surest and swiftest way Of ending my miscry.-
;irt is d these would leave her to the ests of
the world, and my-ewn snfferings were nothing
in comparison. At this distance of tine- can
look back impartially and coolly upon that dread
ful day; and can solemnly declare, that would
rather have been hung for numbering her, than
to have allowed breath to sully her fair fame.
! had Just laid down the razor, when hurried
step crossed the ante room. 1t was her hus-
banl'S:s
Now. thought all is lost. She was seen to
enter here and he has come to claim her.
"AIy dear" he began in a nervous, unset
tied way, "yol remember, the business that |
came here about yesterdays"
"Pertectly."
'"And do YOU remember the words used as
| was going? mean in answer to what you
said about my not being able to touch that mon
cy till after the death of my wife,"
"Yes, remember them distinctly"
"Mr "lfc has disappeared since yesterday
morning" he continued, turning even palcr than
before; land if anything should have happen, you
know, and yourepeat those expressions they might
be laid hold of, and don't know what would be
! lllc consequence llII8uI oc SuSl)eCleu ~ ua'-
wing murdered her"
Poor fellow! If had not known the truth, |
should have suspected it myself, from his eXces-
sive terror and anxiety. He wiped the perspi-
ration from his face, and sank into chair. The
sight of person more frightened than myself
rcassuled me was calmer than had been since
the preceding morning.
"Where did she 60? How was she dressed"
inquired, anxious to know all that | could on
the subject.
Il don't know She told me she was going
out shopping and visiting, but no one saw her
leave the house, and none of the servants knew
exactly how she was dressed. When | went
home to dinner, the first thing ! heard was that
she had not returned"
"What have you done. Have you sent to the
police and to the hospitals"
"Yes, and to every friend and tradesman where
she was at all likely to call"
"You may depend upon it," replied, very
impressively, 'that will not repeat what You
said yesterday. You are right i'll supposins that
it might tell against you very ymuch if she should
be found dead under suspicious circumstances"
lie talked little longer, and then went to
renew my self-possession during this interview !.
do not know; so far from being really calm, l
could have gnawed the flesh off my bones i'll my
agony.
That night, when the doors were fastened, and
! ! was alone-eyccpt for the company OF the dead