Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-05-19

much for he came and kissed me, and said he
loved me- But for the first time in our mar
ricd life, his kisses did not soothe me- nor did
L believe his assurances.
All that night heard Ellen walking steadi-
ly and unresting through her room. She never
slackened her pace--she never stopped-she
never even hurried but the same slow mea-
sured tread went on; the firm foot. vet light
falling as if to music, her very step the same
mixture of manlnesS and womanhood "a her
character
After this burst of passion, Henrys tender.
ness was to Inc unbOunded as if he wished TO
make up for some wrong. | need not say how
soon | forgaye him. nor how soon loved him
again. A my love came back in one full bound
less tide; and the current Of my being set to-
wards him again as before If he had asked
me for my life then, as his mere fancy to de
stroy, | would have given ii TO him. | would
have laid down and died, if he had wished to
see the flowers grow over my grave
My husband and Ellen grew more estranged
as his affection seemed to return to me- His
manner to her was defyng hers to him con
tcmptuous. | heard her call him villain once,
in the gardens below the windows ut which
he laughed-hiS wicked laugh and said, {: tell
her and see if she believes YOU
was sitting in the window working-it was
cold, damp day i'll the late Autumn, when
the chllllngS of November are just beginning,
those fogs with the frost in them, that steal in
to ones very heart. 1t was a day when yisi-
bic blight is in the air, when death is abroad
everywhere, and suffering and crime was
alone In the drawing room. Ellen was UP
stairs, and my husband, as | believed in the
city. But L have remembered since, that |
heard the hall door softly opened and foot
step steal quietly by the drawing room up
stars. The evening was just beginning to
close in-dull, gray and ghost-like the dying
daylight melting into the long shadows that
staked like wandering ghosts about which |
dreamed such fond dreams, and woye such large
hopes Of happiness and as | sat, while the
evening fell heavily about me- a dread presen-
tlment, Il consciousness of i'll, that made me
tremblc as If III aglle-angry at myself, though,
for my folly. But it was reality 1t was no
lysterical sinking of the spirit that | felt no
mere nervousness or cOwardice a knowledge,
presence, power, warning word, a spirits
cry, that had swept by me as the fearful evil
marched on to its conclusion
heard faint scream up stairs. 1t was so
faint could scarcely distinguish it from sud-
den rush of wind through an opening door, or
the chirp of a mouse behind the wainscot.-
Presently heard the same sound again and
then dull muffied noise overhead as some one
walking heavily, or dragging a heavy weight
across the toor. | sat petrified by fear \
nameless agony was upon me that deprived me
OF all power of action. | thought of Harry
| and l thought OF Ellen i'll al ineXtricable eli
pher of misery and agony but | could not
have defined line in my own mind | could
not have explained what it was that | feared
| only knew that it was a sorrow to come, and
sin, i listened but all was silent again once
only thought heard low moan, and once
4 mutterng vOice-which / know to have
been my husbands, speaking passionately to
himself
And then his voice swept stormfuly through
the house, crying wildly, Mary, Mary Quick
here Your sister Ellen"
ran up stairs. 1t seems to me now, that
| almost flew. | saw Ellen laying on the floor
of her own room, just inside the door her feet
towards the door of my husbands study, which
was immediately opposite her room. She was
fainting, at least thought SO then Werais-
ed her up between us my husband trembling
more than | and | unfastened her gown aud
threw water on her face, and pushed back her
hair but she did not revive told Harry To
go for doctor. \ horrid thought was steal
ing over me ; but he fingered as fancicd un-
accountably and cruelty, though | twice asked
him to 30. Then | thought that perhaps he
was too much overcome /; so | went to him and
said She will soon be better, Harry" chcor-
rully, to cheer him. But | felt in my heart
she was no more
A last, after many urgent entreatieS, and
after the servants had come up clustering in
frightened way around the bed-but he sent
them away again inmcdiatcly-hc put on his
hat, and went out, soon returning with strange
man, not our doctor. This man was rude and
coarse, and ordered me aside as | stood bath
ing my sisters face, and pulled her arm and
hand roughly to see how dead they fell, and
stopped down close to her lips-I thought he
even touched thcm-a in violent and inSo-
lent way, that shocked and bcwildered me- Nv
husband stood in the shadow ghastIy pale, but
not interfering.
1t was too true, what the strange man had
said coarscly She was dead Yes the
creature that IN hour ago had been so full of
life, SO beautiful so resolute, and young, was
now a stiffening corpse, inanimatc and dead
without life and without hope. Oh that word
had set my brain on fire ! Dead here, inmy
house, under my rOof-dcad SO myStcriouslv,
SO strangely-why? How Jtwas fearful
dream, it was no truth that lay there was
in a nightmare | was not sane and think
ing how ghaStly it was tainted softly on the
bed, no one knowing, till some time after, that
| had fallen and was not praying. When |
recovered | was in my own room, alone Crawl
ing feebly to my sisters door, found that she
had been washed and dressed, and was nov
laid out on her bed. 1t struck me that all
had been done in strange haste Harry telling
me the servants had done il while fainted.-
| knew afterwards that he had told them that
it was I, and that ! would havo no help. The
mystery of it all was soon to be unravelcd
One thing l was decided Oa--to wat:h by