The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-10-26

to. And it's not the first time she's
planned TO punish me as sayagely as
she could. You did not know until to-
night perhaps that one Of my eyes was
arti6cialp mol naturally you didn't.
Well, that was her doing"
"Whatp The artificial eye?"
"Don't be SO stupid, he said, rude
", No doubt I had been rather OBJ.
tuse but I had heard Of ladies paint
ing on glass and doing potichomAnie
and other strange things in the way OF
fancy work, aud for the moment, alto.
gether, my mind was in rather a con.
fused state.
"No," Stericker continued, "but I
owe to her the necessity for wearing an
artificial eye. It happened at the flower
show In the Botanical Gardens. There
was dense crowd. II was in the ten
where the pelargoniums are exhibited.
Not that l care about such things, but
II SO happened. A lady advanced with
her parasol held in front OF her. Sud-
denly she seemed to thrust II at me, as
q lancerlmight his lance. Her aim was
wonderfully true. The sight Of my left
eye was gone forever. II was quite q
mercy that the spike Of her parasol did
not penetrate to my brain. That was
Arabella's doing, Of course. Part Of
her revenge"
"And she said nothing 2"
"She said calmly, I beg your par.
don. It was nu accident, and passed
on. She looked very handsome. She
was superbly dressed. However, that
she always Is. Her husband is old, but
amazingly rich. He labors to crafty
her slightest whim-so I'm told. But
her only desire-the sole passion OF her
life-is to wreak her vengeance upon
me. / feel that She cannot forget,
much less forgive, the loss OF her front
tooth. You see, she's reminded Of that
happy business every time she looks in
the glass, which she does frequently,
OF course. She was always vain. And
she means, sooner or later, to be the
death Of me, that's quite clear. She's
made two very good attempts ut the
Botanical Gardens, and tonight at the
opera. The third time perhaps she'll
succeed"
"But doesn't the thought horrity
you2"
said, smiling, and with rather an affect.
ed air. at would be something to fall
by the hand OF such woman as that /;
that would be my consolation really o
fine creature you know, although no
longer in the bloom Of youth indeed,
removed some distance now from the
bloom Of youth, but still grand and
beautiful, and SO resolute J II she had
loved me as she hates me II
You love her still, then2"
"Well; not precisely. Bat admire
her, Just as / admire the Bengal tigresa
in the Zoo. II possible, / should like
Arabella TO be Gagged like tho tigress /;
but as that can't be-well, I wear this
stud as q memento OF her, and for the
rest I take my chance. Now, what will
you take? Another cigar? No? Some
more brandy aud water?
No. Iwould take nothing more. /
had, in point Of fact, already taken
moro than was absolutely necessary for
me. 1left Stericker. was much i'm.
pressed by my experiences Of that
night, by what had happened at the
opera, and his extraordinary narrative
touching the vengeance OF Arabella.
Was il true? l was really not in o state
Of mind to determine. Even now I
have difficulty at arriving at any dis.
tinct conclusion on the subject. But I
know that Stericker's face wore, TO my
thinking, q very remarkable expression
as I quilted him. His smile was simply
awful. And strange to say-at least, I
think so, though IL may not strike
others in that light never saw Ster.
icker again. He died shortly after
ward, as I read in the newspapers, the
victim Of a street accident. He was
knocked down and run over in Hyde
Park, by O Iony pheton, driven by
lacy. There was, OF course, IN inquest
upon his remains, the jiiry deciding,
however, that he met his death "by
misadventure.' Some attempt had
been made to hold the ladyresponsible,
and 10 charge her with furious driving.
But nothing Of the kind was sustained
before the coroner. Various witnesses
gave evidence, acquitting her OF all
blame in the matter. Her conduct in
court was said to be most becoming.
And II was reported that, attired In
very deep mourning, she had followed
Stericker's body to Its last resting place
in Brompton cemetery. Now, was this
lady he Arabella OF Stericker's story?
She may have been. But I have no Ger.
tain evidence Of the fact. Nor, indeed,
have anything further to communi.
cate touching the life and death Of my
acquaintance stericker.