Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-07-08

/. some noble family-my grandfather could
not tell which) who had been standing
motionless by the couch, and answered:
Then those faithful fellows will dis.
patch you and afterward dispatch her :;
they are not professional. and their work
will be clumsily done. If the operation
be not performed upon your patient be.
fore the clock strikes you know your fate !:
if you are obdurate remember YOU throw
away your own life without saving hers.
She is doomed; no power on earth can
save her.
1t was vain to speak or expostulate with
those tiends in human form. He felt they
were rs stern and memorable as fate 1t
was as cruel as horrible and cowardly
Five men assembled to witness the pro
fessional murder of young and beautiful
woman! What had she done? Whom
had she offended? Some secret machinery
was at work; these men were mere lnstru-
ments in the hands of higher power
they had owned as much; they had no
personal interest in the matter They
were there to carry out justice, they said
secretly, it was true; but the woman
had been lawfully condemned, and the
sentence of the law must be privately ex-
ecuted.
The woman's eyes were fixed upon them
throughout the whole of this converse
ton, and travelled from one face to the
other in hopeless agony; not a word
passed her ears, and only the one despair
ing, changeless expression sat like seal
upon her face. She knew there was no
escape for her-none. There was only
the one question to be solved Was she
to die by the unwilling hand Of plying
stranger or be killed cruelty by profess
sional murderersg What world of ter
ror must have been compressed in those
few moments of her life as she lay watch
ing and waiting there?
The clock began to chime the quarters !;
ii was about to strike. At a given signal
the statue-like figure stepped forward and
rapidly uncoiled rope with a moose al
ready made, they were about to slip it
over his head and hang him to beam
which ran along the center of the ceiling
The horror Of facing a sudden and violent
end seized him-his death would avail
her nothing for whom he died. His senses
were in whirl; he threw up his hands
and sprang forward.
''I'll do it !" he exclaimed, and fell on
his knees beside her. "They aciN have
your life; l cannot save you, child; but
can shield you from their rough, cruel
hands, and put you painlessly to rest.
Forgive me, forgive me, for it is in mercy
to you that do this cruel deed
The white hand went out to him and
closed over his in soft, forgiving clasp;
the agony died out of the sweet eyes as
they rested one moment on his face; then
with low sigh she closed them and
turned away her head. In another mo-
ment her young life was ebbing slowly
away. He remained by her side, holding
her hand in his, and watching till all was
over. He would not for second leave
her with those stern men, lest a wounding
word or rough touch might disturb her on
her way from this world to the next. He
was conducted from the place in the same
way as he had entered it, and when his
conductors took leave of him they suggest
ed that it would be well if he would leave
Naples with as little delay as possible.
This forced murder-for such it really
was-lay upon his conscience to the end
of his life, and filled it with one long re-
morse-a living nightmare--for that scene
was always present to his mind. The
change that had so long puzzled us puz-
zled us no more. He could not carry his
secret to the grave with him, so gave it
into our keeping.
g It's terrible story" | exclaimed.
"And, unlike most terrible stories, it is
true" he answered. Come out for
breath of fresh air and sunshine, to blow
this gloomy subject from our senses y
Pictorial World
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