The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-08-23

crime ~ he exclaimed. ~ am an En-
glIshman, and will not commit murder"
"Psnawl your nation produces AZ many
Honorable criminals as any other. Do
your work, sir, and quicklyW
Il refuse to obey your cruel command.
Let me go."
The man who had been writing, and
until now had taken no part whatever
In the scene that wass passing around
him, then rose and joined the group.
Laying his hand lighAy on my grand
fathers shoulder, he said:
"There ID no escape for you, Doctor;
every moment you hesitate you prolong
| that woman's pam. She must die; and
you can despatch her with painless
speed"
"Wnat ii refuse? You can not force
me to commit so tOul murder"
He pointed to two swarthy figures
| Ceither soldiers or Iiveried servants of
, some noble fanlly-my grandfather could
not tell which y who had been standing
motionless by che couch, and answered: |:
"Then those faithful fellows will dis
patch you and afterwards dispatch her;
| they are not professional, and their work
will be clumsily done. Ii the operation
be not performed upon your patient be-
| fore the clock strikes, you know your
|
is doomed; no power on earth can save
her,"
| 1T was vain to speak or to exposIulate
with those fends in human form. He
felt they were, as stern and inexorable as
tate. 1t was as cruel as horrible and
cowardly. Five men assembled to wit
ness the professional murder OF u young
and beautiful woman!
| The clock began TO chime the quarters; /;
it was about to sGrike. At a gwen sig
nal the statue-like figures stepped for.
ward ana rapidly uncoiled.a "a rope with h
moose already made; they were about to
slip 1T over his head and hang him to
beam which ran along the ceuter~of the
ceiling. The horror OF facing a sudden
and violent death seized him-his death
would avail her nothing for whom he
died. His senses were in a whirl; he
threw up his hands and spran9 forward.
"Pll do it'll" he exclaimed, and tell on
his knees before her. ''Fney will have
your life; can not save you, chila; but
l can shield you from their rough and
cruel hands, and put you paialessly 10
rest. Forgive me, forgive me, for it is in
mercy to you do this cruel deed"
Tne white hand went QUE to him and
closed over his in soft, forgiying clasp;
the agony died out OF the sweet eyes as
they reSteu one moment ON MS race;
then with low sign sne closed them ana
turned away her head. LII another mo-
ment her young lile was ebbing slowly
away. He remained by her side, holding
her hand in his and watching till all was
over. He would not Tor second leave
her with those stern men, lest a wound
ing 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 il,
and when his conductors took leave
of him they suggested that it would
be well il he would leave Ma.
pies 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 filed it with one long remorse-
living nightmare-for that scene was
always present TO his mind. The change
that had puzzled US puzzled US no more.
He could not carry his secret to the grave
with him, so he gave it into our keeping.
"Iu's u terrible storyp L exclaimed.
"And, unlike most terrible stories, it is
true," he answered. 'Come out tor a
breath of fresh air ana sunshine, to blow
this gloomy subject from our -senses."-
Pictorial w World.