The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-10-31

foreign accent.
| The dark eyes and the blue ones met,
a few neighborly words exchanged, a
call followed soon. Mrs. Halifont felt
a new emotion creeping into her heart.
She felt pleased and fattered by this
strangers admiration. Then she knew
she was loved, and rejoiced, and SO
discovered that she herself loved again.
At first she was angry with herself;
then she wept over her INCONSISTENCY, but
at last she yielded utterly. After all,
it was the love that made her untrue.
Since she had loved, she could never
pride herself on being faithful again,
and 80 she listened to the sweet words
that, despite herself, made her happy,
and promised to marry Colonel Hum
phries.
When a widow does marry second
time she generally contrives to make
fool of herself.
Mrs. Halifont had certainly not done
as foofishly as some widows do. She had
neither chosen little boy, or a titled
| Italian without money enough to keep
| himself in macaroni. Her future hus-
band was older than herself, and too
rich to be suspected of any intention of
being fortune-hunter: but, after all,
no one knew him. He came into the
neighborhood without letters of intro
duction to any one, and whether he won
his fortune by trade, or came to it by
inheritance, remained a mystery.
There were those who shrugged their
shoulders and declared that Mrs. Hall
font would regret not having chosen
some one of whom more was known
some retired merchant, some gentleman
offortune, whose father had been known
to her friends. Nothing, to be sure,
could be said against this Spaniard or
Cuban with the English name; but who
knew anv thing in his favor?
However, no one said this to Mrs.
Halifont, and If any one had, words
never changed womsn's fancy yet.
Mrs. Halifont believed ia Colonel Hum
phries, and meant to marry him.
Indeed, the trousseau was prepared,
the wedding-day fixed, all was ready,
and Ida Halifont believed herself to be
a very happy woman. She once more
built castles in the air. Her old sorrow
seemed to fade away in the distance.
She was girl again.
At last twenty-four hours lay between
her and her weddingday.
She was busy in her sewing room on
this last day, finishing some ruffies in
lace and ribbon, and singing softly to
herself, when suddenly the house was
filled with cries.
An old man-servant, while cutting
the grass upon the lawn, had wounded
himself seriously. The doctor was Sent
for at once, but he was not at home, and
meanwhile poor Zebedee was bleeding
to death.
Suddenly Ida Halifont remembered
that Mr.. Humphries had said that he
understood wounds as well as though he
had been bred a surgeon. Without this
it would have been natural for her tt
call on one who was so soon TO be hel
protector in moment of anxiety. She
would call him herself. that there NIGH
be no delay; and, seizing her garden
hat, she ran along little path that lee
| from her ground to that of Mr.. Hum
, phries, climbing low fence, to save
time which would have been lost il
: reaching gate, and SO gained the real
of the dwelling, of which tomorrow sht
would be mistress.
She thought herself terrified and dis
. tressed. She felt rather injured in tina
, such an unpleasant thing as the wound
ing of poor Zebedee should have hap
pened on the eve Of her wedding-day
: Ten minutes after she thought of her
self at that moment utterly at ease
) wondrously happy-for as she reached
those windows and peeped half timidl,
through the curtains, thing happened
} that made all she had ever suffered ap
} pear as nothing.
The room, the window of which sh
had approached, was one that opened
out of conservatory. She saw Colone
Humphries busy with some rare plant
/, he had Just set out to the warm sun
| shine that fell through the glass. H
|, had taken off his coat, and rolled up hi
2 sleeves. Now he left the conservatory
and coming forward, proceeded to wasl
his hands in basin of water that ha'
been set ready for him. He was clos
to Ida Halifont. He did not see hel
;, but she could have reached out he
. hand aud touched him. Why did sh
not speak, and call him by name2 VIII,
" did she sink down upon her hands an
!, .tremble like an aspen leaf? Alas tn
IL awful reason was this: Upon that arr
to which she was about to give th
's right to clasp her in tenderest embrac
l. she saw terrible mark-a mark she ha
seen once before. She knew its shap
and size and color. Her eyes had bee
e riveted upon it as the sinewy hand, s
+ the wrist Of which it ended, grasped he
o dying husbands throat. She had lear1
: it off by heart; she could not be d.
ls ceived. Though years had rolled ava,
!, that horrible marked arm was not to |
:. forgotten or mistaken for any other.
:. Suddenly Colonel Humphries fe
q himself grasped by hand that, small
- il was, had the fierce clutch of tiger
!, claw. The fingers closed over that re
= mark-a white face came close to his.
!" "You are my husbands murderer
: hissed a voice in his ear.
70 Then the two stood staring at eae
n other. He made no denial. He on
10 looked down at the red mark upon b
q arm, and cursed it aloud.
,g "How dared you to make love to me
Ts she gasped. You"
A Because loved you," he said I" w
al man, if / had not fallen in love wi
# you that night, would have killed y,
Id also. 1t was risking my life to spa
n hunt me down"
,ir 90, if you had but killed me then
nv she moaned.
he "Well, am at your mercy ne W."
of said.
nd She answered:
ls. "You can kill I wish you would.
90 pray do it. You killed my husban
to The murderer of my husband must
Ilv brought to justice, and I-yesterds
by nay, an hour ago-I loved you! o, &c
al pity mel / have loved this man, Il
thief, who came in the night to rob I
I'm husband, and who murdered him."
sat She remembered saying this. Aft
il. wards a strange drowsiness overcal
,er her. She seemed to let go her hold up
nd the world. She family recognized
lie fact that Colonel Humphries knelt
ner her feet and kissed her hands. Tt