The Red Cloud chief., 1879-09-18
them on some hospital, and 70 took his

fprTnr'i q dlffprsnt opinion on tH' -ih-
ject without. however, any of them b~-
ing able to give a plausible explanation.
Towards the end If a month Dr. h. ~
ceivctl a letter dated from hi- patient :
residence. He opened il. IL Wa clp-e-
IL written. and he saw by the signature
hat hi~ patient had written it with hi-
own hand. from which he concluded
that the pain had not returned. for II il
had ne could hardly have held a pen.
The letter ran n. follows:
MY DEAR DoCToR-I do not wish
that either Won or mciica! science should
be left in doubt a. to the mystery of the
strange disease which will soon bring me
To- my gravc-and even elsewhere. am
about Ia describe {" YOU the origin ii
this terrible malady. II broke out a
week ago. and ! can struggle against u
no longer. Al the present moment ] can
only n To- trace these lines by
placing on the sensitive part a piece al
lighted finder, Ia serve ~ a catapla-m.
A. long ~ the finder burns ] 10 not feel
the other pain-and IL j. A. nothing in
comparison. Six months ago ] Wa still
a very happy man. ] lived, without
care. on NV income. was ON friendly
terms with all the world, and ! "
pleasure in every thing that can Interest
a ma If IS. had married a year ago.
married for love. a most beautiful young
girl of cultivated mind and with the best
heart in the world, who had been com
panion 10 q certain Countess. my neigh
bor. Nv wife had mo- fortune, and the
love she had for me was not only graft
tudc, but also the gcnuin" affection Of 4
child. six months passed in such a way
that TIA" morrow always seemed {" me
happier than ia" eve. II sometimes | was
Obliged Ia 20 Ia Pcsth aud leave my
home for "A day. my wife had not "A mo
ment's peace. She would c"m" two mile
on the road Ia meet me. If was bciaict
she would STAY awake all night waiting fOr
me. and if. by diut of cntrcaiV. She was
prevailed upon Ia 80 and see her former
mistress, who was still very fond of her,
n" power on earth could keep her Their,
more than half a day, and even then hcI
regrets for INV absence put the other
ont of temper. Her fondncss for m'
went - far ~ Ia make her give uI
dancing. 80 ~ not Ia hr Obliged to put
her hand into Il >tran@cr's; and nothing
caused her such grave d~iSplcasIre ~ Tho
compliments she WAS apt Ia receive. In
a word. had for Il wife an innocent
/ child, who had no thought but for me,
and who would confess her dreams Il
me a. enormous crimes If h had moi
dr"amt nf me.
Zone day | know not what demon
whispered in my ear. Surprising al
Al. -. Il. ,nl.,,,,, . Mn .-.. t.,a.
enough To seek how they can torment
themselves in the midst IF the greatest
happiness.
NV wife had a workable. the draw
cr of which ia" kept carefully locked.
had noticed this several times. She n"y'
ar forgot the key, and never left the
drawer open. Ih" question ran in my
head. What can she ;,c hiding from N,
thcrr?' | had taken leave Of my scm~c~
| no longer believed either in the inn"'
ccncc of her face or in the purity of hei
eyes. in her carr>>cS or in her kisses
suppose all that were nothing hut ny
pocrisy?
..Onc mornin" the Countess cam,
again Ia fetch her. and after much en-
treaty succeeded in deciding her Ia >I"nd
the day with her. Our estates wcr,
some miles apart, ami | promised my
wife 10 90 and Join her. As 5000 ~ tn,
carriage had left the courtyard. | gath
cred together all the keys of the nous,
and tried them in the lock of the It'll,
drawer. One of them opened il. | fcl
like Il man committing his first crime.
WAS "A thief about Ia surprise the Sccrrt'
! of a feeble woman. Ny hands tremblc,
aS | drew from the drawer. prudcntly
carefully. n 10y one. the objects con
tanned therein. 50 that 40 confusion
should bctray that Il strange hand ha,
ranSackrd them. NV breast hcaycd
was well nigh S~uffocatcd. Behold
suddenly. beneath Il mass of lace. | ha,
placed my hand on Il packet of letters
| felt rs if a flash of lightning had pa>>c,
from my head Ia my heart. Alas, ON,
glance told me what these letters were
They were love-letters! The packe
WAS tied by a pink ribbon with a >ilve'
rlwc. AZ | touched the ribbon TN,
thought occurred To me: l. this right
l. this work worthy of an honest man
To steal the secrets of Il woman ~
crctS which belong to the time when Sh'
Wa Il Young girl, Can l ask her {,
render an account IF the thoughts Sh,
had before She belonged 10 me? Can
bc Jealous of Il time when she did no
know me? Who could suspect her of
fault? Who? was base enough Ia d'
81. and the devil again whispered in IN,
ear: .SuppoSing that these letters wcr,
Of a time when | had already Il right Il
all her thoughts. Il right Ia be- ~icalnu
even of her dreams. when she was al
ready mine? | united the ribbon. VI
one SAW me. There was not even
mirror i'm the room Ia make me bus
for myself. | opened one letter. thel
another. and read them In the end.
"Oh, what a fearful hour that wa
for me, What did those letters con
tain? The vileSt betrayal of which
were written by one of my most init
mate friends, And in what Il strain
what passion, what certainty of his low
being shared, How he spoke of >ecrc
cv, What coun>cl> he laviShed on III
art of deceiving a husband, And "a
these letters were of Il time when | WA
married and perfectly happy! Shall
tell YOU what | felt? Imagine the in
toxication caused 10y a deadly poison.
drank deeply of that poison. read a
the lctterS-all. Then | refolded them
retied the ribbon. replaced the packt
and shut the drawer.
IL knew that if | did not go for he
ut II o'clock she would come back fror
the C~ounteSs'S in the evening. And :
ii happened. She got down hastily fror
the carriage and ran towards me aS
, stood waiting for her on the steps. Sh
kissed me with extreme tenderness an
: seemed to he very glad to he with m
again. | let nothing he seen on m
face. We talked. we Supped togethC
r and then retired To our separate be,
rooms. | did not close my eyes. Wild
, awake, l counted every hour. Whe
the clock struck a quarter past midnigl
I | got up and passed into her bedroom
There was the beautiful blonde hea
buried in the white pillows. 1t is thu
I that angels are depicted in the midst
white clouds. What a frightful lie W,
I this on the part of Nature: vice with
-. face of such innocence. NV ~reSOlutiO