The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-09-23

thought nothing but that the strain o.
anxiety had been too much for the poo
girl, and that she had temporarily los
her reason. / did my best to calm her
and soon succeeded, for she began tc
talk so lucidly that l was compelled no
only to listen but to heed. She said that
she and one of the servants had been
watching by my wife, who was apparent
/ ~ sleeping peacefully, when they had
both been startled by peculiar change
in her countenance. They listened fol
the sound of her breathing; but heard
nothing. They had then held hand
mirror to her mouth; but it remained
urclouded. They had felt for the pull.
sation of her heart; but it had ceased to
beat, and her body was deathly cold
/ The servant had gone to tell one of the
men to saddle horse aud ride for the
nearest doctor: while she had come to
| tell the terrible news and bid me be calm
Calm was out of the question. / tore
myself away and rushed upstairs. They
were idiots; they were demented; but
still there was haunting fear which 1
must dispel for myself. And yet | was
so sure that my wife could not be dead,
that | summoned sufficient presence of
mind to open the door gently and walk
softly to the bed. | leaned over it, and
said, not loudly, but distinctly: Kate,
darling, are you asleep?'
"But before l had spoken the last
word, was convinced. Ibad seen death
often, and was sure that knew 1t to well
not to recognize it at glance. [ now
shrieked instead of whispered; but there
was no answer, and 1 flung myself full
length upon the bed in voiceless agony;
/ must have become almost or entirely
unconscious; for / never knew of the
doctors presence in the room until / felt
his hand upon my arm. He said: My
dear Mr.. Fitzpatrick, you must try and
bear it like a man and Christian, for
your wife is dead; she has been dead
more than an hour
Chow 1 felt cannot tell you. was
PROSTATE with grief; and PROSTATE I re-
manned for three days. The necessary
preparations for the funeral were made
by my wife's brother, and really was
unaware of what had been done. On the
evening of the third day ] heard stealthy
footsteps ascending the stairs, and | felt
rather than knew that they were the foot
steps of the men who had come to close
up the coffin. l heard the door open;
then for few minutes there was silence;
and then / heard other and lighter foot
steps descending, followed by tap at
the study door. l said: Come in, and
when the door opened, I saw it was an
old nurse of my wife's who had come to
see her living, and had found her dead.
IF you please, sir, she said, giving my
wife the old familiar name, they cannot
get the rings off Miss Kate's finger; and
they want to know what they must dor
II had been apathetic; but in mo-
ment was enraged, and l shouted, leave
them on' in tones which made the poor
woman beat terrified retreat. L was
completely unnerved by what seemed
an outrage upon the remains that wero
so dear and so sacred to me; but could
not move to make more effectual pro-
test, and | soon sank into the lethargy
from which l had been aroused. The
night passed, as the preceding nights had
passed, sleeplessly and YEARLY. l rose
at dawn, and sat in the study until noon,
when they came to tell me that the time
for the funeral had come, and that must
| follow my wife to her last home.
''You won't know the rectory well,
Mr.. Browne" said Mr.. Fitzpatrick, ad-
dressing himself directly to me; "but
you must have passed it. The front
door, as you will remember, opens to the
| turnpike road; but there is also another
door with two glass panels which opens
| directly into the church yard. My wife
was in the habit of using this door very
frequently; for there ran from it path
which crossed the church yard and ended
in stile, which was just opposite the
gates of the granage, then rented by the
Hardings, who were her oldest friends.
When she had returned and found the
door fastened, which sometimes happen
ed, she had been used to let me know
she was there by peculiar tap, and
had always gone to let her in. 1t was
out of this door-which somehow seemed
to belong to her, and out of which she
had often tripped so gayly, that | follow
ed her corpse; and as it was closed gentl,
behind me, think I fully realized TO
the first time, what changed thing N,
life must henceforth be. The servic,
had gone through; heard the clods fal
upon the coffin; ndreturned to the hous
that was now so awfnl solitary. TIL
vicar of the next parish, who had per
formed the last sad offices for my wife
returned with me and tried his best +
bring ME to myself; but | refused to b
comforted At last he left me; and wa
glad to be left alone, for in solitude
could feel my wife was somewhere nea
me.
They brought me food but I coulC
eat nothing. The hours passed slowly
but I took no note of them. I did no
even know it was dark until one of tn
maids came and asked if she should hgh
the lamp. l let her do it; and thel
mechanically took book down from til
shelf and tried to read. 1t was only
mockery of reading, but it acted as a sor
of narcotic. had dropped into doze
when was aroused by knocking at m
door, sharp and decisive, as if the perso