Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-02-08

serves no mercy"
"Oh ! but, Arthur, think of Andre
"Well, Andre had no right to com
plain. IL was the fate Of war. 1t wa
the stern duty of Washington"
"Yes, dear, everybody says so; but
Arthur, have never been able to iou
Washington since read that story. An'
the men who gave him up-all womer
always hate them
"This is childishness, my dear wife
Would you rather have had West Poin
taken by the British. Arnold triumphan
and rewarded. Washington condemned
as the traitor
mo, no, of course not" she sobbed
"Oh, Arthur, when was child our ca
had four yellow kittens. They lived un
der the porch and were very wild. Bu
one of them trusted me. and used to come
out to me, and | was holding it in my
arms one day, when our hired man came
to me, all bloody, with his axe in hi.
hand (; my mother had said they must be
killed, and he had cut off the heads oI
the other three kittens, and gave him
mine-I let him take it. | wake up
even now sometimes at night, and re-
member how cruel | was 10 that poor
little yellow cat. seems something like
murder
Fanny; this is too foolish said hel
husband.
81 know it, know it." she replied
"But | really believe | should lose my
reason if had to do the same thing over
again"
Fanny" he said, sternly. "you forget
yourself. must remember my duty,
whatever you do"
After this there was a silence between
them. At length the husband said:
II have a long report to write to-
night, Fanny, and accounts to cast up.
| must 81, up very late. Ny poor wife,
20 to bed"
"Yes, dear" she answered. submis-
sively. heard keys jingling in her key
basket as she moved across the floor.
"Nc, Fanny" said her husband stop
ping her; II may want something from
the cellaret. Leave me your keys.
"You will kill yourself with hard
work. Let us both 90, love
No, no, said the colonel. "Go your
self; you have a headache. "
NO, Arthur" she answered. If you
sit up, | will stay too.
at is of no use, Fanny"
Still, will stay here
"lf am going to sit up said the
colonel, IL want my slippers.
Let me get them" she cried, eagerly,
"Sit down
mo. I'll get them myself They are
IN the closet, know. Isit locked No,
| see that it is not; the key is in the
door"
He laid his hand upon the hoor handle
of my place of confinement. For half a
moment he hesitated to turn it. heard
Fanny sob. think she caught him by
the arm.
"Let me go, Fanny" he said, impa-
tiently. Il must. You had better go
away"
He threw the door wide open. The
gaslight streamed in from the sitting
room. She rallied all her strength, and
came in after him.
Nothing met their eyes but the dresses,
the shelves, the rows of pickles and pre-
serves, the broken furniture, the trunks,
the linen in lavender. But standing op-
posite the door, with its hinges toward
them, they may have seen a large Sarato-
ga trunk, marked on the side, in big
white letters. "MIss FANNY LEWIS" Its
lid was not quite closed, the hasp having
caught upon the rim.
The colonel drew back. Poor Fanny
perhaps fancied | had mysteriously dis
appeared.
They took the slippers from the floor,
and went into the sitting-room, There |
heard her coaxing him to go to bed but
there seemed some hardening of her hus-
bands heart toward her. which chilled
her pretty persuasions.
Fanny" he said at last, eff you in
sist on sitting up with me, get me some
paper and an inkstand from your cham.
ber."
There was no resisting this request,
which he made like a command. She
must again have made movement to
pick up her key basket, and he must
again have checked her. for she exclaim.
ed, "Oh. l forgot; / beg your pardon"
and left the room.
The moment she was gone, | heard
him rattle the keys. He put one or more
of them into his pocket. | heard, too, a
click, as if he were engaged in cooking
his revolver. Then he remarked, aloud {:
"The store room has no window. have
him safe. If brave man, he will keep
quiet. Only coward would take ad-
vantage of her.
He pulled out his watch. "Half past
twelve" he said, as Fannie came back
again. What agony she may have felt
as she left me without protection, and her
husband exposed to my attack if were
armed
"Here is paper and ink" she said.
snow go to bed. darling"
"No, love; l will sit up here" and
she took her place upon the sofa.
Meantime no words can adequately de-
pict the discomforts of my situation. l
knew perfectly well that the colonel knew