The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-09-22

Hilaire p
oh, the agony of the white, streaming
face lifted to my own, as she tottered to
her feet, crying out wildly, "Oh, why
did you come here ?" and with a low,
sobbing cry, she reeled and fell insensi-
BILE into my arms. "Hilarie, speak to
me-oh, Hilarie, my love, my darlingp'
cried, pressing her frantically to
my heart, and all my love for Hilarie
was revealed in those few passionate
words to Clare.
Even then T was conscious of the pitt
full, dumb despair on the poor, pale face
as she abruptly turned and left me alone
with my unconscious burden.
Ipray heaven / may never know again
the terrible agony that followed close
upon that fatal night. I wonder I did
| not go mad when they accused my
Hilarie, my beautiful Hilarie, of the foul
spared the sight of her arrest but they
told me she had uttered no word, only
white and still had let them lead her
away to felons cell.
The murdered man had been stabbed
to the heart with some weapon which
had not yet been discovered, and hidden
in his clenched right hand was found
part of torn certificate of marriage.
soemnized two years before, between
'.George Morton Dean" and "Ail-
arie-' The rest had been torn away,
SO that only the Christian name remained,
with what appeared to be the upper part
of a capital q, the initial letter of the
surname Graeme.
In the opinion of the police this was
sufficient to fasten the crime upon poor
Hilarie, and it was generally believed
| that in her wild, unrestrained youth she
had been lead into misalliance with
the murdered man, whose appearance
was decidedly plebeian, and his coming
to Beech Hall to claim his wife had
aroused her dormant passion, and that
in her dread of exposure she had first
tried to obtain possession of the proof
of her marriage, and stained her soul
with murder.
In the doctors opinion the crime had
been committed during the afternoon Of
the day upon which the body was dis
covered. Like flash of fire there came
| to me the remembrance of that meeting
with Hilarie and her hasty concealment
of the scrap Of paper. I remember her
guilty flush, her confused replies, and
Heaven forgive me, for one brief moment
| I trembled lest she should be guilty Of
the horrible crime imputed to her. L
drove the mad thought from me as un-
worthy my manhood and my love, and
redoubled my unceasing efforts to estab-
| lish her innocence. Hilarie from the!
first had refused to see me. I had writ
ten, imploring her to speak, if only one,
word that might prove her innocent; but
she wrote: t'l can say nothing. 1
pray only that you may be happy with
Glare" And the terrible dark days fol.
lowed swiftly one upon the other, each
adding to the subtitle web of evidence
they were weaving around my darling,
until sometimes I fancied it must be
some horrible dream from which must
surely soon awake. Yet there was Mrs.
grace upon her house, and Clares terri
gave me an additional pang that had
brought double trouble upon her.
- There remained but one day now be-
fore that on which Hilarie was to appear
in the felon's dock, and on the morning
of that day Clare came to me- with the
old wistful tenderness of manner, and
pressing her cold, white cheek to mine,
SO that I could not see her face, she said
in slow, sad voice, "Gerald, if Hilarie
dies, what will you do?"
"Hilarie must not die ]" I exclaimed
pass1onateIy. Unheedmg my words,
Glare continued:
"Could you not love me again, Ger
ald?"
Perhaps my silence answered her, for
with long, sobbing sigh she stopped
and kissed my hand; but, when would
have taken hers in mine. she turned
from me swiftly and hurried from the
room.
I never looked upon her living face
again. Late that night they brought
her home, white and dripping, from the
Mere, near Alton Woods, and with
letter addressed to me. opened it with
shaking hands, and there futtered at
my feet the missing fragment of her
marriage certificate. Yes, hers !; for.
when Joined, that which was thought to
form part of the letter G was in reality
part of the initial G in the name of
| Glare. "Hilarle Glare Beresford -
Poor, sinful Clare, whom we had always
called by her second name until we had
forgotten that she too, was Hilarie.
In her letter she told how she had
grown to hate and fear the man who had
been the hero Of her thoughtless school
days. and hao lured ner lhoo 1ia' a latai
marriage now her lnVe lor me anu oieau
OF hum had conquered all sense OF rigns
and wrong, until ms threat OF exposure
had impeiled her to commit the CRIME
for whlch Hnafle Graeme sooou acouseo'
Sne told how Hllarle had met her com,
ing from the soene OF the murder, ah9
Knew her TO ne guity now sue nao h
agreed to Keep silent t s..as ang mlght hou ue
spared an pam ana sllaihe' anu C'. NV,
nnamg Hi,arle hau won .ns aa,o,,uen I've 0,",o 20
had slnned ior, sne nao ae'erHnou ~ ~
| seek rest and OBLIVION IN the uaIk WdteIS