Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-08-24
Meanwhile this was what occurred at

After putting her baby to sleep Mrs.
Taverney threw off her dress and put on
a loose neglige, and for additional ease
she unfastened her hair and suffered ii
to fall down over her shoulders and be-
low her waist. She was not sleepy and
proposed reading awhile before going to
bed. There were no books in the bed
room, so she went into the other room
to get one. She did not take her candle
with her, for The moonlight was go
bright no other light was needed. The
book she selected was Charlotte Bronte's
Jane Eyre. After taking it from the
bookshelf, she paused a minute or two
by the sofa in the bow-window, gazing
out across the silent landscape. Her
thoughts went back to the time, two
years ago, when she sat there with Spen-
Ger Curtis at her feet, and he had told
her his love. Her bosom heaved with
a sigh and deeper look came into her
eyes. Poor Spencer After all, no one
had spoken to her Of love as he had
spoken it. Where was he now? Was
he thinking of her ? The place seemed
full Of him.. There was the very spot
where he had knelt.
A slight sound, which Mrs. Tavernev
supposed to come from the baby, inter-
rupted her reverie, and she fastened
back to the bedside. No; the child
slept peacefully, lying on it's back, with
its little white arms above its head. The
mother bent over it lovingly, but feared
to kiss it lest it should wake. She sat
down in chair by the bedside, drew up
the small table which held the candle,
and was soon deep in the mysteries Of
MI. Rochester's establishment. As she
sat she faced the door of the inner room:
it stood wide open, and by raising her
eyes she could see through to the bay
window. But she presently became SO
absorbed in her book that she had eyes
for nothing else.
She had been reading for perhaps half
an hour, when an unmistakable noise
from the inner room again put her on
the alert. 1T was low pushing sound,
and was followed by faint creak-the
door OF the little lumber-closet was be-
ing opened. The door lay out of the
range of her vision unless she moved,
and for the moment, bold-hearted woman
though she was, she was powerless to
move, The creaking ceased; but as she
listened intently she fancied she could
detect long irregular breathing. Then
shadow fell across the moonlight that
rested on the floor of the inner room.
Mrs. Taverney turned and extinguished
her candle by putting her finger on the
wick. It was the thought of her baby
that made her do this. She hoped that
whatever might happen to her, the baby
might not be noticed. The candle being
out, she silently arose and drew the
coverlet over the baby's face. Mean
while she kept her eyes directed toward
the open door,
its features stonily lighted and blackly
Swallowed by the moon. It was mans
face, wild and CHASTITY. A thin and
ragged beard and tangled hair, emaciat-
ed cheeks and appalling eyes, glittering
and restless. In hue and cadaverous-
ness it resembled the face of dead per-
son; but it was alive, though with no
ordinary life. The figure moved so
silently that Mrs. Taverney thought it
was a spectre, and the idea was strength
ened by the shadow of resemblance it
bore to some one she had known well,
and had met in that very spot. The
figure moved toward the bay window and
kneit down there grasping In it's arms
one of the cushions of the sofa. 1t
pressed it to it's breast and seemed to
kiss it passionately. Then all at once it
broke out into a hurried murmer of
strange, disjointed words-expression
of love, despair and entreaty, and her
own name necessarily repeated. A hor-
rible oppression made Mrs. Taverney's
heart shudder and pause. This was no
spectre, but living mana mailman
and her discarded lover
IF it had not been for her baby she
would have dropped fainting where she
stood but as it was, she dared not faint
The thing was unexpected and incon-
ceivable as it was real and terrible. She
was shut up, alone, and beyond reach of
help, with the mad lover whom her own
Inconsistency had driven to madness.
To escape was hopeless, and to remain
might be death-not to her only! Her
least movement might reveal her presence
to him, or at any moment he might turn
and see her. Yet to stand there inactive
was most intolerable of all. Something
she must do, Or the suspense would
drive her also mad. If she could only
reach unobserved the door between the
two rooms and manage to close it! She
did not wait for the idea to cool, but in
stantly stepped toward the door. I'm
fortunately, it opened away from her,
toward the inner room. Yet she almost
had her hand upon it, when the mad
man rose from his knees and faced her.
Then, without wavering, she did thing
which showed a valiant heart. She
walked quickly forward into the room
and closed the door behind her. She
had the mailman to herself, but the baby
for the time at least-was safe.
She never knew how long she was
closeted there with him in that fearful
companionship, nor did she ever tell
what passed between them, save in dis
connected hints. Whatever it were, the
traces which it left upon her remained
permanently. There is reason to sup
pose that the mailman, who had been
Spencer Curtis, did not show uncontrol-
able violence; but there is reason to be-
II