Litchfield enquirer., 1881-04-14

uO tue prisoner gO0O, or else the neat OI tne stove allayed his it of trembling. His dul look of misery gave way to more intelligence as he gazed from one face to another. Some how he was not a man you could be hard on.
 ''Is-is she dead 7" he finally managed tC stutter looking wistfulIy around.
 's Mot yet, said Brown, the deputy sheriff sternly.
 ''Ah!" shuddered the man, II hope sht wont. l hope she wont 1 have no hard feelings against her-none at all.
 Perhaps it's the other way" suggested Randall, taking piece of navy plug out o his waistcoat pocket, and with his penknife shaving off piece of a shape and size pecll. liar to himself. He offered the black cake o tobacco the prisoner as kind of mute testi mony that his words were not meant to be offensive, but the latter shook his head sadly We had all drawn up around the stove, ant Clark brought out demijnhn of the righ stuff. and two or three thick glasses, such as they use in bar-rooms. We lay back in oul chairs and rested our feet, tired with many hours in the saddle, agailist the projecting foot-rest which ran around the redhot stove.
 ''Pm very sorry 1t has come to this, saiC Brown, after few moments; warmth, rest and the whisky having somewhat subduee even the ansterity of deputy sheriff. You
  Pierrie."
 The man addressed as Pierrie was stil young, rather slight of build and dark il coloring You could see at glance that h, was of a nervous temperament, and in the lamp-ight his eyes shone with strange effect that might be termed glare, somewhat like those of hunted animal at bay in a dark thicket From the wOmanish way in which he slipped his whisky. it was evident that he could have done very little drinking in his life. Whatever was the cause of his crime, rum was not. It must have been more the alcohol than the heat of the stove which brought some color back into his cheeks He shook his head mournfully at Browns works, but life was not SD glOomy as 1t haC seemed few minutes before
 "Well. how did you come to do it ?" burst out Clark, whom curiosity, as we'll as disgust at the invasion of his rights of hospitality and asylum, rendered fidgety and talkative.
 Still Pierre would do nothing but shake hi! head and sigh. In view of having to stand | trial it was not to be wondered at that ht would not commit himself. But knew tha perhaps he might never come to trial at all.
 ''You don't look like man who woulc strike wonan," said 1.
 The prisoner started and gave me quick full look of gratitude. He could be silent nt longer.
 II swear to heaven" said he ''that ncve laid hand on that woman before. Much as have been provoked,-or -" here he hesi tated -''irritated d-I never struck her. Wha happened last night was the affair of mo ment. The first thing I knew, was ri linz out of the village aud feeling that had stab bed somebody"
 ''And taken somebody's horse," added Brown, dryly, the first flush of whisky having expended it's softenng effects.
 ''Oh! was going to send the mare back.
 "Ah ]" ejaculated Brown, with satire quit, lost upon the prisoner
 The ice being broken, and the whisky hay ing had it's effect on his tongue, he now leaned back in his chair and spoke as follows:
 Il might as well tell you, gentlemen, now it all came about,-at least, as far as l an able, because there are points in my expert ence I can't pretend to account for. Tn, woman hurt so badly the other night is llN lawful wife; l never cared for any one els' but her, and when married her, doubt I there were happier bridegroom in the land Happy isn't the word was mad with jo, and acted in such way that everybody wa making fun of ne. 1 saw them well enough They thought I was blind to their rlicule but took it all in. Only my del. .ght at get ting Lou-that is the name of my wife e-wa so great that didn't care straw for ridicul, or anything else. We'll. had had har( enough work to get her. that's fact, and my marriage was the triumph of three years of a great misery as can think of. This business is bad enough. but would rather swing thar pass such a time as did then.
 "You may suppose from my saying that had hard work to get her. that the match Wal uneven, or that there was something agains me, or that Lou didn't like me- Not one those things is true. I was making littl' money, had reputation for perfect steadi ness, never drank, belonged to church ant taugnt in Sunday-school. Lou hadn't cent never doubted my character for squareness and took liking to ne from the first. II fact 1 was always bashful and never had taker to girls, while Lou had got quiet name fo being belle when began to follow around after ber. Folks actually thought better o her for having me attentive to her. That il only to show you that there was nothins against me in any way, shape or manner Well, that was the beginning of it all. was so well received that was certain al was right, and suppose that turned my. heac little. just let up brakes all around. anc if didn't just love that girl! There wasn' anything wouldn't do for Ter. We'll, sht didn't quite understand it all. sometime. think women don't know what love is; a least they don't love the way we men do They are cool, and seem to be able to think n something far ahead when the man is half ou of his mind with the pleasure right there Pretty soon she began to fight off and dctat. terms That was all right enough; l submit ted, and would have stood almost anything But next thing that happened she broke the engagement. Then went to see her and we had fine row. She told me she didn't cart buttor for me. and must keep my distance ana all tha: sort of trash. We'll, saw pretty soon that she didn't care for anybody else, ant did care for me; and SO after blow out the matter was patched up, and we were thick again as ever. After this she was more lov ing, but pretty soon the same thing occurred again. This time l was furious and stayed away. Well, she stood that about two weeks and then dropped I was about dead by tha time, but had determined not to make the advances, and 80 she had to- We'll, gentle men, Pm making too long a story. That i. the way she acted a great many times. T. say loved her all through would not be true On the contrary there were times when hated her so that lay awake at night inst to think over what could hurt her most Why, have had long plans mapped out to huniliate ana shame her, and it was only by keeping my memory logged every now and then, and re calling that man has no business with such dirty, small work that 1 saved myself from putting them into execution. There was one thing noticed. however. When was near her couldn't be half SO vindictive as when we were apart. Out of sight I could ponder over the most ingenious plans for her ruin and harm, but when she was b, there was something in her eyes or the turn Of her head that made a baby of me at once It was that whatever it may be--which prevented any such move on my part and brought us to. gether at last before clergyman in church. D
 Pierre had become absorbed in his remarks and now reached automatically for his glass, which Clark hal filled agai with whi>ky and water. It seemed to do him good to talk, and all the rest of us were so much interested that we not only said no word, but forbore to look at him, lest something might interrupt the How of his confessions. Weariness, warmth, the liquor, and, somewhere in the air. the feeling of tragedy, combined to throw such spell as most easily turns man to loosening his inmost secrets from the cells where he has meant to keep tileni forever. The taliow candle burned dim and the stove took