Litchfield enquirer., 1881-04-14


 l Il suppose you are married n.en. gentlemen p he said. and for tue first time looked up quick | ly. Brown no'ided gravely and assumed an | answer for the rest of us; and the speaker was too busy with his recollections to consd- | CT whether Brown had right to act for any of the others. Well. then, you know what | it is to be married, speaking in general way, and what very different thing marriage is to the idea most young men form of it. l won't deny it, am cursed, with a bad temper, and | every now and then it masters me. had consoled myself all along win the reflection | that when once the ceremony was performed everything would be well, at least as far as | L.y troubles of courtship were concerned | soon found, however, that very much the same thing was to be my lot even after all l had 2 ne through with. You are married you know what an awful hold wife has over | man, especially if he is perfectly steady. 1 loves her to distraction, and never looks at | any other woman. We'll. that was the kind of man was, and having found it out pretty | thoroughly. Lou began systematic course of tyranny. So far from having left behind me the anger that used to overcome me before marriage, on the contrary often found my self hating her worse as my wife than f0rfner- | ly as my intended. You will understand me- | had learned to require her presence as an ab. solute daily necessity. Once had merely l looked forward to a union with her as the l great delight of the future. She was master of the situation. therefore, and dictated terms; | for my love for her was so intense that could not bring myself to play the bully, and would do anything rather than look at another wo | man. It seemed to ine all insult to love to | dispute her commands. If she was unreason 1 able and demanded wrong and silly things, ii caprices bent her this way and that and made l k,.,sh t,1 only these alternatives; either to convince her and get her to yield peaceably, or else to | give way myself.
 1t is needless to say that the latter was al. most always the result. Many is the time she has gone to sleep iu my arms and morning | has found us in separate rooms, --she all cool l ness and scorn, and with the vilest hatred l bursting in my heart. Why have not killed l her lUng ago do not know. She was 80 sure of me. and so unconcerned that should take | advantage of greater strength some day to subdue her, or do her bodily injury, that il afforded her an additional pleasure to brave the rage she saw was consuming me. Some times, when was at the worst, have said to her: Have care! There is limit to all things, and she would answer with burst of der,sive laughter. An, that she had taken d little notice of her danger!" n~ ..- :
 Pierre sunk his head between his hands and sighed. Perhaps the motion may have had to dJ with moisture in his eyes.
 l Yes" he went on, Tt did come, after all. Never mind what the last cause was,-the tinal blow to ny resolution am telling yo,, HOW nlore than 1 have ever breathed to human being. There was no reptile on earth, nn devil in hell that did not seem good to me be. side that woman. felt must kill her. if it were only to rid the world of such pest
 There was sense all through me that her death would rest completely something that was tired and Worn out, all inside my veins and nerves as if her blood would cool some fever that had heen accommodating for years. Perhaps have never forgiven her the unnec essary cruelty of our courting days. Perhaps it is only the tortures she has inflicted since marriage which affected my very fesh Al any rate, the longing for revenge was perfect | Iy satisfied by the act. At each blow gave her the other night, the, black cloud that had hung over my heart frightened. and believe l God forgive me !-that l kissed her when | left her!
 l Hove her?" he cried passionately, after a pause. and rising from hls seat. :'Yes, a thousand times more than before gave her l those c0wartily stabs. l feel like d parent who ilas been forced to beat the child he loves
 most in the world. But I-unhappy wretch ! have committed murder, and ins:ead of hurting her little. have destroyed the only thing that makes life ;olerable. For without her life will be intolcrable, that know. An, | why did hurry away? What fool was l After being such coward as to touch a wO- man, l might have had the courage to face it out. But my mind was in whirl and some thing -somebody-said: Get horse, quick. and fly" And so did. Could it have been Lou said that?"
 Pierce stared out fxedly into space, with the rOund-eyed look of man trying with all | the might of his memory to recall a scene Our host had been watching hlm breathlessly during his recital; whenever l stole glance at Clarks hairy face could see that he was not the least moved of the company. A few moments before Pierre stopped, however, l Clark's eyes narrowed into a crafty expres- sion, and, rising softly, he opened and ran sacked small drawer in chest Lear the wall. His manner was SD peculiar that it at tracted my attention. It meant that what he wished to avoid was our attention. From | the drawer he extracted certain large cigars of dark color, and during the next few mo 'nents, while changing glasses and reflling the tumblers, he managed to substitute one of these for the fresh cigar lying on the chair or table which stood by each mans seat Brown took up his and lighted it. Randall followed suit. and held the cigar to his nose, at the same tne raising his eyebrows in the direc | ton of Clark. Our host nodded, as if to say {: Try it; it's first-rate," and as he caught my glance, relapsed into his chair uneasily. 1. too, smelt my cigar, and placed it unghted between my lips. While Pierre stood gazing | ln deep thought, Clark came around to me with lighted match, for my cigar. After a moments hesitation, took it, and lit the to 5acco. It had a pungent aud very peculiar oior, SD that thought it wisest to pretend to smoke it without doing so. My precaution was justified a moment after. Browns head had fallen back on hls chair, his mouth was open, and he was in a deep sleep The cigar lay on the ground. Randall had folded his arms upon the table, and his long breathing told that something perhaps the whisky and l the Inonotonous voice of the speaker, perhaps ] something else had sent him into a heavy l siu nber. was drowsy myself The 10 ,in was close anu warm. l threw my arms over the back of chair near me- and, laying my 1 head so that l could see every one on opening my eyes, shut them close, and soon was in a state of semi consetusness which was not sleep, but certainly was not being wide awake.
 Pierre at last reused himself from thought. '"Yes, gentleman" he continued, blind to l the fact that he had talked long while and Ss"s 'iiNos OA uio dutiltuCc COuiu DOL near him. Il am not only criminal, but vile l coward to have run away. Oh," he cried with sudden turn of feeling, II mnsl see her. even if she is dead. But what keeps me here? Let US go back at once." "No, you wont, said Clark, rising up and seizing Pierre by the coat. You wont do no | such thing" " Good heavens! had forgot I am a prisoner. But We are going back. anyhow. Cannet these gentlemen understand my posi- tion and take me back now?"
 These gentlemen" answered Clark, with derisive gesture at our sleeping forms, ''are not able to get into 8 saddle, got to say st in one Besides. they have no orders to bring you back" ssas l
 Here he grinned in'Pierre's face and caught himself under the chin in an ugly and sug. gestive manner. PHrre turned a little pa;e
 "Sooner or later," he said firmly, ..it makes little difference. except that I must see Lou before die. Must ?-I a,n prison