Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1883-11-02

I anu WIN SIedt, lIOdiSC Cly, OH
upon the floor, in an agony of grief.
X x x
Half an hour passes, and then h
descends, and leaves the house.
He is gone.
'Oh, | did think he would come il
before he went!' l wall, with grea
terrible sob. 'Oh, Douglas Douglas
| cannot cry now. can only 81
still, with fierce grief gnawing at m
heart
So l stay on, watching and waiting
Twelve O'clock! One! two! ! hea
thenf all s:rikel
| am the only one up in the house
The servants nave gone to bed hour
ago.
| rise and pace the room; and as
do so, catch sight of my face in th'
mirror over the mantelpiece.
almost start-it is so white ant
haggard. 1t frightens me. My eyei
look wild and strange, and gleam IN
their fearless brightness with a curl
Gus light.
i am frightened-the house is SC
silent.
The clock, rs though taking advant'
ange of the stiffness, ticks, its loudest
| find myself counting the moments
as they pass. marked by its loud ton
que.
The fire is dying out. The embers
one by one, assume dead, dull red
and ever and anon fall lower in the
crate, with a noise which seems to
make every nerve in my tody start out
iu alright.
| am tired, worn out now with sheer
inability to weep, and begin to nod my
head lower and lower, when, suddenly,
three o'clock strikes, and brings the
dews Of terror once more out upon my
forehead.
Douglas will be home soon.
Oh, the thought is joyful.
| have never longed for him as /
long now. | fancy | can see him
dancing.
At this moment ! might be happy,
and with him, bat for
Hush. What is that?
One of the windows is being stradi-
ly. stealthily shaken!
| start up, wild with alarm.
Yes; some one is trying to get in. l
do not scream; something prevents
me. am sick with terror; yet /
glide quietly from the room into the
passage; and there, in the clear, white
/ distinctly see the dark
the window from the outside.
For moment my fear gets the bet
ter of me. cannot see, feel, or think.
| am perfectly dazed.
Suddenly q thought come to me.
The words seem whispered in my ear.
He is In my power.
| rush forward, and, with all my
strength, gave him push.
| see him reel, clutch convulsively
at the wood work Of the window, and
fall. propelled by my murderous hand.
As he falls, catch glimpse of his
face. Oh, heaven, it is my husband!
| stand still as am, unable to re-
alize anything.
There is a mist before my eyes-a
dull throbbing in my ears; but my
mind is a blank.
The cold night air blows in, and
makes the hair on my forehead flutter
wildly in the draught; but l scarcely
feel it; / am dazed. l try to think,
but cannot. Days-weeks-years seem
to pass as | stand-feeling, thinking,
knowing nothing.
All the time | mutter aimlessly to
myself, Il have killed him.-I have
killed him. but the words to me mean
nothing.
And so the long minutes come and
GO. have not stirred a muscle: my
hand the hand which gave that
numbering push-is still extended. ]
am leaning forward, as did then. Ny
eyes are fixed on space, vacancy, with
a death like stare.
Il have killed HIM"
l speak the words, but not hear
them.
i have killed him"
And then suddenly / realize what
say. My voice becomes a wild, de.
spairing shrek.
Then follows explaining thought
thought not expressed even to myself
but it has dawned upon me that my
husband has forgotten his latch key
and has climbed up by the pear tree
and | have killed him-I have killed
him!
Oh, am l, too, dying? My arms re.
lax and tall to my side; | reel, and
seem to fall into an abyss of bottom.
less blackness.
'Milly! Milly, darling speak to me
Oh, can she BE- dead:?' Milly, speak to
me! Millyv
My husbands voice!
l open my eyes slowly, and gaze be.
wildering into bis great, tender, fright.
ened eyes-eyes now full of mex pres.
sible thankfulness.
Douglas oh, Douglas!'
Yes, darling; l am here!
'But--but aren't you dead?
And | shudder convulsively.
No.; and half smile broke upor
his handsome face. What put tha
into your head? l only came in JUS
now, and found you lying here. Oh
darling he adds, when l believed fo
moment thatyou were dead, l though
l should 60 mad!'
And didn't you forget your latch
key, and climb in through the window
and-and didn't l push you down
Oh, Douglas, has it only been an aw
ful dream? Are you really here p
yes, darling; only dream
Only dream!
put my arms round his neck, ant
kiss him as | have never kissed hin
before. 1t seems too good to be true