The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-07-05

done 90 when the servant had disappeared
Cooke had not informed me Of bis mar
rage. He must have had some reason fol
II, which reason was iust as good to-day n
when the even. had happened.
While I stood thinking, q message CANT
down from Cooke that vas to come up
He met me at the door OF bis room with
both hands extended, and gave me tbs
mcss cordial welcome that even he could
give.
"Ynn will not need to be introduced &c
Ma. Cooke" said Henry, rs she came Tor
Nor did I. The present Mrs Cooke
had known eighteen months before % Miss
Daddy. She greeted me very cordially, and
We were soon chatting away "a pleasantly
and unreservedly as II no image were
lurking in the shadow Of eacn Of our
ninds.
This time paaled pleasantly till dinner,
when left them, after promising to make
one oil party that was going up the river
as lar "a Eastman In the afternoon.
In all the time wa had been talking to-
gethsr, not one word had been said that
would In the mos: remote manner suggest
!. that there ever had been Mrs. Cooke be-
lore the present one. OF course such re-
membranes, IN any case painful, WAS rem.
dered douhly 80 under the peculiar cifcum-
stances. Yet, considering everything, |
could not get rid OF the iuea that the sub.
jeCt vas avoided In an absolute manner
that even the present and my presence did
not furnish complete ex EXPLANATION OF.
The party consisted Of twelve besides
aSrtrV
halted, and while resting, some luncheon
that had been brought was shared. The
party then broke up into .vos and three,
who read tr sketched, or talked.
Cooke and his wife and sat on the
river bank, talking about old times and
old scenes. learned that it WAS their
purpose to visit the Lake distr,c, shortly.
The PARTY beginning to gather to.
yether again, We arose to j,iu. Cooke and
stood for moment talking, while his
wife stopped over to wet her handkerchief
in the river.
We had been sitting on an uneven log,
one end OF which Cooke was now standing
upon, while bis wife, upon the other end,
Tas stopping over the river bank.
Inadvertently used an expression that
We both knew TO be original and peculiar
to mis- drst wife. when glancing at Cooke,
saw that the effect upon him was fearful.
his lace grew gtasuy, bis arms twitched,
convuislve culver passed through him,
and he stepped off the log upon which he
was standing.
A scream and splash followed. The
log, relieved Of Cookies weight had thrown
his wife into the river.
| In r,nrnapt aha 49,, 4, a, Or
current and was gone. She rose once 10
the surface. far away from help, then she
was seen no moro.
Three months sfterward received let.
ter from Cooke begging me to come to his
| house, and 10 come at once il I possibly
could, az he had urgent business OF great
importance to consult me about. He would
expect me on Fdeay, he aaid, and would
send Carriage TO the station, mile from
his house, with Instructions to wait for NE
until the midnight train had passed.
l. was then Friday afternoon, but at
once made arrangements to take the $50 p. |
~ train tor Elm Station, the nearest point
TO Cooks, and where he proposed to have
conveyance waiting for me. But, after |
all, Eas forced to wait until o'cisck, as |
the $50 train did not stop at his station. |
This o'clock train arrived az E n Station |
few minutes past % o'clock, and was tie |
midnight train that Cooke had mentioned
In his letter.
Nothing delayed the train, and it made
| It's tune at each station on the vay, and al |
l. O'Clock by my watch prepared TO leave
the train at Elm Station, where il yould |
arrive in less than two minutes. In less
Tune than that the wnistla sounded and |
the tfain came to sudden standstill, and I |
knew that something was wrong.
Being near the door Of the first compart. |
uent, l opened it and looked out. We
were several hundred yard from the sta
ton. The driver was telling the guard that
he had blown his whistle because man
had jumped or fallen on the line Just be- |
lore me engine, and had been struck and
Killed instantly, be had no doubt
We pulled up to the station, and men
were sent back to and the mans body and
TO take it to where it might be Identified. |
had no time to wait tor their return, as I |
found Cookies carriage awaiting me. In
very little time Was at his house. was
taken by servant to the library, where
Light was burning low. I was told that
Nj. Cooke had been waiting for me all the
evening, until hslf hour ago, when he
bad stepped into the garden, lesvipg word
for me, il came, thai he would ijin me
Immediately.
was familiar with the room, and crossed
to a readil9.t near the book. case, and
sat down. In looking over the table to see
something to read while waiting, my eye
Tell upon an official envelope, addressed to
myself
4 strange feeling made my hand shake
as picked up the envelope. Il was not
sealed and yet hesitated 70 open it. 4:
last, with great effort, drew firth a pa
per, which l unfoltsd and found to contain
these words:
"MY FRIEND You, who know more
about NE THAN any one living, and who
yet know go little-you were present at the
Two Cribs Of nv life. You believe me to
be much IL cited man and you sympa.
th!ze heartily with me. You will DO 90 no
longer, Tor shall tell you all.
why cId l take my wife to the top Of
the column? knew she as one OF those
who have an insane desire to leap Of
from high point That was dangerous
folly in me. Why did leave her 10,
moment exposed to an attack Of that |
frenzy? That was criminal in me. Why |
did let myself be held for one moment,
Wien that one moment would have saved |
herr That was nurdeIl
"Yes, murdered her! Why might
write long while without giving you any
intelligent answer.
Then l married again. That was our
blcod-monty, She knew OF nv unsatistieti
longing for children. She knew OF my
wife's fatal impulse.
"Fur two years an idea was growing in
my mind; that day, on the top Of the COL
umn, it shot up perfect; and for six months
an idea was growing in my mind; that day,
when I stopped from the leg it came forth
perfect
You thought that my act that day was
natural one. whose dire ff-c.s were IN.
dreamed OF Not 50; knew that such
movement at that moment would precipi.
tate her into the water, aad knew what