Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-03-20

A STRANGE EIPERIExCE.
THE STEP-sIsTER's STORY.

III.
THE STEP-sIsrER's STORY.
(Coatinuued from yesterday
viii prefers India to me- she said !;
that is all. gave him his choice. and
we have parted forever; he sails tomorrow
from s.
Why does he go so suddenly?'
"A friend of his who had engaged a
berth in this ship is unable to go, and Will
is going to take his place. she said. So
fell the first blow on poor Isabel. without
softening, without hope OF reconciliation.
| went home with her. promising to send
back the carriage for Edith and my sister
Mary On the way home she seemed ex-
cited and half wandering, and talked in a
broken. disconnected way. | am telling
you all this to show what it was that first
shook her mind and how this quarrel with
the man she passionately loved had partly
unhinged her brain, even before the fright
full event of which am about to tell you.
| should not have mentioned Mr.. Lock
wood but for this, and shall not have oc-
casion to mention him again. He went to
India, and dare say does not know of
poor Isabel's condition, for which his
cruel conduct certainly laid the founda-
ton. OF the calamity that put the finish
ing touches to the wreck of her mind he
must, of course. have read in the papers,
Il did not then feel very anxions about
Isabel l thought she was merely fever
ish and excited, and so saw her safely
in bed. and bade her good night.
Good night, dear sister, she said, Il
/ N 7 7 Cha1J
go to sleep, and not be disturbed all
night
Poor child! poor child she was dis
turbed. but how. by whom. by what, we
shall never know.
IL went to my room, heard the carrias re
drive home, heard Mary bid Edith good
night, heard the doors close and the house
settle down into nights quietness.
Next morning l would not have the
girls called; | thought they must be tired.
But at about ten O'Clock had breakfast
tray prepared and carried it up. Isabel
slept in the outer room usually. but she
was not in her bed. passed into the sit
ting room; she was not there. No doubt I
thought, she is with Edith. She was with
Edith. o God, how often have | longed
for deaths darkness to blot out my re-
membrance of the sight that met my eyes
when | opened the door of Edith room.
On the floor lay Edith, dressed in her
white lace dress, just as you saw her up
stairs; her long fair hair. wet with dark
patches. lay spread over the nightdress of
Isabel, who sat on the floor with her sis
ter's head in her lap. Edith was dead,
her throat gashed across, and Isabel was
mad"
"Madr ~ said DIR. Lloyd.
"Quite mad; for when we asked her
how she had found her sister; if she knew
who had done it !; how long ago; all she
would answer was, Il did it of course cant
you see did it? and not another word
could We get from her on the subject
either then or at any other time"
"She did not do it, of course"
"Of course not. Why, the girls dotted
on each other. Besides. ample proofs were
forthcoming that some one else had been
in Edith's room that night and had done
this DEVILS deed. The police came.
Prints of mans feet were on the garden
beds below the window, and the ivy which
covers the house on that side was loosened
and broken. Edith's jewel-case, which
had contained some valuable Jewels, was
broken open and its contents gone, and
on the floor beside her dead body was
found large heavy knife, such as labor
ing men carry. and which was covered
with her blood"
1.-The murderer was never found ?" ask
ed DIR. Lloyd.
Never No one could identify the
knife. A tramp had been seen hanging
about the house. but though detectives
secured the country far and wide, and
though we offered large reward from
that day to this no word has ever been
heard to show in what way one of our
darlings lost her life and the other her
reason"
This is very painful" said Dr. Lloyd's
voice but it does not explain wha. saw
up stairs"
Il was about to do that" replied Miss
Martha. 1--WE sent at once for Dr. Jaikes,
who. as perhaps YOU know, was for wears
physician at-Asylum, u. S A.. for. to
our horror. Isabel's mania took the form
of an absolute refusal to be parted. even
tor moment, from the body of her sister.
DIR. Jaikes came and examined her, and
tried by gentleness and by severity to in
duce her to give up the corpse. No, she
clung to 1t with frantic tenacity. To our
dismay. DR.. Jaikes affirmed that it would
be as much as her lite was worth TO insist
If YOU force her to give way he said,
she is almost certain to go raving mad,
and will most likely destroy herself.
What shall we do p we asked. 1t treflect-
ed some time. then made journey to
London. returning the same night with a
stranger. The police inspector allowed
the two to enter the room where the dead
girl lay. They remained there some time
and returned the next day and the next.
When for the inquest it was necessary to
remove Isabel. DR.. Jaikes gave her a
strong composing draught. which kept
her unconscious for nearly 4s hours. we
could not understand what DR.. Jaikes
meant. until. while Isable was sill asleep.
he took us TO his house. and showed US
it."
''' That unfortunate girl, will now be
able to keep ever before her the form of
her dead sister. This is ghastly notion.
but 1t is the only way to keep the girl
alive
''When Isabel awoke. DR.. Jaikes had an
interview with her-the funeral had that
day taken plAce-and promised that the
corpSa nf Filth sbnulI ba rac.o~al - L.