The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-25

ately; " at that chemists shop you were IN JUST
now"
He jumped ND like the anxious old man that
he was. caught up his own hat from a back table.
and. without observing the other, fastened out
and downstairs.
Left alone she gazed and gazed at the back of
the door. then spasmodically rang the he'll. An
honest looking country maid-servant appeared in
response.
"A hat!1 murmured Baptista, pointing with
her finger. 1T does not belong to u.s."
"Oh. yes, I'll take it away said the young
woman, hastily. 1T belongs to the other gentle
man."
She spoke with a certain awkward fictitious
ness. and took the hat out of the room. Baptista
had recovered her outward composure. The
other gentleman" she said, where is the
other gentleman2"
He's in the next room, ma'am. He removed
out OF this to oblige ye.'
How can you say so2 I hould hear him if he
were there. said Baptista, sufficiently recovered
to argue down an apparent untruth.
Hes there, said the girl, hardly.
Then it is strange that he makes no noise, ="
said Mrs. Heddegan, convicting the girl of falsity
by q look. =,
the servant.
brides heart, like a cold hand laid thereon; for
it flashed upon her that there was a possibility
of reconciling the girls statement with her own
knowledge of facts.
why does ne make no nolseT she SAID,
weakly.
The waiting maid was silent and looked at her
questioner. IF / tell you. ma'am, you won't tell
missesT she whispered.
Baptista promised. >
Because he's a lying dead I" said the girl.
Hes the schoolmaster that was drowned yes
terday.
'Ohn said the bride, covering her eyes. Then
he was in this room till just now2'
Yes" said the maid, thinking the young
lady's agitation natural enough. "And l told
missis that l thought she oughtn't to have done
1t. because don't hold it right to keep visitors
SO much in the dark where deaths concerned;
but she said the gentleman didn't die of any
thing infectious, she was a poor, honest, inn
Keepers wife, she says, who had to get her living
making hay while the sun sheened. And owing
to the drownded gentleman being brought here,
she said. it kept SO many people away that we
were empty, though all the other houses we're
full. So when your good man set his mind upon
the room, and she would have lost good paying
folk if he'd not had it, it wasn't to be supposed.
she said. that she'd let anything stand in the
way. Ye won't say that I've told We, please
MN? All the linen has been changed. and as
the inquest won't be till tomorrow, after you
are gone, she thought you wouldn't know a
word of it, being strangers here"
The returning footsteps of her husband broke
off further narration. Baptista waved her hand,
for she could not speak. The waiting maid
quickly withdrew, and Mr.. Heddegan entered
with the smelling salts and other nostrums.
B you any bettera" he questioned. quickly.
81 don't like the hotel, " she exclaimed, almost
simultaneously. Il cam bear tit doesn't
suit me-"
rs that all that's the matteri" he returned,
pettishly this being the first time of his show
ing such a mood. Upon my heart and life
such trifiing is trying to any mans temper, Bap-
tista. Sending me about from here to yond,
and then when | come back saying We don't like
the place that L have sunk so much money and
words to get for ye. 'Od dang it all, tbs enough
to. But l won't say any more at present,
NEE deer, though it is just too much to expect
to turn out o the house now. We shan't get
another quiet place at this time of the evening
every other inn in the town is busting with
rackety folk of one sort and 'tother, while here
tbs as quiet as the grave-the country, l would
say. So bide still, dye hear. and tomorrow we
shall be out of the town altogether-as early as
you like"
The obstinacy of age had, in short, overmas-
tered its complaisance, and the young woman
said no more. The simple course of telling him
that in the adjoining room lay a corpse. which
had lately occupied their OWL, might, it would
have seemed, been an ~effectual one without
further disclosure, but to allude to that subject,
however it was disguised. was more than He'd
degans young wife had strength for. Horror
broke her down. In the unexpected contingency
one thing only presented itself to her paralyzed
regard-that here she was doomed to abide, in a
hideous situation between the dead husband and
the living.
Kindly time had withdrawn the foregoing
event three DAYS from the present of Baptista
Heddegan. 1t was 10 o'clock in tine morning.
She had been ill-not in an ordinary or definite
sense, but IN a state of cold stupefaction, from
which it was difficult to arouse her so much as
to say a few sentences. When questioned she
had replied that she was pretty well.
Their trip. as such, had been something of a
failure. They had gone on as far as Falmouth,
bat here he had given way to her entreaties to
return home. This they could not very well do
without repassing through Penzance, at which
place they had now again arrived.
In the train she had seen a weekly local paper,
and read there a paragraph detailing the inquest
on Charles. 1t was added that the funeral was
to take place at his native town of Redruth on
Friday.
After reading this she had shown no relue-
lance to enter the fatal neighborhood of the
tragedy. only STIMULATING that they should take
their rest at a different lodging from the first;
and now comparatively braced up and calm-in-
deed, a cooler creature altogether than when
last in the town-she said 20 David that she
wanted to walk out for a while, as they had
plenty of time on their hands.
ITO a shop. as usual, | suppose, NEE deerq"
Partly for shopping" she said. "And it will
be best for you, dear, to stay in after trotting
about SO much, and have a good rest while l am
gone"
He assented; and Baptista sailed forth. AS she
had stated. her first visit was made to a shop. a
diapers. Without the exercise of much choice
she purchased a black bonnet and veil, also a
black stuff gown; a black mantle she already
wore. These articles were made up into a par
c-l which, in spite of the saleswoman's offers,
her customer said she would take with her.
Bearing 1t on her arm she turned to the railway,
and at the station got a ticket for Redruth.
Thus it appeared that. on her recovery from
the paraiyzed mood of the former day, while she
had resolved not TO utterly blast the hapDipasS
of her present husband by revealing the history
of the departed one. she had also determined to
indulge a certain odd. inconsequent, feminine
sentiment of deceacy. to the small extent to
which it could do no harm to any person. AT
kedruth she emerged from the railway carriage
IN the black attire purchased at the shop, having
during the transit made the change in the empty
compartment she had chosen. The other clothes
were now in the baudbox and parcel. Leaving
these at the cloak-room she proceeded onward,
and after a wary survey reached the side of a
hill whence a view of the burial ground could be
obtained.