Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-02-20

"
only then, the horrible deed which she had
wrought mnst have been fully realizedl
Then she had turned and fed from the spot
in frenzy. Oh, my poor girl! my poor
grit
Utterly bewidered by my anguish rose
from my knees and stood for while beside
the corpse It was in that moment [ learned
how much | really loved the woman who
had done this thing Over all my grief and
horror this love rose paramount At all
cost l must save her-save her from the
hands of justice; save her from the fierce
elements which her tender frame was even
at this moment Drawing. And as l recalled
| how she had sought me yesterday with the
| tale of her wrong--how she had wildly fled
from me few minutes ago. madly, blindly
into the night; as l thought of the in juries
! she had suffered, and which mad led her to
| 81 cd this mans blood; as l contrasted her
! in her present position with what she was
VIXEN 1irst knew her and loved her, the pity
| begsn to fade from my heart; my thoughts
toward the lifeless form at nay feet grew
stern and sombre, and l found myself be-
| ;rinning, by the old code of an eye for an
eve, to Sustify. although I regretted Philip
pas fearful act. Right or wrong, she was
the womaaa l loved; and I swore I would
save her from the consequences of her
sation, when made, must fall upon my
shoulders.
Yet it was not the beginning of any
| scheme to evade Justice which induced me
| to raise the dead body and bear it to the
side of the road. where placed it under the
low bank on which the hedge grew. 1t was
| the reverence which one pays to death made
| me do this. I could not leave the poor
wretch lying in the very middle of the high
way for the first passersby to stumble
against Tomorrow he would, of course,
be found Tomorrow the hue and cry
world be out! Tomorrow Philippa, nay
PhiLippa, would -. Oh, heavensi never,
| a7eve3', never!
So I laid what was left of Sir Mervyn
| Ferraad reventially by the side of the lonely
road I even tried to close his CLASSY eyes
and / covered his face with his own hand
kerchief Then, with hea holding fear
and anguish enough for lifetime, I turned
and went IN search of the poor unhappy
girl.
Where should 1 seek hera Who knew what
her remorsa may have urged her to dot
no knew winsner her horror may have
/ driven her? It aeeds but to find Philippe
lifeeSs on the road to complete the heaviest
tale of grief which can be exacted from one
man in one short night: clinched my teeth
and rushed on.
4 had the road all the road to myself. No
one was abroad i'll suck weather. Indeed,
few persons were seen at night in any
weather in this lonely part of the country
Imade straight for my eWa house The dis
NAL thought came to me that unless Phil
ippa kept to the road she was lost to me
forever. Ii she strayed to the eight or to
the left, how on such a night coHld l posi-
| IL 4 hot no
would go strai hit to my cottage. SO thither
l made the best of my way. If she had not
arrived I must get what assistance L could
and seek for her in the fields 10 the right and
left of the road. It was dreary comfort
to remember that all the ponds and spaces
| of water were frozen six inches thick.
| l hesitated a moment when [ reached her
late residence. Should l inquire if she had
returned thither? No. when morning re-
wealed the CHASTITY event of the night, my
having done so would awake suspicion.
Iet me first go home.
Bone at last. In a moment I shall know
the worst. | opened the slide of my Ian
tern, which was still slight, and threw the
rays On the path which led to my door. My
heart gave great bound Of thankfulness
There On the snow, not yet obliterated by
more recent fakes were the prints of a
small foot Philippa, as I prayed, but
scarcely dared to hope she might had come
straight to my house.
My man opened the door for me. 1t was
well I had seen those footprints, as my
| knowledge of Piliippa's arrival enabled me
to assume q natural air.
my sister has comem I asked
ayes, sir; about quarter of an hour ago"
''We missed each other on the road. What
a night" l said, throwing off my snow-cov-
cred coat "Where is she now?" I asked.
''In the sitting room, sir" Then. lowering
his voice. William added: ''She seemed just
about in a tantrum when she found you
weren't at home. expect we shall find her
hard lady to please"
William, in spite of his stolidity, socca-
| sionally ventured upon some liberty when ad-
dressing me-
His words greatly surprised me. I forced
myself to make some laughing rejoinder:
| then turned the handle of the door and en-
I tered the room in which Philippe had taken
re uge.
|, Oh how my heart throbbadl What would
|, she say to me? What could I, fresh from
I that dreadful scene, say to her? Would she
/ excuse or pa1liate, would she simply confess
| or boldly justify, her crime? Would she
/ plead her wrongs in extenuation? Would she
|, assert that in a moment Of ungovernable
|: rage she had done the deed? No matter
|. what she said; she was still Philippa, and
L even at TIE cost of my own life and honor
7 would save her.
/ Yet as I advanced into the room a shudder
/ ran through me- Fresh to- my mind came
the remembrance of that white face, that
still form, lying as had left it, with the
pure white snow falling thickly around it,
Philippe was sitting in front of thu fire.
| Her hat was removed. her dark hair dis
ineveleti and cleaning wet with the snow
| which had melted in it. She must have
heard me enter and close the door. but she
took no notice. As [ approached her she
tElrnnd her shoulder upon me in a pattish
way, and as one who by the action means
to- SIGNIFY Clispleasure. I came to her side
and stood over her. waiting for her to look
up and speak first She must speak first!
w hat can say, after all that has happened
| to- nights
But she kept stony silenco-kept her
eyes still turned from mine. At last I called
her by her name, and, bending down, looked
into her face.
Its expression was one of sHlan anger,
| and moreover, anger which seemed to deepen
as she heard my voice. She made kind of
contemptuoUs gesture if waving me
aside.
"Philippa,' said, as sternly as could,
''speat to me9''
I laid my hagd upon her arm. She shook
it off fiercely, and then star tod to her feet.
You ask HE to speak to you." she said;
f'you who have treated me like this Oh
it is shameful! shameful! 1 come through
storm and snow-come to you, who were to
welcome me as a brother Where are you?
Away, your wretched servant tells me. Why
are you away2 / trusted you! Oh, you are
a pretty brothert III you had cared for me
Or respected ice, you would have been here
to greet me. No. you are all in a league
all in league to ruin me! Now I am here
what will you do? Poison me, of counsel
kill ne. and make away with me, even as
that ether doctor killed and made away
with my poor chiIi2 He didl l say he didl
| saw him do it! "a child of shame, he said;
so he killed it! All, all, all-.even you
You, whom [ trustei-leagued against mer'
She was trembling with excitement Her