Huntsville gazette., 1885-01-17

| uOlulHS HeT tongue With SEcdt uliACnly'
Il have no patience with him. Why
don't he make her take off those fal-de
lals (Maud hasn't told you about half
| of them) and dress like Christian? l
would. mighty quick, if were he. But
as he don't should think that compan-
ion Of hers-Mrs. Gregg-who seems to
be a sensible person, and to have some
influence over her, might prevail upon
her not to make a show of herself"
perhaps she is the sort of woman
who can't be prevailed upon," said
Bell.
Il guess you are right" acquiesced
Mistress Maud, with emphasis. ''She
has very determined look at times
about her mouth, though it is small
and smiling one. And her big, dark
gray eyes meet your gaze almost def
antlv.n
''Defantly? Impudently, I call it,
resumed the sharp-featured lady, "and
I'm sorry for her husband, l am, for
altogether, I've no doubt he has c pref
ty hard time of it. I'm sure if were
man shouldn't want my wife tag
ging round after me every step took,
especially if had wife like Madam
Whims, eternally devisin' ways and
means, in spite of her pretended devo-
I, ton. of attractin' attention"
'.That is falser' said voice from the
drawing-room window, and the next
moment Mrs. Gregg, tall, pale wo-
| man, clad in black robes, stepped out
upon the porch.
"False!'' echoed the unlovely spin
ster.
'Yes, false and to my mind the
| time has come when the truth should
be told. can not. in consideration for
her, take the dreadful responsibility Of
keeping my mistress secret any longer.
Ladies, that splendid looking fellow
so bound to the side of his wife-would,
had it not been for her angelic love and
devotion. have been long ago the in
mate of lunatic asylum. Don't be
frightened, he has never hurt any one
but her. For years he has been subject
to insane paroxysms whose fury he
| vents upon the being he loves best in
the world. Once over them he is as
sane as you or l. For several weeks
past these attacks have been much more
| frequent than ever before. But no one
has suspected them, even in this
| crowded hotel. for having, as you have
already suggested, Miss Dutton, some
| thing of the tiger about him, it is but a
stealthy bound, noiseless, heavy blow,
| or two or three-received without
murmur-and then he sinks into pro-
| found slumber from which he awakes
utterly unconscious of what he has
done, to laugh as you do at his wife's
whims. That fantastic turban con-
cealed wound in the left temple; the
long gloves covered bruised hands and
arms; the scarf was tied about swollen
neck, and the yards of illusion wrapped
around her slender throat tonight hide
the marks of cruel fingers. Madam
Whimsn Madam Saint, | say! He only
hurts me, she prays. when | threaten
disclosure. He only hurts me and
does not mean to do it. as you well
know, Gregg. for he loves me, he loves
me dearly and | adOre him. What he
does in the wretched moments that he
is not himself | can bear, but to be
parted from him forever-oh! that L
could not bear. She came here in the
hope that the waters might do him
| good. but he has, as | have told you,
grown worse, and after to-day's ex-
perience it would be crime for me to
remain silent any longer. Give me
the name, please, of the best physician
in the-my God! what was that?' she
broke off suddenly to exclaim, as a
pistol shot rang out upon the air, and
then she fairly flew back through the
drawing-room, out into the hall, and
up the stairs that led to her mistress
apartment, followed, almost as swiftly,
by the horror-stricken women who had
been listening to her story. Throwing
open the door of the sitting room she
entered, leaving the others huddled to-
| gether in the threshold ''Too late!
| too late" she cried; ''look there" And
there on the floor, beside couch
which held the form of his wife, lay
the lifeless body of Luke Halpin. ''He
has killed her in one of his insane mo-
ments," continued the companion in a
shrill, unnatural voice, ''and finding
her dead on awakening has taken his
own life with the pistol | thought I
had so carefully hidden from him.
And see, see, wringing her hands while
the tears rolled down her cheeks, oh!
what pitiful sight-she played
Madam Whims' to the last" And
pressing silently forward they saw that
the dying woman, with some wild idea
of hiding the act that had cost her her
life, and shielding him who was dearer
to her than that life, had with her last
strength drsped gauzy shawl over
the knife-wound in her breast, but the
tell-tale blood had dripped through
and stained the white silk dress she
wore with spots Of vivid MGra0ret