The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-02-19


I touchsd my ,pife's arm "Come aVay.
PhRtppa,n I said.
She made a motion OF dissent, Again l
urged her, She shook her head pettishly,
"Ahl | forgot whore you have boen for
months said tho second tourist, laughing,
"out OF tho pale OF civilization AMI news
papers. Well. Ferrand was murdored-shol
''"Phnippa, dearest, CONS, l imploro YOU"
I whispered.
II was too latsl Tho look on her face told
me that nothing would now move her-
nothing. She would hear tho dreadful
truth, told perhaps with distorted details,
/ groane1 Inwardly, The moment | had 30
long dreaded had come. II | dragged her
away by forcs-lf ! interrupted tho speak
ers-what good could II dot She had heard
enough. Sho would force mo 10 toll her ths
rest l could only pray that she would IN
no W y associate herself with the mans
death.
'Murdcrodl Poor fellow Who murder
cd hlmr' | heard the first speaker say.
"No ono knows, lie was shot dead on .
country roadside Just az that fearful snow
storm Of last winter began. IL seems almost
incredible, but tho snow driftod over him,
and until II melted the crime was not dis
covered. In the interval the murderer had,
OF course, got clean away"
"Poor doyill never heard any good OF
him but what an endp'
| was not looking at the speakers was
noting every change In my wifs'S face. ]
saw the color fly from her check. ISaw her
lips and throat working convulslyoly, al
though she was trying 10 nrticulats, saw
her dark brows contract ~ In anguish. ]
knew that she was claspinE hor hands 10
gethsr, az was hor way when agltAted. Sud.
denly she turned her eyes 10 mine.
and In her eyes was q look OF horror
which told mo that the very worst had
como 10 %pRia-that the dread which had
haunted mo was realizodl Then, with = low
moan, she sank white and senselcsS on my
shoulder.
Though In \ whirl OF despair, | believe
that | aSsumed q kind OF mechanical calm.
/ seem 10 remember that the two English
tourists offered thor assistance; that, rs w
Dor" Philippa 10 an eItemporiEed couch In
the ahadisst and cooleat place We could find,
! smiled, and attributed my wifo's f~ainting
III 70 the hOatof the sun, the smell Of engines,
or something OF that kind. Little did those
young men guess what their chance words
had wrought Little could they think that
In speaking OF Sir Mervyn Fernando death
they had, perhaps, wrecked the happiness
OF two liyoA My heart was full Of grief and
fear, but | believe l bore myself bravsly.
In spite OF such ~reatorhtlves m we could
administer, Philippa'a swoon lasted for q
considerable time, | troubled little about
that fact, Indeed, 10 me 10 seemed we'll that
syncope should have super vened. and, for q
time, banishod the dreadful memories which
had no suddenly invaded hor brain. Could
such u thing nave boon posS bic, | would al
most havo wished that hor insonslbility would
continue until va reached Seville. But ID
was not 10 DO no, by. and by she sighed
deeply, and hor eyes opened. CONSEQUENCES
md all its dreaded sequence was hOrs once
moro.
spoke 10 her, but she made no reply. She
turned her cyos from mine; she summed my
gaze; sh0 oven soomod TO shrink from tho
touch Of my hand. During the remainder
OF that dreary journey not ono word passed
hor lips, She lay with hOr face turned TO
the sido Of tho vessel, needless Of tho curious
glancos from follow.passongors, needless OF
my Whispered words OF love; hoodloss Of all
save her own thoughts-thought, which led
her, | tromblOd 10 picture whittier
Through all thoso long eultry hours, whilo
tho wretchod steamboat plowed its way up
tho broad muddy stream, ! sat beside her,
trying 10 find some way out OF our sorrow.
Alasl every road was stopped by tho i'm.
passablo obstacle OF rhilippa's knowledge OF
what she had done, For sho know 10, | was
certain. That look In her eyes had told mo
40 much. Tho duration OF her insanity had
been 30 short that | could gather no comfort
from tho fact that by somo merclful mr..
rangemort maniaca who recover their orr.
ing senses aro troubled little by tho deeds
thoy have done In thoir moments OF mad
moss. ! folt that In my wife'a case my on ~
hope was 10 cndonvor by argument TO bring
hor TO my own way OF thinking, that IL, 70
consider herself un0ccountablo by any law,
human or divine, for her actions nc tho
time. But | doubted II hor sensitive, i'm.
pulslvo nature could ever DO induced 10 take
this Wow OF hor act | doubted, had she
not boon tho woman | loved with u pas.
alonato love, II | could have quite absorbed
hor from tho crime, with tho remembrance
OF her words, "Basil, did ysu ever hAto a
manr' still with mo,
Yet, strange anomaly, would, In fair
fight, OF course, have shot that man through
tho heart and have gloriod In tho decd. But
then Philippe was n woman, and had ahe
not been tho woman loved might hayo
shrunk from tho ono who, even In her mad
ness, wa urged 10 taSo such fearful von-
gcnnoc,.
/ smiled bitterly m I thought how chance
breath OF wind had tumblod my house Of
cards 10 tho ground. smiled almost trlum-
phnntly M | told myself that, como what
might misory-shnmo-death-I had won
and held for a wock the ono dafiro Of my
lifo, Nothing could deprive mo Of that
Home AT lati Still plent or answering
my questions by monosyllables, Philippe was
brought by mo 10 our once happy homo IN
Seville. MY mother with arch smiles of
welcome on hor comsly face, was at the gate
Of the, patio roedy 10 receive US. Assn saw
hor q Kind OF SILVER ran through my poor
loves franc. Sha let my mother embrace
and carcsa hor without any display OF re-
oiprocal affection.
'Phlippa Ia NV ! taid, IN explanation.
81 will take hor 10 her room"
lod her 10 tho apartment which my
mothor had IN our absence fitted up for us
II was gay and beautiful with flowers, and
there were many other careful ltto owl
dences OF the henrty welcome which was
waiting IN Philippa NOTICED nothing, l
closed the door ana turneu NoWhru my WHO
She looked NJ me with those %wondrous
dark ewes, which seemed TO search my very
soul "Bnqll,r abe said, In a low, solemn
voice, ''tell mo-tell mo the truth. What
had ! done that nightw
CHAPTER xL.
SPECIAL PLEADING.
10 was overt She knowi Tho hopo which
may have buoycd my spirits that Pbilippa's
agitation NJ learning OF Bir Morvyn For.
rand's death was but due TO- the fact that
abe once loved the man entirely vanished.
! could SEQ no loopholo OF escape, no posi-.
bility Of porsuading hor that sho was fancy
Ing horrors which had mover taken place.
Moreover, although | would have given my
life n have saved her from tho knowledge OF
this thing, | could not meet the eyes OF her !
loy,d, AMI 10 10 her,
I dil iudccd, II but for tho sake OF gaining
time, attempt 10 stammer out some eyasive
answer, but she Interrupted mo before l had
SPOKEN Ave wordf.
."Why do | askf, shs echoed. II know II
ail--all--alil An dreams IL has corne 10 mo
tho wbitened% road--the dull, dead faoo--ths
whirling snowi In dreams have stood