The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-02-18

( to get rid of her. Thoughts of this sort
/ would steal into my mind until thew
half-maddened me.
could bear to sit with Pauline no
longer. | went out into the open air
/ ana wandered about aimlessly, until
/ Two Ideas occurred to me. One was that
! | would go to the greatest authority on
/ brain diseases, and consult him as TO
I Paullnes hope of recovery-the other
/ that ] would 90 to Horace street and
/ examine, by daylight, the house from
/ top to bottom. | went first to the doc
] tors.
To him / told everything. saving. of
/ course, MacaTi's black lie / could see
/ no other way TO explain the case with
out confiding fully. most certainly
! succeeded IN arousing his interest He
! had already seen Pauline. and knew ex-
/ actly the state III which she had been. |
I think he believed, as many others will
/ all l told him except that one strange
/ occurrence. Even this he did not scott
/ at accustomed. as he was. 10 wild fan
/ cles and freaks Of imagination. He at
/ trlbuted II To this cause which was but
/ natural. And now what comfort or
! hope could he give me?
As / told you before, Mr. Vaughan "
/ he SAID such thing as losing thereof
/ lection OF the past Tor long while and
/ then picking up the end OF the thread
/ where II fell IS not altogether UMPIRE
/ cedented. / viii come and see Vour
VIE. bat as the case now stands il seems
. 10 ue 81 IS an attack OF brain fever. and
/ as yet 40 specialist is needed When
Z tual fever leaves her ! should like To
/ know That | may See her 1t Will. |
/ expect leave her saHe. but she viii be-
/ gin he again from the hour that her
{ mind was first uuhiuged. You. her
+ lt.4s q -ssf
/ 1er. The case. ! say again. is not nm
/ orecedeuted. but the circumstances
+ which surround ii are
i left The doctor and walked to the
agents ~ whose hands the house in
/ Horace street vas placed. ! obtained
/ sefS and made some Inquiries. found
/ that at the time OF the murder tie house
! had been let furnished for a few weeks
/ 10 an Italian gentleman whose name
was forgotten. He had paid lie rent
/ Do advance so no inquiries had Uetu
/ made about him The house had been
! vacant for a long time. There was Moth
/ ing against 1t except THAI the owner
/ would only let it at a certain rent. which
/ most people appeared TO consider too
/ high
! / gave my name and address and took
/ the keys. | spent the remainder Of the
/ afternoon III searching every nook and
/ Granny III the house. but no discovery
| rewarded my labor. There was. be
| lleVed, no place in which the body Of
/ victim could have been hid-thrre was
| no garden in which it might have been
! buried. ! took back the keys and said
| the house did not suit me. Then | re-
! turned home. and brOOded on my grief,
! whilst Macari's lie ate and ate its way
! to my heart.
And day by day it went on working
| and gnawing, cOrrOding and warping,
! until | was told that the crisis was over;
| that Pauline was out of danger; that
| She was herself again.
Which self? The self | had only
! known, or the self before that fatal
! night? With a beating heart | drew
near to her bedside. Weak. exhausted.
! without strength to move or speak she
! opened her eyes and looked at me. 1t
! was a look Of wonder. of nou-TecOgni-
! ton. but it was the look of restored
| reason. She knew me not. 1t was as
! the doctor had predicted | might have
| been total stranger to those beautiful
! eyes as they opened, gazed at me, and
| then reciOsed themselves YEARLY.
went from the room with tears running
! down my checks. and at my heart feel
| ing of mingled JOY and sorrow, hope
/ and fear which words viii not express.
Then Macari's black lie came out
from its lurking place and seized me as
| it were by the thrOat-clung TO me.
| Wrestled with me-cried Il am true.
Push me away. | am still true. The lips
| of a villain spoke to me, but for once he
| spoke the truth. If not for this, why
the crime? Men do not lightly commit
| murder Even then, when the moment
had prayed and longed for had come
when sense, full sense. was given back
to my poor love-I was invaded, con-
| queTed and crushed to the ground by
the foul lie which might be truth.
| We are StrangerS-she knows me
| not" | cried. Let me prove that this
lie is lie, or let us be strangers for
| ever."
How could l prove it? How could
ask Pauline? Or asking her. how could
| expect her to answer? Even if she did
would her word satisfy me? Oh, that
| could see Ceneri. Villain he might be
but | felt he was not such adouble-dyed
villain as Maeari.
Thinking thus, | formed a desperate
resolve. Men are urged to do strange
and desperate things when life is AT
stake-with me it was more than life
1t was the honor, the happiness every
thing, of two peoplel
Yes would do It'll MadAG thu
scheme seemed, l would go to Neria
and if money, perseverance, taYH, %
craft, could bring me face to face witt
Ceneri, | would wiring the truth, TIN
whole truth from his lips!