Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-09-20
abruptly without title or prefix, is what
hey found

"This will not be known until am
d.ad. when can no longer care VIVA.
men say, when the opinion of the world
w;lI be absolutely nothing to me.
ION the 3lst December, II.
came back from London unexpectedly
went to the manor, but my house
keeper was away at some Eeighoor's
house, and / restlessly made up my
mind to return TO London without
making my visit known. was madiy
in love, and had been living fast ana
drinking deeply to drown my sorrow;
Ash walked modify along | heard
a merry. careless whistle, and my
successful rival, Tom Ridgway, turn I
ed into the lane few yards IN
front Of me. He was walking
along heedlessly, and ran against
me in the darkness. My sullcn tenn
per was reused, and | turned with
an oath at his carelessness no was sur
prised 10 see me, and not being as
posed to quarrel on the night before his
wedding, extended his hand with
merry word Of greeting. think the
sight Of his happiness reused all the
evil of my nature. ! hal been drink
ing deeply during the early part OF tue
day; my heart seemed filled with ha-
tired of the bright young fellow beside
me, and with another oath raised my
clenched fist and struck him a cowardly
blow.
"He fell heavily, stunned, and struck
his head against stone. The red stream
of blood recalled me to myself.
tried to rouse him. tried to make MN
drink some of the brandy had fallen
into the habit of carrying with me, but
all to no purpose. A horrible fear
seized me. / tore open his shirt and
tired to discern the beating OF his
heart. but my hand was tremulous'
AID / could not steady it sufficiently
to feel any motion, and in despair
| sank down beside him. 1t had
commenced to snow some time before,
end this deadened the sound OF ap-
preaching footsteps until | dimly saw
the figure Of a man co ming toward me.
In the instant Of time that elapsed be-
fore | was discovered, the conse-
ouences of the deed | had done flashed
across my mind. | was murderer
and the penalty of discovery was death.
With throb Of relief | re-
cognized my own confidential SER
want. | hurriedly explained. There
has been an acct lent; this man
has had bad fall his head
must be looked to at once Peters was
q man Of few words, h seemed to know
how affairs stood, and by his direction
| stanched the flow Of blood from Tom
Ridgway's head, and bound it up with
my handkerchief. Then we carried
him to little cottage belonging to Pc
tiers, where we passed the night, and in
the morning started for London. 1t
took us several days to get there, as we
were compelled to travel slowly, and
all the time, although he was alive, the
sufferer never regained consciousness.
1.-The London physician shook his
head. 1T is only question OF time.
can give little hope Of his recovery.
Like everybody else, he believed the
story we told of fall from horse.
lie had no reason to doubt-Such acct
dents were common enough. Peters
aud myself alone knew the truth, and
he only knew part, for he believed the
injury had been inflicted in fair fight.
| He did not know | had struck down a
defenceless man.
1.-THE agony | suffered during those
terrible days was unspeakable. AT
ore moment | was buoyed up by the
hope that he would recover, and then
nv reason reasserted itself, and | sank
into such utter despair that the idea OF
suicide began to take possession of my
mind. Waking and sleeping, the thought
haunted me. pictured to myself with
horrible reality every detail of my own
selfmurder. | imagined what people
would say when they found my body
Again and again ! rehcarscd the scene
with the minute fidelity of morbid
imagination, until was little more than
q mailman.
One evening Peters told me, that
Tom Ridgway had been craving to see
me for some time, and the physician
thought it would be better to crafty
his wish. Much as | shrank from see
ing the man | had injured, | could give
no reason for refusing that would not
| imagined, arouse suspicion.
"Tom Ridgway raised himself in The
bed when entered the room, and wa:
startled at the change in him. His head
was enveloped in white bandageS
and his face las CHASTITY and drawn
But it was his eyes that attracted me
He looked at me with vacant, terri.
bic stare-such look as one might SCI
in the eyes Of corpse that had been
startled back to life by some dreaC
summons. Even now, after so many
years. sometimes start from my SLEEP
with a cry. imagining that | again en-
counter that unearthly gaze even nov
feel the thrill of horror that raj
through me as / approached the bed
He spoke to me rapidly, eagerly, in {
low voice. but with distinct utterance
IL have waited for you long time
You have come at last--just in time
Promise-promise - He clutched m
hand with his fingers and directed upol
NE that unceasing gaze. Promise
promise = he repeated, and, feeling a
if under some strange magnetic inhu
ence, said breathlessly
"'I will promise whatever you de
SIRE
49, Promise that you will never tel
what has happened; promise on you
soul that you will never reveal this t
any living being--to any creature i
the world
4" lie held me with superhuma
strength. Still his eyes looked int
mine. Faint and exhausted, | sal
slowlyt
~ PROMISE
" His hands relaxed their hold, h
fell heavily back, and a gray shado'
crept over his face. He was dead.
" The physician said he died del
iious, and | did not contradict him.
! have never brea.hed to living soul tn
= | ,h,r, I promisad tn kaan mo cacra,