The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-11-11

| telt as IL had been wandering like Cain
with mark upon my brow during a
century of woe. Throwing myself upon
my couch, ] hid my face in my pillow,
trying to shut out the look of her dying
eyes. Not until the day broke did fall
in tortured sleep, awakening from
which toward midday with start l
tried to persuade myself that the event
OF the night was nothing but a dream.
But there in the drawer, where | had
locked them on going out, were the gold
pieces, silent but eloquent reminder of
my misfortune. Selling the purse with
feverish fingers, | set out for a long
tramp in the environs of the city, deter
mined to bury the accursed thing out of
my sight forever In remote spot on
a solitary hillside made its grave, wish
ing that too might rest beneath the sod.
AS walked home, hunger and thirst
overpowered me. | gave my last bit of
copper to a woman who was milking her
COW, receiving in return draught of the
foaming fluid. This sustained me to
reach home again, and in the street met
an old comrade, who, railing me on my
wild looks, invited me to breakfast. AS
/ had no dinner the night before, poor
human nature urged me to accept, and
with the hot coffee, the rolls, the fruit
and she omelet, q semblance of comfort
stole into my heart. While talking with
my friend an undercurrent of thought
about the tragedy kept tapping up over
every other subject, as the tide comes in
that nothing can hold back. Then it
occurred to me to wonder if the brother,
finding my mission unaccomplished,
would not return to demonstrate with
me, and to take away the money 1 had
not earned. How could l explain to him
the reason of my failure and my tight2
Yes, surely, he would come to seek me,
and as an honest man it was my duty to
face him. As to explaining to him, that
was another matter. Only one person in
the world could have told that my knife
was plunged into living breast, and
not dead one, and she would sneak no
more. Why harrow her survivors with
the unavailing knowledge of her brief
return to lifel Alter all l had acted
without knowledge, and at the instiga-
tion of the one who loved her best. Ger
tainy he loved her, as brothers rarely
love their sisters, it seemed to me. l re-
called the shudder with which he turned
from brief glance at the bed of death,
and the sob in his voice that came, ap-
parently, from mighty grief. Assuredly
| should see him again. Even now he
might be awaiting me at my lodgings.
AS l rose to go, my friend, who had
been carelessly looking over journal of
the morning, read aloud paragraph an.
nouncing thai this was the wedding day
Of the young Princess N. a Russian
beauty, famous of late in Florentine soci-
ETY., who was to marry Prince L, n
Roman nobleman, as young, rich and
we'll born as herself. "Let us go to the
church door," said Paul my friend,
''even if we are rot hidden. A cat may
look at the king, and all the world may
admire bride alighting from her car.
riage." Excusing myself on the plea
that my garments did not entitle me to
place even upon the pavement, l broke
away from him and returned to my soli-
tary room. AS ! mounted the steps, 1
walked slower, dreading the apparition
of my visitor of the previous night l
opened the door to find that the room
was empty and undisturbed. But upon
my table lay parcel, and tearing it open
| saw within my bloody knife embodied
in paper on which these words were
written:
81 return to you your property, my
somewhat careless and decidedly nervous
doctor. You Will probably never hear
from me again, but consider your gold
we'll earnedn
A cold sweat broke out upon my brow.
Now, indeed, had my feet touched the
watara of n dark and unlynowp cao
Could it be that was the instrument of
a crime2