The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-04-15

scarcely believe. William Fairfield.
were it not for my assurance. that this
exquisite baby eauty-Straight-iimbec,
bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked-and my
daughter Alice are one. But for me
she might have been the flower OF
Devonshire. 1t is /, her father. who
made her what she is, who have de-
prived her of LIES best seasons. and
who. if loves light does not shine upon
her, have condemned her through all
her days to cold and cherries winter.
Let me recall the fatal day which led
to nv act of madness. l had left my
home on a matter of business, and was
to be absent only twenty-four hours. It
was the first night had passed out of
nv house since my marriage. Why
did not my horse fall down with me
and kill me, instead of bringing me
safely back to the home | had left hon
ored and happy? But what some men
call fate. others chance. others destiny,
ordained that / should live and grapple
with my misery. For when my journey
was over. and 1 reached my house,
with my heart pulsing with tender an
ticipation. / found that my wife had
fied-had fed with him | called my
friend. / learned that she whom [
loved faithfully and truly had betrayed
me; that he whom | trusted with my
whole soul had played the Judas. No
letter was written to guide me to this
conclusion. Ny wife was gone, and
that was enough. My friend was gone,
and that was enough. l had not been
l,f hn
truth flashed upon me, as might pict-
ure suddenly revealed. For a moment
/ was dazed and stunned; then came
the despairing reality. The past years
spread out before me like q map, and
every glance and word that had passed
between Us came to me with 4 Few sig
MITIGATION. Her love mad been a simu-
latiOn, cheat; her heart had never
been mine. She had been to Inc liv-
inc lie, and all a woman'S artiiice had
been employed to conceal the truth.
would YOU have done, William Fair
field, had Won been stricken with sucn
a blow? What would you have done
had YOU found your LIES happiness
thus suddenly burnt to ashes upon your
household hearth9'
He did not wait for 4 reply, but went
on:
The thoughts and memories which
chung about me those few moments
would make an epic. Amidst them all,
one picture struggled to the fore
ground. saw in my fancy the face Of
my wife lying upon the pillow in the
early mornin@-a face of chiid-lil;e, an
gelic beauty-a face which, could an
artist paint. and call it Innocence,
would immortalize his name through
all ages She had fallen asleep in my
arms but few hours before. with
words of love upon her lips. ! gazed
upon her with i heart full @ worship.
/ saw her face, and it was Heaven TO
me. But her inner life was hidden
from me; and now that it was laid bare
in all its naked deformity. faith, love,
religion, belief in human goodness,
fled from me affrighted. was as one
suddenly and unn&tur&!ly maddencd.
Infatuated, | looked around and saw
her child lying in her cot-h.r child!
She opened her eyes and smiled upon
me, and as in that innocent smile [
caught the reflex of her false mother :
beauty. l raised her iii my arms, and
dashed her to the ground"
The memory of that terrible act
raised thick beads OF perspiration upon
his face: and again, in 4 wild. reckless
manner he scooped up handful of
show. and scattered it over his head.
:" scarcely remember what fotoWed;
| do not know whether | ate, or drank,
or Slept; l only know that / led from
the house. with the intention # purSu-
inc them dav and night. From that
moment my life was compaSscd by but
one intense. maGdenin% Gr>irc-tO
ovcrtake and Kill them. | was soon
upon their track. and | flung money
about like mailman, but still with an
instructive method IN my madness. 1
followed them from place t. place,
through England. out of England into
foreign countries. ANA bac.; again.
Hearing that | was in pursuit. they
schemed and baHied me. l was always
a day too late; l reached every spot in
which they tarried in time 20 hear of
their departure from it. But they could
not forever escape nae; knew til
felt it; Fate was on my side. and would
bring me to them as sure as there was
Il Heaven above us. Every sign that
made itself visible to me-in human
face, in clouds, in treeS-bid me pur-
sue and kill them, and never faltered,
never wavered in my resolve. Pictures
formed themselves for NE in the clouds
in the plains as dashed past them
in train or carriage; in the full sun
light as it cleaned in clear waters; in
the night, with shadows and darkness
around me-pictureS which imaged
false wife and friend crouching before
a desperate ard dishonored man.
Blood was in the air, and in the fields
it swan before my eyes, and made
me obliviOuS to all else.
William Fairfield shuddered at the
vchemence of the mans speech, and
almost imagined he Siw flying through
the air the dark shadows of the picture
drawn by Stephen.
"At length | came upon them.
When l had lost trace of them, and
was standing in doubt as to which way
to turn, their faces flashed upon me
one night at Il railway station. Despite
all warning cries, jumped with 4 tri-
umphant laugh upon the step of a car
riage as the train WAS moving away.
did not think of my own danger as l
was whiried along-I only Thought
that they were there, and that l must
get to them. if | had to fight my way
through hundred deaths. The wild
dow through which had caught sight
of their faces was far in front of me,
and with frantic Impotence / worked
my way along the side Of the train.
How l escaped being dashed to pieces
was mystery which some persons
would call providence. but which l
recognized as the working-out of 4
-,,,.n ,nt,.;l n, Ton Il No. not I'm ~ n J.