The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-06-20

curtain. Crawford was growing rapidly
angry.
"Give me that boy ~ he cried roughly.
"Get ont Of the way, Beatrice, and let me
have him. and he caught her by the arm
and dragged her from the cot.
arthur, Arthur husband, sweetheart ~
She clasped both arms around his neck, and
raised imploring eyes TO his but ths sight
Of the thin, white face only moved him TO
greater wrath.
strong long ago." he exclaimed irritably.
"You never laugh now, aud you can't sing,
and you won't dance"
"Dancei o yes, I can. Look, Arthur ~
She drew rapidly back toward the cot,
speaking in her ordinary quiet voice. 'You
shall do what you like with BERTHE was
only joking. Only we must have our dance
first, you know"
with Sudden movement she stopped and
lifted the sleeping child from the bed, talk
ing all the time In an arch, merry voice that
still retained It's old power over the poor
mailman. lie nodded approvingly as she be
gan rocking 10 and fro with the boy IN her
arms, and he moved chair or two TO give
her more space.
"Dance, Beatrice" and he began whis-
TO the air with the dagger, of which he never
relnquishei His hold.
"vsry WE'LL" she responded cheerily.
"Stand by the mantlepiecs and give us plenty
of room. Now, then, my baby boy, one, two,
and of we CO."
My life has shown me instances Of self
devotion in plenty have seen proofs Of
| ready wit and more Of indomitable pluck
but have never seen them so marvelously
combined as on that terrible June night.
Instinct taught me what she meant to do.
She had persuaded her husband to stand at
the end Of the room farthest from the curtain
that hid her one means of escape, aud now
she intended to hazard her only chance, dash
through II, lock the door on the other side,
and then 60 for help. Backwards and for.
wards, round and round, she circled, weird
enough figure in her white drapsries. The
little white feet were bare, and il taxed, her
| utmost strength TO hold the heavy boy in
her arms but with sublime heroism Of
which should never have believed her
capable, she never once paused for breath.
A miracle alone kept the child asleep but
when saw the poor mothers lips move
dumbly between the snaiches Of the gay
valse she was humming ielt that she was
praying God that he might not waken.
Nearer and nearer the curtain she came, but
TO my horror perceived that Crawford was
growing uneasy and advancing slowly IN the
| rear.
| "Mis. Crawford Quick -
There was not q minuta to be lost. tore
the curtain aside, aud she rushed toward
me-, but ere could fasten the heavy door
her husband was upon us. With yell o.
bailied rage he was tearing after her through
the open doorway, and in another momen,
would have reached her with uplifted knife
when tripped him up, and he fell headonl
10 the floor. He was stunned by his fall
and while fastened his hands aud feet by
means of the cut window cord his wife wen,
back to the inner room aud rang loudly fol
assistance.
Ere he came to himself Arthur Crawford
was safely secured in my own room. Lpav
ing him there under charge of the men ser
wants, l went back to seek Mrs. Crawford
She was lying on the bad room floor with he
nervous fingers still tightly interlaced, ant
by her side sat her little son, warm and ROSY
from his broken sleep. He was kissing tn
paling lips as | came hastily into the room
and now held up warning finger as knel
beside them.
"Poor mamma Is fast asleep" he whis
perad. "And she is cold ~
She was not dead. The long and frightfu
mental strain through which she had passe'
brought on brain fever, and for some day
we despaired of her life, hut she cam
through 1t brav-ly, and ere the summe
waned had the satisfaction of installing
both mother and son in sea side cottage ia
enough away from her Berkshire home.
Crawford, poor fellow, only lived a fl,
months, for dangerous fall In the asylut
: grounds put merciful termination to hi
confinement. During those few months
visited him occasionally, aud he Away
spoke most tendsrly of his wife, whom
imagined dead.
! When he died went to break the news I
his yonng widow, and while staying in he
, pretty Devonshre cottage solved much tbs
had puzzled me. Her terror at my first II
PRODUCTION TO her had been occasiOned by III
fact that she had at once recognized me Q
Lennox, the mad doctor. had been pointe
I out to her IN the park the season befor,
She dreaded Arthur's incipient madness IL
ing known to any one, for she had bin
. terror of lunatio ayslum in connectio
n with her idOliz-d husband, and hoped that
. quiet country life, tree from trouble and col
r tfadiction, might in time restore him. b
' had he never broken out before asked
? for II seemed to me incomprehensibls TIL
, so slight frame should he capable of suC
o courage. Once, she said, only once, an
8 then he had been bent on killing himsel
Q In struggling with him for the possession
. the knife he had accidentally Ont her wris
a aud so occasioned the ugly scar that dish
y ur-d 1t. As for Bsrties presence on tn
r fatal night, she told me he had always bee
accustomed to sleep in their room and as
t had refused to second her theory that Il
T. child wanted change Of air, aud SO aid
sending him ont of the house, she could d
I vise no other means of getting rid of him.
y And then | took my leave and | ha'
never seen Mrs. Crawford from that day
q this but still, In spite of a certain pair
! sweet brown eyes which make the suushii
d Of my home, am forced to admit that the
It is no woman on earth for whom have SUI
boundless admiration as for that unfort
It nate lady Of whom at one tune thought
. my First Observation-Disclosures .Iournal.