Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-25
LIVING OR DEAD.
A POSTHUMoUS PUBLICATION.
BY HUGH CONWAY.
loopynghtea 1851

ID lie listened without fword until my
- tale WAS Finished aud the packet placed IN
= his hands He did not open It for min
= ute He seemed far aFay in thought
~ remember her, he said - hand,
D some, dark-eyod girl. What became Of
Il her never knew
n he turned the packet over and over
! 'Shali open It, Phllpyn he said.
! "Why notgn
IN may be man's death-warrant.
+, Shall consult Lady Estmere 1rst?n
! speaking as an embryo lawyer,
! should say not. She should know moth.
i Ing about IL NATL her Innocence Is proved
4 10 her husbands satisfaction.n
! R5thwell looked az me 10 a strange, In.
I explicnbic way.
$50 be 70. ! win be guided by you -
He spoke graYely, almost solemnly.
He opened the packet, and IN silence
read and re- read its contents. His brow
contracted, and once or twice he struck
his hand on the table. Then he turned TO
me.
"Dupedt" he eaid~ 1.-THE nends!"
"Haye you read this, Philip2p he asked,
after another look at II.
"Of course read Il, but 80 quickly as
scarcely TO comprehend To-
"Sit down and read It again, whilst I
90 out Of doors Tor short time / must
breathe the open air, or shall do some
one mischief"
He left me, and read slowly and atten-
lively the whole history Of the vulgar but
effective plot by which Richard Gresham
wrought out his revenge. As neither the
writing nor the yerbiagc was that Of u
person without education, ! may tran
] M Mira Martgpfu Ia, f,tfy
| II ran so
My Lord-I write this, although have
! no Intention OF sending II TO you.
scarcely know why write II, as only in
the event Of my death and certain per-
son not doing what he should do, viii IL
reach your hands. II ever you get IT,,
know II viii be welcome, as 1t will tell
you exactly why Sir Laurence Estmero
turned his wife away from him, and ought
to show everyone that her ladyship Is an
lll-used woman.
do not write this because am what
people call penitent. Perhaps at the
time did not guess the full effects OF
what did, but knew them afterwards,
aud for Interested motives kept my tongue
still. II speak ut last IL will only be
from Interested motives, or for the sake
OF revenge. Stlll you may feel certain
that every word now write Is truth.
| My name you will no doubt forget, II
| was then Mary Williams. | WAS In Lady
Estmere's service as lady maid / was u
vain girl. People called me cookbook
Ing, and knew | was so, aud trusted that
my good looks would make my fortune.
| expect you will never get this letter,
and II you do, IL will be all over with me
so need not feel ashamed Of saying was
never what Is called good girl. My
own folks always said should 20 60 the
bad, and never douhted Them but / re.
solved TO make money by doing SO.
entered Lady Estmero's service short.
ly after her second baby was born. IL
was not bad place. but rather too quiet
Tor me. Although they had been married
more than two years, they were as fond of
each other az a bride and bridegroom. II
her husband was away for two days, her
| ladyship did nothing but bewail his alb. |
sonce. could get very fond OF n man
who loved me, but could never under
stand such love as hers.
OF course as soon as | become Lady |
Estmere's maid picked up all the gossip |
OF the household. heard how your lord. |
ship had been wildly In love with |
her whilst you were a poor man--too poor
TO think OF getting married; and how,
Just after her marriage with Sir Laurence,
you came unexpectedly into title and
estates. heard, too, that she was once
really engaged to cousin named Ches.
ham, .and how for some reason she broke
II on with him. | found that Sir Lau.
renee, who was too high and proud gen
tleman to be Jealous, lot this cousin, this
Gresham, have the run Of the house, let
him come and 20 as he liked. And |
Thought Sir Laurence fool for his pains,
and think him so now.
Capt, Gresham came several times To
Estmero Court, and seemed almost like
one OF the family. knew what sort OF Il
man he was as soon as | saw him; and,
MS have said, was u good-looklng girl, /,
so ne cast his eyes on me at once. But II
was long time before he got any good ,
out OF that, | was beginning life. and J
aimed high for while. Marry me he I
might, and welcome, and | thought he \
might have done worse. | would have
made him u better wife than many of the 4
inc ladies he knew
But he never thought Of MARRYING me !,
Although he spoke smooth enough knew
no was laughing In his sleeve at my re-
quest But he never gave me q moments :
peace. Whenever he was staying at Est
mere ne was after me, making all sorts OF I,
me promises, can't say no deceived /,
me, for knew all about his manner of
me aud The names Of several girls he had /,
ruined, | could have told my mistress
Things which would have astonished her.
so whatever did was done with my ewes +,
open, ~ - I
II never trusted him, after a bit he
gah 70 get IN a way fond OF him. He was !
very good-looking, and, until the devil !
WIS roused In HIN, as soft and kind.
spoken as a man could be. Besides. he ,,
always talked TO mo when didn't nalse !,
~, NJ "nSly rs j ! We're a lady born | 4
W." W ZIP out oi the house at nights h
avg s. meet ann IN the shrubhery We were h
10Y o'Ssef 70 DC caught, so no one sus.
p s,'aD', WHAT was going On between Capt. Ia
Sheshan and Mary Williams | was no !,
lvoli ana soon saw how the matter must /
emu between ns. AT ono time | used Ia !
mink he was so much in love with her
ladyship shat tstood In my way; but -
soon found that no hated her more than Il
nc loved hers and as for Sir laurence, y
nave seen him look like a devil when q
spoko q his love for his wife. | have no n
1oupt II ne had seen tho least chance OF :,
uoing SO, he would have tried to makaher n
IAlyship forsako her husband for him, but n
sihilltleS. = ''''iOs'
iet used to twit him with his love for :,
Lazy kstmere, and laugh at his homeless. n
ness, vi threw him into such RACES thai !,
~ times tremhltd, fearing he MIGHT do y
me bodily injury. w
One eNhnInt oagI A.. ~. 49,, ~