Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-03-18
A MENTAL CRIME.
A Jealous Girl Commits Murder
in Her Heart.

toiVtihSe ncto boriiS utipiO Posocsool
OF great wealth, respected and envied
by the neighboring- people, / ama yet
more wretched than any convict be-
hind prison bars. eNNNL
For carry in my breast the knowl-
edgeof an awful crime. sctnttO{
Icansed the death of three human
beings; yet no one on the face of the
earth has ever suspected me as the ar-l
thor of that terrible tragedy
Sometimes think it would relieve
the fearful burden on my SQUIRT tsuspi-
cion did point its finger at me; and so
tonight have resolved to write out
the whole -storv'just as it occurred; to
paint myself in all the hideous colors
of-the.murderer tfat 1 am.s ''.s'' T.
After am dead, let people read the
story and ~bestow upon my memory
the scorn it deserves. kMk 2
g Mas but twelve years old, and he
was fifteen, when my mother married
his father, and | was taken to the
Pines-to this very old mansion where
am now sitting-to reside; ibis father,
MY 'stGpfatlidr, Colonel Monroe had
never seen me until | came there to
live. z
had been at boarding-school when
he met, courted and married my
mother They wmthpon quite an eS-
tensive tour, returning to the Pines in
June, and then ! was brought home.
How WE'LL remember that sum-
mer evening! The ground were all
ablaze with roses as | drove up to the
stately old mansion. Colonel Monroe,
my mother and Sinclair Monroe, my
stepfather's son, stood on the veranda
to welcome me.zSz---seuss-sssa.. s'7's..s's.,
After greeting my mother, she led
me to Colonel Monroe.
This is your new papa, dear Ag.
nes," she said, "whom 1 hope you viii
love very much; and this is Sinclair,
your new brother"
Sinclair bowed with strangely,pol
ished air for so young a boy, | thought,
and smiled | noticed that his face was
very handsome and proud and lalmosI
cold until he smiled Then ii twas radi
ant as the juno day itself Colonel
Monroe took my hand, and Leaned
down and scrutinized MY face. 80
BLESS my stars.' he cried out in ;
hearty voice, ''what beauty we hav,
here! Aperfect gypsy queen! Come
Sinclair, should think you would ,lik,
the chance to kiss such Il cheek a
thatr .Hct Af A'.-'
Sinclair blushed slightly. and cam,
forward and shook hands with me then
but he did not kiss me. As we STOOD
there facing each other, Colonel Mon
roe placed hand on either head. -
handsome couple, Sybyl,%" he, said, ad
dressing-m mother. "a handsome
couple, surely. think we will have t,
plan to keep them always withus.
should like to see them man and wife
some day
And so, indeed, would H. m,
mother answered, smiling, ''but it i
early to think of that, Colonel. lie
time do its own work" Then she lie,
mcvaway, to my room. " ? s,1s 90 ~
From that time I began to think O
myself rs Sinclair Monroe's wife. W
speak idle words in the presence O
children, and forget them, but tn
seed takes root in the young mind an
silently grows into harvest for goo
or evil.
was to remain at the Pines vand re
ceivc my education from privat
teachers. Sinclair wasonly homefo
his vacation, and in September he IT
turned to college. We were playmate
and comrades all through the Ion,
bright summer We used to ride tw
little ponies which his father had pre-
sented us with soon -after-my arriva
and one day Sinclair show ed me tn,
broad acres of his estate1the one whic
would be his when he,attained his ms
jority. 81 shall build a splendid hoas
there" he said, pointing to nobl
eminence which overlooked the cit,
Just below us, "a house larger, oh, te
times larger than the Pines, and sha
live there IN the summer and 60 to th
CITY in the winter Ihate the countr
in the winter"
As we rode back reveled in dream
of the future. when should reign
queen over that splendid mansion.
As wears passed on the idea strength
ened in my mind. Sinclair and 1 WEI
always together when he was at HON,
He made me his eonfidante in all h
college escapades, and we corresponds
constantly. To be sure. he always az
dressed me As sis, an sbbreviatiO
of sister. suppose; and he never kisse
me in his life, save when be com
home or upon his departure. Yet a
Ways thought Of him as my future hui