Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-11-22

across lie felI Cutth, udu L IlOG llS GULL
terpart in my possession?
The storm was now at its height.
Waves of wind and water seemed testing
the house to its foundation. Peal after
peal of thunder reverberated on my ears.
Suddenly binding flash of lightning
came, like stream of liquid fire, pour
ing through the crescent, permeating, as
it were, the entire gallery and outlining
seemed enveloped in flames as tongues of
ening peal of thunder | was dimly con-
scious of as l fell to the floor stunned and
blinded.
When recovered my consciousness it
was with a woman's shrek resounding in
my ears. By the fitful illumination from
the lightning l saw that l was alone. l
went to the table and lighted the candle;
no fixed purpose inducing me, perhaps,
still not quite recovered from the electric
shock. Mechanically l picked up the
copper waiter which now lay on the floor,
and which | had seen, when the vivid
lightning had come, in the woman's hand.
started at the sight Of it. It's former
glittering surface was so no longer; burnt
into it and confronting me were the fea-
knew those long, almond eyesl that
gracefully curved chin! the thin, tightly
compressed lips!
l recalled some broken sentences:
"Drops not strong enough-white powder
beats forty y-fve-all over"
A sudden, terrible suspicion broke upon
me as Reynolds HerhoIf's CHASTITY face,
growing thinner and thinner daily, rose
before me. She was giving him drops
daily-a Spanish tonic, he had told me-
and was numbering her own husband be-
fore my eyesl
sat down to debate what should do.
By Thursday, the man whom now knew
to be the scoundrel Alvarez had said, all
would be over. 1t was already Tuesday.
Too late to hope for his recovery, per-
haps, but | must attempt it. Yet how2
He could bear little excitement in his
weak condition, yet to tell him without
causing excitement was impossible. The
waiter would condemn her, but could he
survive the discovery l had scarcely
reached my room when there was knock
upon my door, and / obeyed summons
to Reynolds room.
Beads OF moisture stood upon his brow,
and he breathed with intense difficulty.
He apologized for disturbing me to keep
him company. but the storm had made
him sleepless.
Besides" he went on, Il thought l
heard scream, a fearful, horrible scream,
last night, when the lightning struck that
tree on the lawn. | was too weak to get
up, and would not disturb my wife.
haven't got clear end the noise doesn't
leave my ears. hear it always. heard
it then"-he shuddered, and covered his
face with his hands for few seconds,
then started up in listening attitude as
he cried: There! Iheardit Oh, heard it
again! Help mel Help mel Oh, Charlie,
you heard nothing, did your"
stroked his brow soothingly, and put
ting pocket flask to his lips, urged
him to swallow little of the stimulant.
In few seconds, SO complete was his ex-
haustion, he had fallen into a nervous
slumber
An old family servant beckoned me to
the door, and closed it behind us as he
said:
"Mars Charles, don't yer let on ter Mars
Reynolds, but TO de Laud ye kyan hep
hearin' dem heather noises what Miss
ben er maxim sence fo' day. Jes' fur all
de wurl like de ole oman, her ma, made,
so folks say. Tank de Laud l wusn't
here den, when dey had her shet up in
dat room what Miss Nita got now"
| could only repeat: 1.-THE old woman9"
''Why, you see-dat what dey tell me
de ole man couldn't er got de money eff
de folks in dem furrin places d er l1nowed
dat de ole 'owan d gone out'n her mine.
So he just switched her off here, en- nor
ated in no time how dat she was dead.
En- fo' de Laud, dar she was shet up, en-
nobody KNOWN de way ter her cep'n de
ole man hisself en- Miss Nita. When de
po' creeter died dey shet up de stairway,
en- Miss Nita low she mine ter live in dat |
room herself; but hit clean beat Jacobs
time how she kin stay dar. Hear dat?"
It was the same sound I had heard
when in Reynolds room.
''Dat de way de ole oman kyar on when |
dem spells wus on her. En- dem soun's |
been reachin' out here sence fo' day. Ye |
kin guess now why dat po' lovin' creeter
in dar d rather think he crazy hisself n
ter hear dat noise ben er humorin' NV |
him, but dunnol'' and the old man shook
his head sadly.
The sick man still slept, and 1 stepped
softly to the adjoining room. turned
the key, lifted the latch, and ventured
cautious glance behind the portiere.
In the room beyond the room in which
! stood, Anita Herholf, the most beauti.
full woman had ever seen, was q raying
maniac. Her long hair hung like thick
cloud about her; her magnificent ewes
were distended and bloodshot; her cloth
ing torn and disordered; and as she
swaved her slim, graceful figure back and
forth in a movement almost snake like in
its suppleness, she uttered a dog like
snarl, which occasionally was prolonged
into the revolving sound that reached
Reynolds room. Incipient disease had
been developed by the strain her nerv-
Gus system had been under, and the elec-
trio shock had fastened the climax.
The murde-ess was feeling her own fangs!
l summoned medical aid at once. The
physician pronounced Mr.. Herholf un-
doubtedly victim to the deadly narcotic
foxglove. His condition for weeks was
one between life and death, with almost
no hope of recovery. His wife was placed
IN an asylum, where she died before he
was able to leave his room. He never
knew her crime. When he was able to
travel he went abroad, leaving the house
IN my care. l destroyed the contents of
the table in the secret gallery, from which
had undoubted proofs that my sus-
picions were correct, and that Anita Her
holf was poisoning her husband, that she
might give herself legally to the villain
whom her father had refused to let her
marry during his lifetime. He, Alvarez,
having just left the gallery as the bolt
came, was killed by the falling tree, and
lever lived to be punished for bis crimes.
keep the waiter, though the face after
! few hours was unrecognizable No one
:an read from it, as did, the secret Of the
Ghost OF Penares."
The dress of silver gauze keep also,