The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-06-30


no conscious shame visible on her still face:
no anxious gaze upon the faces of those whe
could, perhaps. save or Stay her. With hei
handstightly clasped together, and her eyes
fixed on the ground, she sat still as statue
Mr. Holdfast left the door and came toward
US. then remarked another popularity OF
his. His eyes, which were very deep set
seemed to have the power Of comprehendins
| whole scene and every individual in it al
glance. One felt certain that had he closed
| his eyes after an absolute momentary survey
he could have distinctly described every
person in it, even down to their minutest
article of clothing. He repeated twice, only
| twice, il a low tone as he walked along the
| line: ''When go into the bath-house have
the kindness to follow me- yet every indi-
vidual understood distinctly whether the
| words had or had not been addressed, with
out his even having apparently looked di
rectly at any one. | noticed afterward those
thus chosen were those on whose self-control
he could probably place the most reliance.
He began an address to US by reminding
us of the solemnity of the occasion and Of
the difficulty of the duty before us in rather
set fashion, as if he felt some hesitation
over his unwonted task and took refuge in
mannerisms. This, however, was soon
shaken off; his words flowed freely and his
voice rang clear, yet still nothing to the
| point of the matter on hand, no information
in fact. was sensible of certain impa-
/ thence. ! had not come there to be har-
angued with platitudes
| 1--WE might have known we should be,
let in for sermon when we had parsed
at the head of affairs" whispered live
| little lady at my elbow. -----I'S
Hush his voice had different tone in it.
He was describing the awfulness of sudden
death; lower and more impassioned came
his words. would not spoil them by gar
bled extracts 1t was impossible not to lis
ten intently Scorn and anger flashed OF
as he spoke of the dastardly cowardice tht |
could strike a harmless victim. Then, WITH |
a pathos had never heard equaled, hede- |
| scribed the grief of the unknown sorOW-
stricken ones, who might be left to murn
their loss Suddenly he stopped, ant the
abruptness made me look up; his eyeswere
| fixed on the prisoner's-then he SAID hur-
friendly: I'VE are ignorant of muC1 that
| surrounds the history of this awful crime;
all that we have to connect US with the vic
tim lie here" He threw open tie large
door and disclosed the bathroom, whose
concrete floor sloped upward fran the en-
trance on account of the occasional over
flowing of the spring; on it La hat and
cloak, belonging to the murdered woman,
and the much-talked-of Paris flowers, scat
tered about just as they had been left.
Mr.. Hoidfast stopped and picked up large
pink flower. The fixed eyes ofthe prisoner
| followed his, then she rose and went slowly
toward him-we followed according to his
direction. Was she-were we going to eX-
anime infinitely the dreary horrors of the
| lace?-enhanced by the mockery of those
tawdry flowers. The door had been closed
| upon US, and the room was almost dark;
what light there was struggled in through
| the rough venetian shutters. We stood,
huddled together, about the door, the &C
cused woman standing alone in the middle
| of the room. a beam of light struck some
thing glittering on the floor. lcould hardly
repress my inclination to call for the shut
ters to be opened-the twilight was almost
painful-yet felt that Mr.. Holdfast would
not have permitted any thing, unless he had
some design in choosing it to be so.
The tall figure in the center bent down
and picked up the shining something and
and raised it high above her head; it was a
| long knife of peculiar construction. AT LAT
| the silence was broken, and she was aboI-l
to speak-but no the sounds that came werSi
more like means than articulate words: the
! sounds grew louder, they rose and fell like
an Indian chant, while she whirled the long
knife slowly round and round her head.
Two or three of those nearest her rushed to
the door; the sudden light revealed Mr..
Slater, the draper, whose curiosity was as
great as his cowardice, suspended, like
Mohammeds coffin, between earth and
heaven, his body and legs safe outside, and
his head still stuck in round the door,
l could not have moved if had wished it;
that whirling blade fascinated me, yet the
sight of Mr. Slater made me laugh.
But the voice was rising louder now
could hear, or thought Iheard, these wordsi
THE east wind blows. it brings word;
Awake! my blood-bedabbled sword,
The words spark that lights a flame,
Was kindled at a noble name
Which coward Death, from Rumor heard,
Then, wake and rise, Avenging Swordw
At the last line her voice rose to a wild
scream, and she ran in a frenzy toward the
bath. Just at this moment the door was
opened from the outside and an old man with
streaming gray hair rushed in. Mr.. Hold
fast went to meet him, and laid his hand on
his arm. The old man shook him off
MY daughter whereas she? Who dares
accuse her of hideous crimesl"
Herself" answered the clergyman, sand
yet not herself"
He took the old man gently aside and en-
deavored to calm him and tell him what
had passed.
The old man turned his head, and when
the clergyman had ceased speaking he
came forward to us, with gesture full of
dignity.
my friends-this gentleman to save my
daughter from shameful death, has proved
her-mad. The frenzy could only be re-
psoduced by restoring the outward circum
stances of the last, the fatal one. thank
him for the attempt. | thank you for your
presence here. Had there not been the
semblance Of trial TO set her suspicious al
rest, it might have failed. Yet think of the
awful fate reserved for one who during long
intervals is as conscious of her condition as
yourselves"
He was hardly able to go on, but turned to
Mr.. Holdfast.
'You meant it for the best-the best no
doubt, but was not any death better than
such a fate!''
Mature is kinder than we, in our igno
rance, can be- he replied; "she has finished
| the work she began-your daughters
DEATH y
We learned afterward that the poor girl
| had gone mad from tie shock of hearing Of