The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-30
little Voice. where pitiful despair seemed

daybrcak the old man pulled himself to
lethcr, looked mt us for moment, ana
muttering curses. turned and went Oh
down among the trees. But when too
would have left the poor child chung &c
me, and begged and prayed that should
not leave her there alone.
"He Is only hiding down there till he
sees you go; then no will come bach
and iill mel" she whispered. trembling
and fearful at the thought.
so stayed, won by the glorious beauty
Of those eyes.
And that day, and the next. and yet the
next went by and found me there. con
tent. Carma soon forgot her terror. and
laughed in happy glee as she sat beside
nle under the Silly trees. And forgot
my comrades up the long ravine. and all
nv gold dreams faded from my mind; fol-
ali, loved the wildwood flower had
found beneath the pines, and she--oh'
the memory Of her love for me
She told me Of herself In those sweet
days how she had always lived there with
that fiend, seeing no other face but his,
hearing no sound but the shriil cry Of the
panther through the dark. She wore
little locket in her breast, with the face
of a woman in it-a face beautiful as the
angels, with eyes like Carma's own. Her
father she said. had told her once 1t was
the face Of her mother. who had died at
Carmas birth. And then he struck me,
and went off, and stayed for many days.
she said, shivering with the memory OF
his brutal blows. Icomforted her as best
could and fingered on.
One morning, our stock of venison get.
ting low, started off again In search OF
game. Carma stood In the doorway and
watched me out of sight. ! had good
luck that day. and went hurrying home
ward In the twilight. listening TO catch
the first notes of greeting song, but all
was still-too still. | thought. Then.
suddenly, there was one long. wild
scream. one such US called me to her side
before, and | knew that the fiend had
come back. Rushing madly forward, |
reached the door in time to see the villain
seize my darling by the throat and plunge
u long dirk knife into her breast; to see
her totter, fall heavily. and then-then
nv senses left me, and knew nothing OF
what was doing for some time.
When recovered ! was kneeling before
the dead body of the girl loved, while
close to US lay her murderer, with the
long knife 10 his blackened heart-for |,
too, bore tho mark of Cain.
Somehow knew not howl staggered
to my feet, and Selling my gun, went out,
leaving the dead together in the accursed
hut.
The next few weeks are blank to me,
but nv old friend, Totten, told me that
one day was found by some hunters
more dead than alive, In glen, far of
from the bloody scene. They said l had
lost my way. and had tainted from starva-
ton, where they found me. | never told
them otherwise.
Three years after that | was in San
Francisco living with friend, great
criminal lawyer there He told me OF
many things and in his conversation spoke
of a case he had tried two years before OF
young girl accused of numbering her
father Then the tale came out.
Ny darling was not dead, as supposed
when left her but rather in that awful
swoon which is twin sister to death. A
party of miners, passing down the canyon
some days after the tragedy, saw the
cabin hid among the pines, and going in
found the old man lying dead on the floor,
with the girl crouching beside him.
When questioned, she would answer moth
ing, but that the crime was hers. Il
killed him Yes. killed him. don't you
seer was all sho said when they
spoke to her; so she was taken to San
Francisco, tried and sentenced-yes, sen
fenced to prison cell for life. for the
cruel murder of her father Such is the
usual justice of our land. She never fal
tered, never wavered through all the slow
tortures of those terrible days. shielding
the man she loved at the price of her own
soul, bowling her glorious head to the &c
cursed blow, bearing the ignominy and
deathless shame of crime. simply. that
the one she lovcd-and who deserted her
might live ON in honor and escape tho
storm; for she saw me, saw her lover,
strike the fatal blow.
And she, does she still live?' gasped
out, as the lawyer paused moment to
pour out G glass OF wine.
"Ah, nc, he said; "she tainted when
the sentence was pronounced. and was
carried across the street to the hospital
where she died the next night | went
over to see her there, and, just as the sun
went down she half rose up, put ont her
hand. as if reaching toward some one in
the dark. murmured a name. aud then fell
back, asleep"
"A namel What manner" | whispered
for my voice had deserted me- and he was
watching me, quizzically, if not suspi
ci0usly
"What naxle? Why, strangely enough
it was your own" he said, and then:
Good God, Jasper, what's the matter
man Here, drink this and come out into
the air."
l drank the brandy he poured out for
me; followed him out into the sunshine
that has ever since been to my soul but a
shadow; out among the jangling bells Of
the songs and merry laughter Of this
great, busy world, only to hear ever.
amidst It all, the dying meanings of the
woman that loved
So have | lived, doing what little /
could In my own strange way, to drag out
a life, bardenei with this double curse Of
Cain. without drawing any other human
heart within the awful shadow of my sin
And So, tonight. as the great sun goes