The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-06-30

voice rang clu,r, yet still nothing to the
point Of the matter on hand no Information
in fact. l was sensible Of certain impa-
thence. had not come there to be har>
angued with platitudes.
"We might have known we should bo
let in for sermon when we had parsOn
at the head Of affairs" whispered q lively
little lady at my elbow.
Hush his voice had different tone in II.
He was describing the awfulness Of sudden
death; lower and more impassoned came
his words. Iwould not spoil them by gar
bled extracts. It was impossible not to lis
| ten intently. Soorn and anger flashed out
as he spoke Of tho dastardly cowardice that
could strike harmless victim. Then, with
pathos l had never heard equaled, he de-
scribed the grief Of the unknown sorrow
| stricken Ones who might be left to mourn
| their loss. Suddenly he stopped, and the
abruptness made me look up; his eyes were
| fixed on the prisoncr's-then he said, hur-
ricndly: I'VE are ignorant Of much that
| surrounds the history of this awful crime;
| all that we have to connect us with the vic
| tim lie here" He threw open the large
door and disclosed tho bathroom, whose
| concrete floor sloped upward from the en-
trance on account of the occasional over
| flowing of the spring; on it lay a hat and
cloak, belonging to tho murdered woman
and the much-tallsed-of Paris flowers, scat
tered about just as they had been left
| Mr.. Holdfast stoopedand picked up large
| pink tlowcr. The fixed eyes of the 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 minutely the dreary horrors of the
placel-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 ac.
cused woman standing alone in tho middle
of the room. A beam of light struck some.
thing glittering on the floor. Icould 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 tho center bent down
and picked up the shining something and
and raised 1t high above her head; it was a
| long knife of peculiar construction. AT last
the silence was broken, and she was about
to speak-but no the sounds that came were
more like means than articulate words; the
sounds grew louder, they rose and fell like
an Indian chant, while she whired the long
knife slowly round and round her head.
Two or three of those nearest hor rushed to
the door; the sudden light revealed Mr.
Slater, the draper, whose curiosity was a.
great as his cowardice, suspended, like
Mohammed's coffin, between earth and
heaven, his body and legs safe outside, and
his head still stuck in round the door.
7 nnf hoy 1,oJ J1xyiob bod
that whiriing blade fascinated me, yet tho
sight of Mr.. Slater made me laugh.
But the voice was rising louder now. i,
could hear, or thought heard these words {,
1.-The east wind blows it brings word;
Awake! my blood-bedabbled sword,
The words spark that lights flame,
Was ltindled at a noble name
Which coward Death, from Rumor heard,
Then, wake and rise, Avenging Sword"
AT the last line her voice rose to a wild
scream, and she ran in frenzy toward tho
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! where's is shel Who dares
accuse her of hideous crimesp
Herself" answered the clergyman, ''and
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-
produced 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 ut
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 fate!h
rance, can be" he replied; "she has finished
the work she began-your daughters
death"
We learned afterward that the poor girl
had gone mad from the shock of hearing of
the death of the man to whom she was
shortly to have been married. He had been
murdered by dacoits in Burmah, and his last
letter to her, which she never could be in
duced to part with for moment, had been
much occupied in describing the luxuriant
growth Oftropcal flowers which surrounded
their future home out there. After the ter
rible news she remained for week without
noticing any ono, scarcely tasting food then
they missed her.
Some strange connection must have
haunted her at the sight of the gaudy flow
ers of the poor pack woman whom it was
afterward remembered she had been seen to
have followed all the previous day.
Mr. Holdfast's interest had first been
aroused by the lady's likeness to a relation
Of his own who had died insane. The idea
occurred to him as possible solution of
strange case, and he tried the experiment at
the express wish of the prison authorities.
My aunt says: ut really is comfort to
know there were two policeman and doc
tor in that hateful dark bathroom. Pm
sure wonder you didn't all die of fright"
And she draws little red worsted shawl
round her and shivers in way that re.
minds me strangely Of little bird.-F.
SOmers Day iu Belgravia.
Oddly-Shaped Straw Bonnets.
A large number of the pretty straw
bonnets for summer wear are shaped
with the oldest peaks, curves, flares
hi ls, ID, Loo, 1t IL