Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-02-08

do IT she answered. bursting out laugh
ing. "Well, that is curious, because l feel
like Comedy herself"
There's something wrong with that wo-
man." thought the colonel to himself as ne
extracted two couple of snipe from his capa-
cious coat tails. Il wonder what it is!'
Just then Mr.. Quest and Edward Cossey
passed out into the garden, talking.
"Here are the snipe, Mrs Quest" he said.
81 have had rather good luck. l killed four
couple and missed two couple more; but then
had new gun, and one can never shoot SO
well with u new gun"
ooh, thank you," she said, "do pull out the
painters for me. l like to put them in my
riding hat, and never can find them my
SELF
VERY WELL" he answered, "but must go
into the garden to do it, there is not light
enough here. 1t gets dark 50 soon now"
Accordingly ho stepped out through tho
window, al began to hunt for the pretty
little feathers which are to be found at the
angle of a snipe's wing
Is that the new gun, Col. QuaritchY said
Mrs, Quest, presently; what a beautiful
onen
BE careful" he said; II haven't taken the
cartridges OUT
Ii he had been looking at her, which at the
moment he was not, Harold would have seen
her stagger and catch at the wall for support.
Then he would have seen an awful and ma
levolenL light of sudden determination pass
across her face
"All right" she said II know all about
guns. My father used to shoot, and l always
cleaned his gum and she took the weapon
up and began TO examine the engraving on
the locks.
what is thisr she said, pointing to lit
tie slide above the locks, on which the word
'safe" was engraved in gold letters.
ooh, that's tho safety bolt" he said
when you see the word safe the locks are
barred, and the gun won't go or. You have
to push the bolt forward before you can fire"
"SoT she said, carelessly, and suiting tho
action to the word.
Eyes, so; but please be careful, the gun is
loaded"
"Ycs, I'll be careful" she answered
"Well it is a very pretty gun, and so light
that believe | could shoot with it myself"
Meanwhile Edward Cossey and Mr.. Quest,
who we're walking toward them, had sepa-
rated, Mr.. Quest going to the right across the
lawn to pick up glove which had dropped
upon the grass, while Edward Cossey slowly
sauntered toward them. When he was about
nine PAGES Off he too halted and, stopping a
little, looked abstractedly at a white japanese
chrysanthemum which was still in bloom.
Mrs. Quest turned, us the colonel thought, to
put the gun back against the wall. He would
have offered to take it from her, but at tho
moment both his hands were occupied in eX-
tracing one of the painters" from snipe.
! The next thing that he was aware of was a
loud explosion, followed by an exclamation
or rather a cry from Mrs. Quest. He dropped
the snipe and locked up, just i'll time to see
the gun, which had leaped from her hands
with the recOll, strike against the wall of the
house and fall to the ground. Instantly,
whether by instinct or by cAanc. 10 never
knew, he glanced toward the place where
Edward Cossey was standing, and saw that
his face was streaming with blood ana that
his right arm hung helpless 10y his side. Even
as he looked, be saw him put his uninjured
hand to his head and, without word or
sound sink down on the gravel path.
FOR second there WIS silence, and the
blue smoke from the gun hung heavily upon
the damp autumn air. In the midst of it
stood Belle Quest like one tranStyed, her lips
apart, her blue eyes opened wide, and tbs
stamp of terror--or was - gliltf-upon her
pailid face.
All this he saw IN a flash. ard then ran to
the bleeding heap upon the graz el.
He reached it almost simultaneously With
Mr.. Quest, and together they turned the
body over But still Belle stood ehere envel-
opei in the heavy smoke.
Presently, however her trance left her,
and she ran up, dung herself upon her knees,
and looked at her former lover whose face
and head were now mass of blood.
"9e is deadI' sho walled; "he IS dead, and
have killed him On, Edward! Edwardp
Mr. DuaSr Turned nI, npr gaNacalVs go saw