The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1889-03-02
Lost Lima.
OR
THE BITTER And THE SWEET
A Tale Of Two Continents.
By MRS. NINA LAWSON.

h"a,l, AM the once fat, rosy cheeks
wer3 now pale and thin; the hand she
extended to Ray as he advanced toward
the bed was white, and scarcely any
flesh remained on the long slim fin
gers. As she looked at Rays wasted
form and sunken cheeks, her con
science smote her to think she had beer
the cause of it all; her voice was nc
longer strong, and had lost Its com
handing tone.
Ray, please be seated, for / wish tC
talk to you awhile Minna, you may
go to your room now, and wait until
Won are called.
Perhaps you are not strong enough,
Ray, to listen to all have to tell, but
it must be told now, or never, fol
l shall never see another day.
She spoke slowly and distinctly.
"No, Jeanette, / am not very strong
as yet, for | have had very severe time
of it for the last six months, and when
You get little better / will tell you
all about it; but you must not talk IL
this manner, for You viii soon recover
from the shock. You make me feel
worse by talking so. But you We're
going to tell me last night where my
Lima is, and then the shock came and
you could not finish.
"Yes, it is that that / have sent to
tell You about Ray, after you have
heard what | have to say you Will curse
the day / was born and hate my memory
forever, for / have been the cause OF
all Your trouble; no-dont start III
that manner but be calm and listen to
me, for this is my dying confession,
and God alone knows what it costs me,
but do not think now that l could die
without telling all.
Il knew where you were all the time,
Ray, and it was / who had you put
there l knew when you were shot
and how badly; it was | who wrote
that letter that caused you to go to the
city that night, and | who wrote that
anonymous letter to Aunt Marguerite
about Lima. 1t was /, too, Ray, who
put that poison in the cup of chocolate
on the morning after the ball, and
who tried to smother that girl to death
all of this / have done, Ray, and why
Because | once loved you and this dean
old mansion more than | did my life OF
my hope of heaven.
"Wh,n she first came here | saw how
beautiful she was, and / was then afraid
that you would love her more than me
If she remained until you came, and
then | did all that / could to get hel
away from here, but aunt was firm, and
[ saw that she loved the girl.
Jeanette stopped few moments to
rest and then went on:
and then, when I saw YOU give
your heart to her, grew jealous, and
it seemed to me that you had forgotten
me, and [ used to think that you loved
me, and that [ would one day be mis-
tress of this mansion. But, no; that
was not to be, and now | am ruined
lost woman.
After / failed to kill her with the
poison, [ was still more determined to
get her out of the way, thinking that
you would then love me and soon for
get her. 1t was then that [ tried tC
smother her to death; out before 1 had
quite succeeded the nurse came and
stopped me- Rather than have her be
tray nae then, I killed the nurse and
threw her body in the lake. Yes; and
it was [ who shot the poor simpleton
for fear he would tell on me-
Then, when | failed at that, I was
afraid to attempt third time to kill
her. Then | tried to get her from the
mansion by writing that letter to aunt
but, as You know, ] failed in that also
| was taken sick then, as you remem
Der, and l knew nothing about what
was going on IN the mansion until Just
few days before your marriage, and
then | would have shot her before YOU
own eyes if I could have got at her
We'll, you were soon married and
gone, while | was left behind to nurse
my wrath, and think of the past an6
my lost love.
ooh, Ray, how | once loved you
None but God knows how much, and
so longed to be mistress of this house
that | have sold my soul to eterna
damnation to win it; but all in vainl
Il loved you too much; yes, l would
have been your slave. | would have
died for you, but when [ saw that yor
cared no more for me than any of the
servants here [ vowed to have revenge
and now / am the curse of your life!
"Be patient, Ray; 1 know you fee
like choking me to death. But I an
diving now, and | hope your troubles
will but-listen, Ray, you have
not heard the worst"
my God, Jeanette! you will xii
me yet, as you have the rest"
"Hark! Listenl Be patient. There
is only little more, and then all is
over.
well, l got my revenge at last, and
how | gloried at the sight of that
Noman's misery! Oh, it was sweet t.
me then to see her suffer at my hands
when l have lived ten thousand death:
because of her!
Il hired man to go to Chicago tha
night that you were shot in the woods
and the next day he sent a messag,
that you had committed suicide, anC
she was told to go there Immediately
/ Thought the shock would kill her
and then L did not care much if it did
| would have seen her die and not shet
tear. As soon as she was able sh,
went to Chicago with Tom and hel
maid. but when she arrived there they
ted her that YOU had thrown yoursel
in the lake, and had sent a letter t,
her the same morning. They say she
came near dying there at the Pacific
Hotel, and perhaps it would have been
a blessing if she had
"She had men search for your body
but of course they did not find it: ant
as soon rs she was able she came back
/ had hired man to come that d.
and take away her babe, a. when sh,
came home nurse and all were gone
and the nursery was all dark.
Il then told her just what I though
of such as she, and that she had, in
directly, killed you and her babe; tina
both of your bodies were lying at the
bottom of the lake. | then though
that she ought to be there and | TOLD
her so; | also told her that l was mis-