The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-07-24

q
and she is one of the many" He groaned
aloud.
Twill you take me there the next time
you go?" 1 asked.
"She said / must not come back she
could not be an object of curiosity-nor
| allow him to be. She said that she al
lowed me to come this time because on
the night we first saw her she had stepped
into that little hall to keep herself from
freezing in her thin clothes as she was
making her way home, and she saw that
l was in earnest in what l said, and she
stayed to listen" his voice broke again.
Just then the drapery was drawn back,
and his wife, superbly robed, swept in,
bringing bevy of girls.
"Oh, Mr.. Barker" said one, gayly, "you
don't know what you missed tonight by
deserving our theater party; it was all so
real-love in rags, you know, and all that
sort of thing; only 1 really don't like to
see quite so much attention paid to the
Suffering poor with bigS, and the lower
classes generally. / think the stage can
do far better than that, don't you? But it
is the new lad, l suppose, and after all |
! fancy it doesn't do much harm, only as it
makes that sort of people more insufera-
| bly, obtrusive about putting their ill-clad,
| bad-smelling woes before the rest of us.
What beautiful vase this is, Mrs. Bark
er! May / take it to the lightP"
Certainly, my dear" laughed Mrs.
Barker: land agree with you, as usual.
l think it is an exquisite vase-and that
the stage is becoming demOralized. 1t is
| pandering to the low taste for representa-
tons of low life. / confess l don't like ii.
That sort of people do not have the feel
| ings to be hurt-the fine sensibilities and
emotions attributed TO them. Those grow
up in refined and DELEGATE surroundings.
| That is what / often tell Roland when he
insists upon making himself unhappy
| over some new case of restitution. l
tell him to send them five dollars by mail
and not to worry himself, and 1 won't
allow him to worry me with his Christy
street emotions"
Barker WINGED, and / excused myself
and withdrew, specializing on certain
phases OF delicacy of feeling and fine
sensibility.
did not see Barker again for nearly
three weeks, when one night my bell was
rung with unusual violence, and heard
an excited voice in my hall. "Be quick,
John hurry" it said, 'and tell the doctor
must see him at once. Tell him it is
Roland Barker"
John had evidently demurred at calling
me at so late an hour.
"All right, Barker; I'll be down in a
| moment" / called, from above. mo, come
| up. You can tell me what is the matter
while dress. Is it for yourself? There,
90 in that side room, / can hear you, and
I'll be dressed in moment"
Hurry, hurry" he said, excitedly, 'Ill
tell you on the way. l have my carriage.
Don't wait to order yours, only hurry,
hurry, hurry"
Once in the carriage, / said: Barker,
you are going to use yourself up this way.
You can't keep this sort of thing up much
longer. You'd better 90 abroad"
"Drive fasterw he called to the man on
top. Then to me: IF you are not the
first doctor there, there will be dread
full scene. They win most likely arrest
her for murder"
Whom said I. "You have told me
nothing, and how can l prevent that if
murder has been committed"
"By giving her a regular death certif-
cate" said he, coolly, Saying that you at
tended the case and that it was natural
death. I depend upon you, Gordon; it
would be simply infamous to make her
suffer any more. | cannot help her now,
| but you can, you must! No one will know
the truth but us, and afterward we can
help her-to forget. She is not an old
buoIS 10 SOhCbI1hB III ll1c
| for her yet"
"Is it the Lady of the Club" 1 asked.
We had always called her that?" What
| has she done2"
Eyes" he said, cit is the Lady of the
Club. and she has poisoned her hus-
| band"
"Good Cod" exclaimed I land you
want me to give her regular death certifi-
| cate and say attended the case ?'
"You must" he said; cit would be in
famous not to- She could not bear it
| longer. She found herself breaking down,
and she would not leave him alive with
out her care and love. He had become
almost helpless, except when short vio-
| lent spells came on. These left him ex-
| hausted. He almost killed her in the last
one. Her terror was that he would do so
and then regain his reason-that he would
know it afterward and perhaps be
dragged through the courts. She
| had been working in chem
lists Office, it seems, when she was
able to do anything. She took some aeon
lite, and tonight she put everything in
order, gave him the best supper she could,
got him to bed, and then-gaye him that.
| She sent for me and told me as calmly as
| God it was the calm of absolute despera-
| ton. She sat there when | went in, hold
| ing his poor dead hand, and kissing it rev.
erently. She laid it down, and told me
what tell you. There was not tear,
moan, a sigh She said: Here is the money
you left-all except what l paid for his
supper tonight. We had gotten down to
! that before | had the chance to steal the
| poison, or the courage to give it to him. l
| had not meant to use any of the money;
| the rest is here. l would like it used-if
you are willing-to bury him decently,
not in the Potter's field, and l would like
If you will take the trouble-to have it
! done absolutely privately. We have borne
enough | cannot bear for even his ashes
TO be subjected to any further humilia-
| ton
Roland Barker paused to command him
self. "0f course l promised her." he
went on. after time. "She does not re-
| alize that she may be arrested and have
| his poor body desecrated to find the cause
of death. That would make her insane
even if Drive fasterp' he called out
| again to the man outside. When we
reached the house he said: "Be prepared
to see her perfectly calm. 1t is frightful
to witness, and l trembie for the result
/ later on"
When we knocked at the door there
was no response. l pushed it open and
entered first. The room was empty. We
went TO the inner door and raped gently,
then louder. There was no sound. Barker
ly back and closed it. "She is kneeling
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