San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-07


William, twas somewhat similar. Lydia's
unre!ieved babble reacted upon her bulk and
awoke in me an absorbing, fascinating desire
to strike her. longed to see her culver. !
fought against the feeling, stihed it, trod it
down. it awoke again. 1t filed my thoughts,
my dreams, it gnawed me like yulture. A
hundred times while she sat complacently
turning her inane periods, had to hug my
fist to my breast, lest it should leap out and
strike her senseless. Do weary you' Let
me proceed:
That Sunday evening we sat, one on each
side of the hearth, in the vicarage drawing
room. She was distinguishing; and | sat
whispering to myself: You are too fat,
Lydia, you are too fat Her talk ran on the
two sermons had preached that day, the
dresses of the congregation, the expense of
living the parish Observation-Disclosures
trivial, relentless. Suddenly she looked up
and our eyes met. Her voice trailed off and
dropped like bird wounded in full fight.
She stood up and took step towards me.
rs anything the matter, WilliamF she asked
solicitously. You are too fat my DEAR
answered, laughing, and struck her full in
the face with my fist.
"She did not CULVER much-not half enough
but dropped Ike half full sack on to the
carpet. | caught up candle and examined
her. She was quite dead"
The mailman skipped up from his bowlder
and looked at me with indescribable cunning.
II am SO glad sir" he said, that you did
not bleed when | struck you; it was great
mercy The sight of blood affects me-ah"
he broke Off with subtle culver and drew a
long breath. "Do you know the sands by
Woeful Ness-the Twin Brothers" he asked.
| knew that dreary headland we'll For half
a mile beyond the gray church and vicarage
of Bleakirk it extends, forming the northern
arm of the small fishing bay, and protecting
it from the full set of the tides. Towards its
end it breaks away sharply, and terminates
in a dorSal ridge of slate colored rock that
runs out for some two hundred feet between
the sands we call the Twin Brothers. OF
these, that to the south, and inside the bay, is
motioness and bears the name of the Dead
Boy" but the Quick Boy" to the north
shifts continually. 1t is a quicksand, in short,
and will tas the word goes swallow man in
three minutes.
My mind" resumed my companion, twas
soon made up There is no murder, thought
|, where there is no corpse. So | propped
if mapping, and went quietly up stairs
packed a small hand bag carefully with such
clothes as she would need for Journey, de-
scended with it, opened the front door, went
out to be sure the servants had blown out
their lights, returned, and hosting my wife
on my shoulder, with the bag in my left
hand, softly closed the door and stepped out
into the night In the shed beside the garden
gate the gardener had left his wheelbarrow.
fetched it out, set Lydia on top of it, and
wheeled her OF towards Woeful Ness. There
was just the rim of waning moon to light
me, but | knew every inch of the way.
For the greater part of it had turf I'M
derfOOt; but where this ended and the rock
began, had TO leave the barrow behind. 1t
was tickliSh work climbing down, for footing
had to be found, and Lydia was a monstrous
weight Pah! how fat she was and clumsy
lolling this way and that! Besides, the bag
hampered me. But reached the foot at last,
and after a short rest clambered out along
the ridge as fast as could was sick and
tired of the business
"Well, the rest was easy. Arrived at the
furthest spit of rock, tossed the bag from
me far into the northern sand Then turned
to lydia whom had set down for tie mo
ment. In the moonlight her lips were parted
as though she were still chattering; so kissed
her once, because had loved her, and dropped
her body over into the Quick Boy Sand. In
three minutes or so had seen the last of her
II trundled homeSthe barrow, mixed my
self glass of whisky, sat beside it for half
an hour, and then aroused the servants. !
was cunning, sir; and no one could trace my
footprints on the turf and rock of WOeful
Ness. The missing hand bag, and the diSar-
ray had been careful to make in the bed
room, provided them at once with a clew-
but it did not lead them to the Quick Boy.
For two days they searched; at the end of
that time it grew clear to them that grief was
turning my brain. Your father, sir, was in
slant with his sympathy-at least ten times a
day had much ado to keep from laughing
III his face. Finally two doctors visited me-
and | was taken to a madhouse.
Il have remained within its walls twenty
nine years; but uo-I have never been thor
oughly at home there Two days ago | dis
covered that the place was boring me. So
determined to escape; and this to a man Of
my resources presented few difficulties.
borrowed this pony from a stable not many
yards from the madhouse wall, he belongs,
IHlih- 10 Il CHIMNEY sweep, anu ITISL tudL
after serving my purpose, he may find way
back to his master"
suppose at this point he must have de-
tected the question in my eyes, for he cried
sharply:
You wish to know my purpose' 1t is sim
pie" He passed thin hand over his fore
head Il have been shut up, as | say, for
twenty-nine years, and l now discover that
Che madhouse bores me. If they retake me