Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-07-26

eut on Sundays And he went up 10 Lon
don-a journey Of only twenty miles-ever,
day. He was supposed to be that indeflna
bic individual, 'business man, At least
he went to London every day till the day W
were all shocked and startled by hearing tina
Mr.. Masters was dead
Yes-dead-suddenly Lucy's husban,
went to see him. A London doctor cam,
down, and together they carried out the post
norton examination, which was Of cours
insisted on, and 10 which Annora made no
the least objection. They could find nothing
nothing-nothing whatever-to cause death
All was right; there was no latent disease, nc
injury The man we had seen alive and wei
on Sunday was dead on Tuesday-that wal
all
From unknown causes. " the yerdictat the
inquest ran
Lucy in her kindness went to see Annora
Masters after this, ito comfort her." she
said But apparently Annora would have
no comfort For Lucy, whom 1 met few
days later, asked me seriously If ] had ever
seen Annora Masters close; If I-lowering
her voice-thought she was madi
She had, Lucy said, gTasped her wrists
tightly, and said, when Lucy tried to say
some Of the words her own sweetheart
taught her;
DEATH Sometimes death brings one
whit one wOntsl 1t is life that is wrongn
Then she broke of suddenly, and, dropping
Lucy's hands, begged her to come and see
her again.
The oldest thing Lucy went on, sis that
Harry is sure he has seen Mrs Masters before
somewhere and can't remember where. He
hates her" Lucy said, very low ~ don't
quite like her. SheH-
"You couldn't, N.Y.
I had forgotten, sometimcsdid, that Lucy
was not my darling The thought was often
bad to bear, so lifted my hat and left her
abruptly.
One warm spring day three months later !
was passing the old red brick house, when one
Of the maid servants rushed out hastily, near
ly knocking me down.
"Ohln she cried, "come in, sir, do, while !
go for the doctor. James tainted, and mis-
tress, she does nothing but stand looking at
Mrs Bent and doing nothing to bring her
round. Do make her, sir, for mercy's saker
Mrs BentW ! said, grasping the woman's
arm like wise. "What is itl Tell mel"
'Shes tainted, sir. and I can't get her
round, and mistress-there, sir, let me go.n
did let her 60, rushed up the garden and
unceremoniously indoors and upstairs, into a
large room where | saw-what can see now
Lucy, white, ashen white, lying motionless
on the dark rug, and Annora Masters stand
ing by the mantelpiece, with one arm resting
on it, gazing on the woman at her feet
don't know what | did-seized Annora's
arm, | think Still less do | know what !
said-words Of intense hate and burning
anger, know; but when she turned slowly
and, with a slow, contemptuous smile on her
lips, looked at me, the flashing red light in |
her eyes turned ms 10 silence. had no more |
words
whose love, whose passion lay dead there
could say no more, could not speaki
knelt down by Lucy and hid my face in 4
my hands. Something so surely made me |
know that Lucy was dead-gone beyond |
power Of our help-that l never tried to |
touch or raise the white marble face And |
then-I do not remember anything else
was i'll, very i'll, for a long time after |
that When | got well | asked, of course,
before anything, about Lucy. Gone, / knew
she was; but when and howl Heart disease,
they said Heart diseased Ny darlingl
got strong again slowly-a most annoy
ing thing for an active man, and could not
believe in my own weakness.
Perhaps my nerves were overstrung and
had in n sort Of bravado walked much far
Their than was really able What am say
ingi Overstrung nervesi Nonsensel l saw
them.
was passing an old ruin-Saint Anne's
chapel we called It. It was gaunt and I'M
canny in the winter moonlight, which shone
with an unearthly sort Of radiance over
Suddenly / saw, clear and
bright in front Of the falling, ruined win
dow, two fgures-Agures l felt l knew.
With sudden impulse went back into the
shadow and watched. All at once knew.
The tall, slender, black robed woman was
Annora Masters Even at that distance ]
could see the light In those awful eyes.
The other, a man whose attitude somehow
seemed to me to show reluctance In every
inc upright and firm though he stood, was
-Lucy's husband. Lucys husbandl cast
sveFy thought Of eavesdropping to the winds
was lnot, after all, on the kings highway
and listened
You will" Annora said. 'You do; !
NEW you before this-this ridiculously short
ife." And she laughed more weirdiy than
words can say.
"I-Lucy was my wife, my love. I love
Yer still" he answered, In an odd, choked
'oice
"You love-me" the cold, calm, incisive
'oice answered.
And saw it But when think Of It, after
II these years, the same shudder comes over
ne that felt then. Then she looked at him.
4e took her into hisaEgs-t that had
eld Lucy.
could bear no more. never knew how {
got home All the way the thought fol-
owed, accompanied, haunted me What was !
hist Who was this who threw everything 7
side In this awful way, and went straight to
er own endsl Was it a woman-or a iendl
No one ever knew more than this How Q
hould theyl
A room In the back Of the red brick house, 2
D which Annora often sat, was found one
iorning locked from the inside. The serv- $
nts were alarmed. Doubly so when they o
Ound that their mistress own room had P
ever been entered that night
They sent for help to force the door, and
ound, in an arm chair close to the window, q
ucy's NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. through the d
cad A pistol lay on the floor. From its "
osition 1t must have fallen from bis own :.
ght hand, which hung over the chair. u
He was alone; the window was shut but o
ot fastened, and there was no sign or trace a
Annora Il
"A sunni C4ullpleu note lay on the uOOr. -
was in bis writing, and contained very few Sc
nes. Of
Il am writing this at bone" it ran, ''to p
Il you | cannot come; but what use is til o.
know, | shall come as surely as 10 O'Clock U
rikes. You viii make me- But-marry d
,uI would kill myself first" N
Annora no one ever saw again; till, three y
'ars ago, one evening, late, in the winter u
OOuliUht on hfe rrrava-yryo oil htr, l ul
lcy-l, coming home, saw a woman's figure q
ing. went up to it hastily, and found a.
bat bad been Annora.-New York Com l
ercial Advertiser. &c
th
What They Meant. in
When children are impressed by the per
nal RzisfCgtunes Of others, they doubtless
i tenderer sympathy than do most older
Ople a little rIrl nnca nslled urhu a friend q