The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-10-30


queutly 20 from there 90 his house, and have
not n moment 10 waste IL we get of at 10 to-
morroW night
Promptly at alfpast FIVE stopped into the
elevator % ono Of those many stored down
town Office buildings.
Fifth floor"
was the only passenger, the rush at this time
Of day being downward. The machine shot up
ward there were no stop calls. | turned
toward the inner door. ] saw clerk and
messenger hoy or two on the second and third
A0ors.
Through the grated door Of the elevator, as
we touched the fourth floor, there flashed
picture ! shall never forget It was only
woman, young, beautiful, and clothed in deep
mourning who held by the hand tiny ialr-
haired child. Stronger, however, than the
impression OF youth. beauty and childish lnno-
cenCe was the look Of despair on the pale face
OF the woman, aud the awful sternnoss of those
blue-black eyes which met mine fully as we
passed--cyes that looked through me rather
than at me.
"S!op 10Y that woman" shouted, and reach
ing over the boy / attempted TO reverse the
elevator.
What woman2" snapped the boy. There
want no call or no woman"
DO you mean to say you saw no woman on
that floor?"
That's what mean," said the boy sullenly,
as he slowly lowered the cage, evidently mis-
taking me for a tipsy man, whom he thought
prudent To humor. "1'here you are, sir" roll
ing back The door and giving me time to peer
up and down the silent hall nobody there"
- Go back-up mean" said hurriedly.
" Fifth floor, sir"
! dashed out of tho elevator and hurried
down the hallway. Towards offices were
reached somewhat as were his hotel apartments
by turning an angle az the end of the corridor
The door of the outer office | found wide open;
that leading 10 the inner and private one was
closed Ordinarily l would have walked in
without further ceremony. Now | hesitated,
half turned back and then overcoming sud
den disinciinRton raped loudly aud laid my
hand upon the door knob
He is out" muttered 10 myself rapping
a second time; but no response came. At tho
same time / was conscious of certain con-
victou that Bruce Howard sat behind that
closed door. / was conscious also of spasm OF
actual nervous fear
A man hates to feel that he can be mastered
by such womanish weakness ! opened the
door and walked in.
The man / sought was before his desk, his
revolving chair slightly swung toward the
door His right hand grasping a pen, still
rested on the outspread paper before him. He
sat staring at me with wide-open lusterless
! eyes bolt upright, rigid, stone dead.
Within FIVE minutes the alarm had been
/ given the police summoned, and a physician
! brought TO the Office, where the CHASTITY corpse
still sat in the Office chair, and grasped in its
| pallid hand the pen suddenly arrested.
To the group Of lawyers, brokers and clerks,
/ and TO the street gamims who fringed the outer
circle of the rapidly collected crowd, / de-
/ clared this to be murder, described the woman
/ ] had SEEM and denounced her as the murderer.
] related also the episode at the hotel. and ven.
| tured opinion that the creature was insane.
The building was hastily but carefully
-
here, as at the hotel / found myself the solitary
| witness. Neither the hall porter, elevator boy,
employees nor business men then IN the build
ing had seen any such woman as / had de-
scribed. This puzzlng fact was intensified
| when the physician made his statement, after q
! careful examination. This is not a case of
| murder" declared that authority. Heart
failure, superinduced by over work, continued
trouble, or il is more probably the result OF a
sudden and severe mental shock" There was
no wound, mark of violence, or trace of any
drug, nor had anything been disturbed on the
desk. Spread out before the dead man, care
fully drawn up, and requiring only the proper
witnesses, was Towards villa will bequcath-
ing his entire fortune TO my daughter Nellie.
Re reading this document had been the last act
OF his life, and upon the outspread sheet con.
tanning this last will and testament lay q
flower big velvet pansy.
Leaving the police with every thread OF
seeming evidence concerning the mysterious
woman turned 20 the sorrowful detail OF this
dreadful calamity. His family in Boston, mine
in Washington the removal aud preparation OF
the body for shipment, the care of his effects al
the hotel. 1t WAS noon the next day before the
body was ready for the homeward trip al
the end Of which was a funeral. not a wedding
Naturally / took upon myself the OF
Towards private papers. / secured Nellie'f
| letters and 10 was then / recalled the sealed
, / pyef In he al adj ed hat
10 what had already transferred TO my own
keeping.
Without more than passing curiosity ex-
smined the outside Of the sealed packet. Nc
clew 10 the contents appeared. There was but
one word, on the corner, written in Howard''
hand; that word was-Pansy.
! 1t was something moro than curiosity which
} prompted me 10 deliberately open that packet
and read carefully the letters il contained
letters written by woman 10 the man WHIT
Was 10 have married my daughter. There
were but eight in number; two Of these post
marked Baton Rouge. La. revealed the frs
cOnhding passion Of an inexperienced girl
! The next was from England, beginning, NJ
Husband" while the last five, covering periot
] Of three years, were postmarked San Francisco
) and were the ptiful story Of woman deepl,
3 | Hronged. The last and apparently final dc
7 mand for justice and acknowledgment of
wife and mothers rights, was written less thai
| ulOuku IHD WHICH, eFlututly al
: educated woman, closed the long, passionat
G appeal with, Now / know you never loves
], me. but that your desire 10 practice upon IN
4 your wicked art led you into stealing me from
4 home, quarreling with my father, that yor
might have excuse 20 carry me away and shu
d me of from his protection. All this you did
breaking his heart that you might experiment
= On so plant a subject. Yet, loving you,
:. became a willing tool, aiding you in tafnpcrn
g with laws you only cared TO selhehly USE Il
r spite Of all. j love you. Your cruelty ha
!. not killed that wasted love, and recall tn
n dear dead days with a breaking heart O
i Bruce, have you forgotten the old Spanish bury
" ing ground, that quaint vase-covered garden Z
a the dead, where we used 10 sit ina the shadow {
z, the fragrant vines, reading the Idyls Of ia
, King talking Of the future and Of mysteriou
d laws and occult forces. IL WAS there you fin
x told me you loved me, first named me Pans
I. and chose that flower AZ our future talismai
II Have you forgotten how you swore that
d pausy blossom should be our love signal
70 distress or trouble, a truce to any lover
quarrel, warning In time Of danger, sign
the hour Of death. Even yet plead for you
Z return. You know that horrible confession
"a wrung from me through the awful power 20
exercised over me, is not true You kno
e. that divorce gained like that from a faithfl
G. wife is a crime worse than murder. No cOu
r, Of justice would consider the defense / woul
re make. The law would sncer or shut me in a
re insane asylum. Yet you know me 10 be inn
cent you know that, wearied Of experimeI
sr with your willing slave, you saw an cas-