The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-02

horror, at least for time
"Oh my Godl" whispered she, shave pity
upon that poor innocent one"
She then rose softly and crept to the door
and opened it slightly and listened There
was no sound She crept like q shadow into
the parlor and took few steps forward, but
suddenly stopped behind the piano. as she saw
that Rogers door was wide open, and by the
light Of lamp she could see him seated, pale
and distressed, with his head leaning upon
his hands. His face was convulsed, his eyes
fixed and his hair and beard in wild disorder.
Roger was 80 years old; at this instant he
looked So On the bureau, within reach OF
his hand, lay small revolver, the revolver
which had triumphed over the last agony OF
H. Larouette And the lamp burned on with
its steady flame, giving this spectacle to the
watching wife.
Henriette looked, absorbing every detail OF
this final picture, when suddenly she felt be-
tween her locked fingers a cold little hand,
and turning found that Suzanne had arisen
from her bed and that she, too, was watching.
Hidden thus behind the piano they did not
lose sight of LarOque an instant.
All at once, as If his thoughts were toe
dreadful to bear, he rose and began pacing
his room with uncertain, staggering steps.
Often, even, b took hold Of sometf'"" to
keep himself from falling. At last he stopped
before the bureau, and hid his face in his
hands One would have thought that he
wept Was it remorses
Then he let his hands fall and reached and
took the revolver, cooked it and held it ready
in his left hand, while with the other he un-
buttoned his redingote, threw aside the cape,
oy,ora1 biS vocfr,,onte loo hara hic hraac eff
Then, without tremor, he placed the muzzle
OF the pistol to his heart and with his finger
on the trigger stood an instant, but he dared
not complete bis impious act, and he threw
the pistol back on the bureau.
And then Roger threw himself into chair
and continued his train of thought, while
Henriette caught Suzanne as she tainted and
carried her hack into her room, and he heard
nothing. The night passed thus. Henrietta
did not so to bed Suzanne lay in her cot,
bat without sleeping for her eyes remained
wide open until morning, keeping always
their expression of horror.
About 8 o'clock Henriette dressed herself,
and afterward disordered her bed, the pillows
and all, to not awaken Victoria's suspicious,
and to cause her to believe that she had
slept. She must dissemble. She could not
do otherwise. She would be obliged to leave
her room and meet her husband, speak to
him, smile even, that.he might not suspect
that she had witnessed his crime. And even
while dressing Suzanne, she felt a force un-
known, superhuman, which obliged her to go
out on that fatal balcony, and look towards
that little house with green blinds. The win
dows were still open; there lay the rigid
corpse Of Laronette beside the secretary.
which had all the drawers open.
She heard Roger come out Of his room,
traverse the parlor and knock at her door. It
was ended; she must meet him. One last kiss
she gave to Suzanne and then opened the
door to her husband, who entered smiling.
He was not dressed as he had been the day
before, but in black.
Roger Laroque was tall, wore all his beard,
which was jet black, and his face was expires.
sive and sympathetic, though it indicated
more a man of action than a dreamer. This
morning his face was ashy pale, his eyes
sunken and his forehead wrinkled, and he
showed traces of an anxiety which be tried in
vain to hide, and though he smiled on his
wife that smile was forced. He took her hand
and bent to kiss her, saying in his tender and
sweet voice:
"How uneasy you must have felt last night,
my dear, but could not help it. had very
important business, which SO occupied me
that had no time to telegraph. But"-
And here he stopped, surprised He had
bent to kiss her forehead and Henrietta had
shrunk back with an instructive movement OF
horror
"What ails you?" said he, apparently hurt
by her GOODNESS.
And then for the first he noticed her ex-
IRENE pallor, her troubled mien. To receive
a caress from that man, after what she had
seen! 1t was more than she could bear. Yet
she mnst feign. Nothing" said she; moth
ing. Why should there be anythinga" And
with her whole soul in revolt she received his
caress, which treasured him, and he said.
gayly:
"Last night when l came in knocked at
your door, but you were asleep. Only few
years ago you would have waited later than
that. Who knows if anybody loves me nowa"
And there was that man talking of Lowell
And she would always be obliged to listen, to
answerl From what height had she fallen
and how completely the fall had shattered
her heart, her life
"Well, said he again, "what is iti Are you
ius l see you are pale and weary. Why
don't you look at me. Have l distressed
you without knowing itl Are you vexed with
me for having caused your anxiety last
night? Tell me, at least"
She must speak. One moment she gathered
her forces to tell him all, to accuse him, to
Danish him forever from her presence. But
she could not, she dared not. 1t was better
that he never know that he had had his wife
and child for witnesses to his terrible crime.
Better never let him know and TINS she would
not become his accomplish Her little girl
stood by. She had told that child that, if
ever justice should. accuse him, ''you have
seen nothing, heard nothing" She must
now show that child how one must feign.
how lie. And SO, half fainting with the
horror of it, she murmured:
"What have you done that should love
you no longer9 1 love you. What havs I
done that you doubt it?"
So great was Rogers preoccupation that b
heard only those words, without noticing the
emotion. He went to Suzanne, who during
this scene had been standing beside a chair,
and lifting her up in his arms gayly, as he
always did, began to talk to her in his ac-
customed manner, which was to address her
as If she were some grand stranger, all the
while tossing her and playing with her almost
roughly.
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