Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-03-14

WOmAn'e life-intormingto itoolf with thu
strain, and lol tho false note 10 struck,
discord declares itself, and God Himself,
the great Composer can do nothing In
this life 10 restore the old calm tune OF
peaceful, unspoilt daysi So have found:
so all Of you must end. long before you
and sorrow grow old together.
"A white haired fishormani'
The words Of the king repeated them.
selves over and over again in my tor
greatly changed, looked worn
and old .. no one would recog-
nize me for my former self. All 1t once,
with this thought, IN idea occurred TO
me, plan Of vengeance, 90 bold, 90 new,
and withal so terrible that / started
from my seat - though stung by an ad-
der, / paced up and down restlessly,
with this lurid light Of fearful revenge
pouring In on every nook and Granny Of
my darksnsd mind. From whence had
come this daring scheme! What devil,
or rather what angel Of rstribution had
WHISPERED II to my soul? Dimly won.
dered. but amid oil my wonder
began practically 70 arrange the do
tails Of my plot I calculated every
small circumstance that was likely to oc.
cur In the process Of carrying II out. My
stupehed senses became aroused from
their lethargy Of despair. And stood up
like soldiers, on the alert, armed to the
teeth. Past love, pity, pardon, pa
tience--pooh! what were all these
resources Of the worlds weaklings
10 me? What was IL TO me that
the bleeding Christ iorgave His enemies
In death2-He neverL loved . woman!
Strength and resolution returned TO me.
Let common sailors and rag-pickers re-
sort TO murder and suicide as fit outlets
for their unreasoning brute wrath when
IS for me, why should /
blot my family scutche0n with merely
vulgar crime2 Nay the vengeance Of o
Rumani must be taken with assured
calmness and easy deliberation-no
haste, no plebeian fury, no effeminate
fuss, no excitement walked up and
down slowly, mcditating on every poiLt
Of the bitter drama in which I had re-
solved to enact the chief part, and from
the rise TO the fall OF the black curtain.
The mists cleared from my brain-I
more eAsily-my nerves stead
led themselves by degrees-the prospect
Of what purposed doing satisfied me
Ind Gained the fever in my blood.
became perfectly cool and collected.
ndulged In no more futile regrets for
he past-why should mourn the loss
II love never possessed? It was not
Is II they had waited until my supposed
sudden death no! within
.hree months Of my marriage they had
fooled me; for three whole years they
mad INDUCED in their criminal amour.
while /, blind dreamer, had suspected
nothing. Now knew the extent Of my
njury;-I was man bitterly wronged,
'ilely duped. Justice, reason, and self
respect demanded that ] should punish
% the utmost the miserable tricksters
Who had played me false. The passion
Ite tenderness I had felt for my wife
lad gonc,-I plucked It from my heart |
IS l would have torn thorn from my |
flung 1t from me with disgust,
IS had flung away the unseen reptile |
hat had fastened on my neck in the |
'ault The deep, warm friendship Of |
ears / had felt for Guido Fer
ari froze in its very foundations,-l
md In its place there rose up,
lot hate, but pitiless, immeas-
lrable contempt A stern disdain OF
myself also aw0ke in me, as remem-
'ered the unreasoning JOY with which
lad hastened-as / th0ught-hOme, full
4 eager anticipation and Romeo-like
'rdOur. An idiot leaping merrily to his
cath over Q mountain chasm was not
nore fool than II But the dream was
yer, the delusion Of my life was past.
vas strong to aVenge. / would
70 swift to accomplish. So, darkly. mus
ng for an hour or more, decided on the
curse had TO pursue. and TO make the
ecision final drew from my breast the
ruclfix that the dead monk Cipriano
ad laid with me in my coffin, and kiss
!, raised 1t aloft, and swore by that
acred symbol never to relent, never to
elax, never to rest, till / had brought my
ow Of just vengeance TO its utmost full
llment. The stars, calm witnesses OF
~ oath, eyed me earnestly from their
Judgment thrones In the quiet sky;
here was brief pause in the singing OF
he nightingales, as though they too lis
ened; the wind sighed plaintively, and
Q shower OF jessamine bios
pms like snow at my feet Even so,
bought, fall the last leaves OF my white
Of pleasure, days Of sweet
fusion, days Of dear remembrance; even
D let them wither and perish utterly for
verl For from henceforth my life must
Q something other than q mere garland
I 1lowers-it must be 0 chain Of finely
,mpered steel, hard, cold, and I'M
reakable-fOrmed into links strong
nough to wind round and round
NO false lives and imprison them :
, closely as to leave no means
escape. This was what must '
0 done-and resolved to do 1t. With
firm, quiet step turned to leave the
venue. I opened the little private
ticket, and passed into the dusty road.
changing noise caused me to look up
J l went by the principal entrance Of
10 villa Romani. A servant
y own man servant by the by .l'
as barring the great gates
,r thu niOht listened As he {