The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-11

for my missing friend, and that wouIu 20.
l brought the subject up before my
father and mother again, and Mr.. Hatca
showed quite plainly that he was annoyed
by it.
"You speak of your friend so often that
he must have been dear one"
In the midst of the dead hush which fol-
lowed the half angry words l replied: He
was dear friend. Twas to have married
him"
Mr.. Hatch's face grew livid, but he con-
trolled himself almost instantly and said,
with the careless air which was habItual
with him in moments OF suppressed pas
sion, $50 supposed from your constant
recurrence to the subject" And. without
waiting a reply, spoke of something else.
The next day our journey began.
c. was a large town, crowded and
busy. l made no inquiries for Horace
Travers the first day of our stay. Edward
took me directly to his house, large,
handsome building in a retired part of the
place. 1t was elegantly furnished, and
secretly wondered how an unmarried man
came to be possessed OF so comfortable
dwelling. fancied he might have been
married before, but dismissed the thought
as impossible.
A man might conceal the knowledge of
dead love, but dead wife always takes
an honorable place in MS memory.
Edward left me alone a great deal. He
said he had been trying to sell some prop
erty Of which he had found it troublesome
to take care, and he meant to stay ia C
until he was rid of it.
Naturally, OF course, took to the library
in his absence.
There was curious old secretary in one
corner. l rummaged this in search of a
sensation, for the days dragged on heavily,
and at last l found a sensation little ex-
pected. There was drawer in 1t which /
had never succeeded in opening, and my
curiosity was reused TO such pitch that l
broke it open. / doubted if Mr.. Hatch
would ever know or care what | had done.
There was folded newspaper in the
drawer. It was yellow with age, and when
lifted it I saw under il a small hammer.
The newspaper was printed in town east
of c. at least hundred miles | won
dered if | were TO make any discoveries
was trem bling all over, and felt that moth
ing would seem strange now, and, as | took
up the paper, began with the first page
and read it carefully. Then l turned to
the second, and half way down the first
column | read:
melancholy Accident-The body of a
young man was run over by the night ex-
press. The deceased was a stranger in the
place, and there was nothing upon his per-
son to identify him except a small Tesla
ment, with Laura TO Horace on the fly
leaf The remains will be buried tomor-
row, after the inquest, as their dreadfully
( mauoled condition renders early interment
necessary
! When l became conscious again my
mother was with me. When l was well
enough to travel she took me home.
| asked for my husband, and they told
me at last that he was dead. My mother
admitted that he had killed himself; but
! why l never knew until years after. Then
l came across it in paper.
| He had killed Horace Travers. They
We're partners.
/ Quite Unexpectedly he met Horace at
! that little wayside station.
| Hatch was an adept in crime then, and
his confusion and guilt were only o evil
/ dent to Horace, who comprehen d ere
| long that the friend he had trusted had
I robbed him of everything. and was on his
way to leave the country with his Ill gotten
/ gains.
Horace sprang at him, seized him by the
collar and called loudly for help, but the
engine was blowing and whistling in the
station and no one heard the cry. He was
repeating it, trying to drag Hatch with
him, when the latter, rendered desperate
/ by the attack and his probable arrest,
seized a hammer off pile of lumher and,
! quick as thought, struck him with the i'm
! plement on the back of the head.
1t killed him instantly.
And that was the way my darling died.
-Courier-J Journal