The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-10

naturally silent old pair, but that night
| they did not address single remark to me
| beyond the necessary questions of tea
| or milk, biscuits or cold bread, but sat
and eyed me furtively as one who had ex-
perienced strange things.
1.-THE next day and the next l fingered
| about the little town. awaiting the comm e
| of the lady who had so wrought upon me
| that dreamed of her all night and. wax
! ing, had thoughts of nothing but of her.
Passing me on the street she never once
| turned her face or eyes toward me. but on
| following her / was rewarded once, as she
| paused at the little white gate, by one
| swift, demure glance from her glorious
| eyes and a smile roguish and inviting,
while yet touched with a melancholy and
| defiant scorn. l rushed forward, but she
had entered and was gone, and though
hung about the place till dark saw no
more of her. Jim, don't think me a fool.
but tell you loved that woman. Yes,
and somehow believe at times love her
yet, or at any rate she closed my heart
against all other women, for / have founG
| none that warmed my heart as she did
with that one bright, sudden smile.
THAT there was some mystery surround
ing her I could not doubt, for question as
l might and whom I would 1 could learn
nothing of her. Most Of those of whom
made inquiry declared there was no such
person living in the neighborhood, but
several of the older inhabitants responded
only to my question with a shake of the
head and meaning look, which exasper-
ated me beyond measure. What do you
mean by that?' l asked old Paxton one
afternoon as 1 joined him on the road to
town. The old fellow shook his head again,
but possibly feeling freer with his sharp
eyed wife away, took his pipe from be-
tween his lips and said: Did you never hear
of the ghost woman of Wye, sir? That's
she you're talking of, and if you'll take an
old mans counsel you'll have no more to
say of her 1t fares i'll with them that
wicked Lady Whitaker smiles upon, as
all the people about will tell you. Ask
some one to tell you of young Ovid Ar
mold
"'Tell me YOURSELF urged.
"'No, indeed, won't. I've said more'n
enough of her as it's Leaving him,
went direct to Josiah Durham, who had
been absent for some days. Before we be-
gin to talk business. said. tell me who
and what is Lady Whitaker The old
mans shrewd gray eyes looked back at me
from beneath his bushy brows like two
points of fire. That's hard question, sir,
to answer, but l can speak for myself and
say, don't know. There's many another
who has tried to find out besides you, Mr..
Bremen, and to my knowledge none of
them ever did. Some of the people about,
the wise young ones, will tell you the
whole things nonsense; some others will
declare she's wicked spirit doomed to
haunt the scene of her evil earthly life,
while 1 and such as have seen her will say
frankly that she is mystery not TO be
solved
"'Tell me the whole story urged.
"'That, sir, you'll find in this book. ,
He rose and handed me an ancient leather
bound book filled with yellow, time stained
leaves covered with dim old writing. This
is the diary Of my great-grandfather, John
athan Durham, who was minister here in
17OS.' glanced at the book he offered me
and then at him, when he laughed invol-
unfairly. Excuse me, Mr.. Brenner,' he
said, but your look Of amazement and in
credulity made me forget my manners. l
am going to leave you now for little
while, il you do not mind, and you may
read what Jonathan Durham had to say
in 1706 of the fair lady to whom you seem
to have lost your heart
'Impossiblep exclaimed vexed at the
garrulous old fellow, whom supposed 10
be making fun of me.
"'Well, read read, and satisfy yourself.
You won't believe the story at first. / did
not, but it's true for all that When l saw
her first was even a younger man than
you, and I was mad, mad about her. How
ever, that passed after read that old jour
nal. and have seen nothing of my lady
for nearly sixty years
"As soon as he was gone I opened the
quaint old diary with an eagerness was
little ashamed Of. and as it fell easily apart
at a certain page l read the topmost line
L have been to-day to visit my Lady Whit
taker' Well of course can't give the Rev.
Jonathan's words. but the story gathered
was this: In 1706, a gentleman calling him
self Lord Whitaker, and his wife Lady
Judith, had come to make their home in
the colonial village of Wye. From what
the minister said there must have been
much speculation among the townspeople
as to the reasons so young and fashionable
pair could have had for leaving England
for a quiet American village. but what
they were never seems to have transpired.
Lady Judith the Rev. Jonathan described
as beautiful woman, saucy aud witty AID
reckless in speech and manner, so much so
indeed as to be scandal to the quiet
puritanical community, which shrewdly
conjectured that it was because of her Lord
Whitaker had forsaken home and friends
for obScurity.
after a while even graver disapproba-
ton of her began TO be felt, and finally the
little town rang with a story of how young
Maurice Langley was fairly mad about the
beautiful stranger whose smiles upon him
were so warm as to seem TO utterly crush
her husband, who went about the place
with a countenauce so 'Rrewsome and woe
full as to touch the very heart the minis
ter said At last the end came, and the
most dreadful tragedy the w-abidinG
town had ever known thrilled it with hor-
ror and fear, for Lord Whitaker was
found dead in his bed one morning with
the marks of cruel fingers on his throat.
while across my lady's brow black bruise
told of some blow given her in sudden
deadly anger The frightened servants
told of fearful quarrel the twain had had
the night before, and one testified that she
had heard her mistress say in tones that
turned her blood 10 ice. a blow for blow,
nv lord! Jook to yourself when / repay
it And that then the husband, in grea:
grief and modification. had besought her
pardon for his unmanly act, though VOW
ing she had strng him to it, but 10 this
huu.bling OF himself my lady had replied
only with bitter, chill laughter.
Upon this testimony she was accused
of the murder Of her husband ard con-
denn ned TO die In the meanwhile she lay
In PRISON, where not one came 20 inquire
of her, not even Maurice Langley. and at
last she questioned her jaiier of him Was