Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-07-16
From Sin to COltFitii0l
Lucy WaFhElaRS Sacrifice.
The Story Of a TASTY Marriage and
Its Tragic Sequel.
BY ERNST BRUNCKEN,
author Of ''IRs BibliOmdntdc's Crime"
"a Terrible Secres, =" ctc., etc.
CHAPTER XVII.
AT THE DOOR or DEATH.


had come out of the ordeal unscathed So
certain had it seemed TO his oVerheated
brain that he would not only kill the
Count but also in turn be killed himself,
that he had not, in his mind, made any
provisions for a different outcome Of
the affair. Now he felt a sort OF strange
dazed surprise at his own continued ex-
istence. He did not want to live. Had
he not closed his accounts?
AS he could not die by the hand Of
another, he would die by his own hand.
With this firm resolution he walked
homo.
AS he went through the hotel garden,
he perceived a strange cOmmotion among
the guests who were sitting at the tables
or promenading on the walks. There
was an eager and mysterious whispering
wherever he passed. thousand curious
eyes were directed upon him, necks were
craned In the distance in order TO get a
glimpse at him, as he walked toward
the entrance of the house. The ae-
quaintanees whom he met and greeted
returned his salutation with a strange,
serutiniking look, and he felt instinct
lively that they looked after him and
spoke aboutthfm among each other.
He knew why he was the cynosure of
all eyes and the subject of eVerybody's
conversation The events Of the morn
ing must have become known to the ho-
Tel guests some hours ago
Ralph did not care Let the world
gossip. No doubt, in the conversation
of the crowd, the story took very diff
ferent form from the truth. No doubt
everybody sympathized with the slain.
and the slayer had not single defender.
No doubt these good people knew many
narrowing details OF which he himself
was totally unaware. But what did it
matter? He had done with the world.
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door behind him. The sun was shining
brightly through the windows and the
glare hurt his eyes. He closed the
blinds, so that it became almost dark in
the room
Then he threw himself upon the bed
and began TO think-think for the last
time But his head aehed and his ideas
became confused. That was annoying.
He wanted to part with life with full
consciousness and a clear head
He rose from the bed and went TO the
cupboarCifn o corner of the room, where
he had number of simple remedies that
he always carried with him for cases Of
emergency. He would take something
to quiet his nerves II was quite dark
In that corner, and he could not read the
Inscriptions on the phia.s, but he knew
the contents by the shape and size of
every bottle. Feeling with his hands
along the board, he at last found what
he looked for.
@Let me think what is the proper
dOse-Oh, yes, fifteen drops-that viii
make me quite calm
He poured fifteen drops of the fluid
into a teaspoon and swallowed them.
Strange, he thought Can it be spoiled?
Nonsensei Perhaps il is hallueina-
tiOn. There are Authorizations of the
tongue Us we'll as of the eyes. And my
nerves are excited. "
He took the revolver which had killed
the Count out of his pocket, where he
had placed it when he left the fatal
spot He looked at it with scrutinizing
eyes, to assure himself whether il was
properly loaded and everything in good
order. He could find no fault with ii.
Tho revolver firmly clutched in his
right hand, he threw himself on the bed
again.
The medicine did not yet show any
effect. He did not grow calmer; on the
contrary, his nervous excitement grew.
What was il he that was going to do?
He must think awhile-colleet his ideas.
Oh, yesl He was going to shoot himself,
that was it! Here was the revolyerl He
must not forget it againl
Strange, how his senses are deceived
today First, that strange taste OF
the medicine, and now he had an actual
Naturalization of the eye! Or, was that
really somebody looking into the window?
Nonsensei The window was fifty feet
above the ground; nobody could look In
therel But there was that face again!
He knew who it was; it was cousin
Hattie. How mildly her eyes beamed
upon himl She was very handsome!
But how did she come here? And why
did she look through that window, fifty
feet high? Why did she not come in?
Oh. yesl He new now. She was not
there at all. 1t was only a hGllucina-
ton. He remembered now that he had
thought of Hattie a good deal yester-
day; that may account for it
Very interesting subjects, these hallu-
cinatlons! Abnormal action of the brainl
He must study the matter more careful
ly than he has done heretofore.
Study? Why, no. He is going to die
shoot himself Here is the revolverl
He will do it now.
Painfully he raised himself into a half
recumbent attitude, leaning on his left
arm. It grew dark before his eyes.
When he feebly tried to raise his right
hand, which still clutched the revolver,
he tainted and sank back But his
fingers nerVously contracting, touched
the trigger and the shot went of.
The news of the death of Count Won
HOhenfels at the hands OF an American
physician, with whose wife he had had a
sation- 1t spread with lightning-like
rapidity. and both citizens and summer
residents soon spoke of nothing but the
duel Naturally, the sympathles of the
people were almost exclusively with the
victim. He belonged to one of the fore
most noble families OF Germany; he was,
moreover, young, handsome, talented,
and popular. On the other hand. Of his
slayer nothing was known. Nobody had
ever heard OF him, except that according
TO rumOr his wife had been compelled TO
marry him for his money. The voice of
the few people who knew him u little
more intimately, and had some insight
into his affairs. like Braunfeld. counted
for nothing in the great multitude of
the cOndemnidg votes
Hardly was there hlll in the noise of
so many wagging tongues, when the
curiosity of the hotel guests was again
excited by Warringham's return Most
people had thought that he had fed i'm
mediateIy after the combat, in order TO
save himself from arrest Now here he
walked through the garden, as IL nothing
In the world had happened that con-
cerned him in the least Here was ma
terial for a thousand conjectures. Would
he give himself up? Or would he be ar
rested? What would be his possible
punishment? Tho courts had been very
severe Of late in such cases. Only last
year a young lawyer had been sentenced
10 fully three years imprisonment In a
fortress Cor killing an officer in a duel,
and he had not yet been pardoned. But
he would, perhaps, not be punished at
all
So the gossips, male and female, chat
tered, when suddenly there was a
strange commotiOn in the house. There
was running OF walters and porters, a
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