Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-09-02

sne ulu. one descended from tn,
cdteche hurriedly, to rush toward m,
as L stood awaiting her on the steps
She kls ed me with excessive tender
ness, and appeared extremely happy
to be once again with me. L allowet
nothing of what was passing within III,
to appear in my face. We conversed
we supped together, and each retired
to our bedrooms. l did not close al
eye. Broad awake, / counted all til,
hours. When the clock struck the frs
quarter after midnight, L rose and en-.
tered her room. The beautiful fal
head was there pressed into the whit,
plllows-as angels are painted in tn,
midst of snowy clouds. What fright
ful lie of natures is vice under an AS
pect so innocent L was resolved, will
the headlong wilfulness of a mailman
haunted by fixed idea. The polsol
had completely corroded my soul.
resolved to kill her as she lay.
| 81 pass over the details of the crime
She died without Offering the least re
slstance, as TRANQUILITY as one goes t.
sleep. She was never irritated agains
me-eyen when l killed her. One
single drop of blood fell on my hand
You know where. L did not perceive
1t until the next day, when it was dry.
"We buried her without anybody
| suspecting the truth. 1 lived in soli-
| tude. Who could have controlled my
actionsS She had neither parent nor
guardian who could have addressed to
me any questions on the subject, and
designedly put off sending the custom
airy invitations to the funeral, so that
my friends could not arrive in time.
"On returning from the vault felt
not the least weight upon my con-
science. L had been cruel but she had
deserved it. would not hate her-I
would forget her. L scarcely thought
of her. Never did man commit an
assassination with less remorse than L.
"The countess, so often men toned,
was at the chateau when / returned
there. My measures had been SO well
taken that she also had arrived too late
for the interment. On seeing me she
appeared greatly agitated. Terror,
sympathy, sorrow, or, L know not
what, had put so much into her words
that L could not understand what she
was saying to console me.
"Was l even listening to her? Had
L any need of consolation? l was not
sad. At last she took me familiarly by
the hand, and, dropping her voice, SAID
that she was obliged to confide a secret
to me, and that she relied on my honor
as gentleman not to abuse it. She
had given my wife a packet of letters
to mind, not having been able to keep
them In her own house; and these let
ters she now requested me to return to
her. While she was speaking, 1 several
times felt shudder run through my
frame. With seeming GOODNESS, how
ever, L questioned her as to the con-
tents of the letters. At this interroga-
ton the lady started, and replied angri-
ly:-
Sir, your wife has been more gen.
erous than you'll When she took charge
of my letters. she did not demand to
know what they contained. She even
gave me her promise that she would
never set her eyes on them. and [ am
convinced that she never read a line of
any one of them. She had a noble
heart, and would have been ashamed to
forfeit the pledge she had given
"'Very well, replied How shall
l recognize this packetT
"a 1t was tied with a rose -colored
ribbon edged with silver
''' will go and search for 1t
81 took my wife's keys, knowing per
fectly we'll where | should find the
packet; but | pretended to find 1t with
much difficulty.
"'ls this it?' l asked the countess
handing it to her.
"' Yes, yes-that is itl See!-the
knot | myself made has never been
touched
81 dared not raise my eyes to hers;
feared lest she should read In them that
L had united the knot of that packet,
and something more.
81 took leave of her abruptly; she
sprang into her carriage and drove
off.
''The drop of blood had disappeared,
the pain was not manifested by any ex-
ternal symptom; and yet the spot
marked by the drop burned me as if it
had been bitten by a corrosive poison.
This pain grows from hour to hour. /
sleep sometimes, but l never cease to
be conscious of my suffering. | do not
complain to anybody: nobody, indeed,
would believe my story. You have
seen the violence of my torment, and
you know how much the two operations
have relieved me; but concurrently
with the healing of the wound, the pain
returns. 1t has now attacked me for
the third time, and l have no longer
strength to resist it. In an hour |
shall be dead. One thought consoles
me; it is that she avenged herself here
below. She will perhaps forgive me
above. thank yon for all you have
done for me. May heaven reward
you"
A few days later one might have read
in the newspapers that s., one of
the richest landowners, had blown out
his brains. Some attributed his sui
eide to sorrow caused by the death OF his
wife; others better informe !, to an in
durable wound. Those who best knew
him said that he had been attacked by
monomanis, that his incurable wound
existed only in his imagination.