Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-23

sekA4 WCED1Asb sb utAftA1y 9NC4 AIONf4A flp U5 pious. She wanted Vinie to marry a minister. She sent Josiah and me of in buggy, and when we got to the Mills you was there wanderin round, loolxin glum and disconsolate. So you kind of made up to me because you wanted to talk about Vinie, and you asked me to be your friend and her friend, and to tell her to keep up her courage and to believe in your truth and constancy. You were going next day to join your ship for three months voyage to the West Indies, and you promised to write to Vinie from the first port you touched. You gave me so many messages for Vinie couldn't charge my memory with them all. didn't so much as look at Josiah all that day, and he was hoppin mad and never spoke to me once going home"
 The captain was holding her with his wary eye. A kind of ashen hue had overspread his dark cheek. "WeIl," :" he said under his breath.
 "You went away" she resumed slow ly, quailing and dropping her eyes un- der his look, "and guess the devil must have entered into me with seven other spirits. I forgot all them messages you sent to Vinie, partly because argyed it out that it would be wrong to go against Mother Mayhew. never breathed word about that letter you promised to write, and the wild notion got hold of me that mebbe you would take up with me if Vinie was out of your reach. guess was half crazy, fand treated Josiah like the dirt under my feet. But it didn't seem to make any difference with him in the end-he was almost too stupid to know it. Well, Vinie was looking for that letter. I hadn't breathed 8 word, but she knew you would write. I could see it in her face as she went every day to the post office with light step and then came dragginghome with her eyes g1assy and her face kind of pinched and withered. She grew winter and winter every day, most as if you could look right through her body. But she would drag herself | to the postoffice and come back disap- pointed, and I could not help exulting. I don't know whether I wanted her to die or not. was wicked enough to. But finally she broke down in the first of her hysterical spells, poor weakly thing that she was, and she would make me go to the postoffice, and the letter came that very day. I couldn't bear she should have it. thought I'd rather l be tore limb from limb. didn't know what was about, guess, for walked around 8 long time in kind of daze, and at last found myself down by the river at the old red bridge, and took the letter out of my pocket and tore it in l little strips and threw them out on the water, and can see them now go bob bing up and down on the current"
 Every particle of color had left the captains face, and his eyes were blazing like balefres. He gave wildcat spring and seized her two wrists in a grasp of iron. "And it was you that spread that damnable story all over the town that I had wife and children in Saint Kitt's, and was trying to commit bigamy. And i when came home her mother met me and told me the report, and said her 1 daughter hated me and would never willingly see me again."
 "Let me go," shrieked Sister Martha, as the vicelike grasp frightened on her wrists. "pd have took you if you'd had forty wives in all the ports, but you treated me as if I'd been a toothless thing. You spurned me, George Bligh, and forced me to marry Josiah Whit cumb. Let me go, or I'll screech bloody murder. You look as if you meant to kill me. tell you Mother Mayhew lied. She was good Christian woman, but she lied. Vinie loved you; she always has, poor shadow, sitting at her window year in and year out to see you pass, without so much as ever turning your head, watchin nights the light in your house as if her life hung on it"-
 The captain let go her wrists. There was horrible look in his face. His fingers crooked as if ready to seize the woman's throat. She had gradually backed into a corner, whence there was no deliverance. At that moment the old parrot awoke on his perch and called out in 8 sleepy, raucous voice, Don't be fool, George" The captain stumbled back and fell into his chair. He was terrified at the murderous impulse that had come over him. There was long sharp knife on the table. He just glanced at it and fell into 8 shudderine fit, turning sick and giddy.
 She was at the door of the room now and had stopped to say she hoped he would forgive her, or something to that effect, but his head was in whirl and he could not take it in. He had almost been a murderer, and the horror of il and the weakness that came with sensG of escape filled all his being. Her voice seemed to come from 8 long distance off; and as he sat there, crouched over with his head in his hands, he heard steps go along the passage and the iron door open and close. There was such { humming and roaring in his ears, h. wondered if he were growing deaf Niagara seemed poured through them
 every drop of blood in his body wa
 ebullient. Something had happened t the captain.
 Sister Martha meantime had manages to get into Ann's kitchen by the bacl , way. Miss Mayhew saw her pass tn !, front of the house as she sat at her win