The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-11

lent IL lovelyF she said. holding It 10
mo" 1 exclaimed. tbrusting it aside.
1T 10 hideous. | should like to trample 1t
under foot"
..Oh. You cat. You're jealous." she cried.
laughing; .'you must get Mr.. Grey to con,
sole you. You are quite welcome to him, l
can assure you."
At that moment we had to move aside for
the poor ungainly Toad 10 hop upon the
stage. and / knew be bad heard her words.
When the performance was over L made o
last attempt to turn her from her purpose.
"Cissie. come home with me Tonight
pleaded, as | looked into her dressing-room
door. IL beg, 1 implore you to do so.
Something tells me that 1t you don't you
will regret 1t foreyermore."
She had Invested herself of her stage cos
tune. and her dresser was lacing the back
of q white silk dress In her hand she held
Lord Philips magnificent flowers.
''You are daft" she said. lone would
think / was going TO my destruction. A
nice one / should look to draw back now,
when the supper has been organized on my
behalf. 1t is useless asking me, for l shall
do no such thing"
Very WE'LL" [ answered sadly. you
must have your W way. Cissie. bat you
will repent it."
go along! you old goose." she said.
laughing. land go to bed. l shan't be home
till A o'clock" But her hard laugh had no
nerriment in it.
i walked home with a heavy heart and
alone. / could see Edmund nowhere. and
concluded be had gone before me. / feltit
was an additional proof of what he was
suffering that he should have forgotten TO
wait for me. When i reached our lodgings
the landlady told me he had come in and
gone straight to bed. 1 had lost all appe-
tite for my supper, and determined to re-
tire also. Cissie had her own key. and l
was too an gry with her to SIT up for her re-
turn.
--- 49, --- - -~- C>-4
spell seemed to keep me waking. / could
not drive the thought of Edmund Grey'S
disappointment from my mind. nor help
wondering what effect Cissie's cruelty
might have upon him. i heard him moving
restlessly in his room. as though he. too,
found 1t impossible to sleep. and some ner-
vous feeling made me get out OF bed again,
light my candle. and cav 1t burning on
the mantel shelf. After that / dozed off
for a little while, as il seemed to me-. but
was reused suddenly by n loud, sharp noise.
as If q door was slammed. L sprung up in
bed wide awake and trembling. hardly
knowing what had happened. Almost
simultaneously / heard q knock against
my door. n my landlady's voice. entreat-
II am awake" cried. rushing to the
door; what is the matterf What has hap
penedi'
The woman's face was ashen grey with
fright.
.Oh, Miss Maitland she exclaimed,
wbimpering. Pm all of a shake. Didn't
You hear the noise, missg There's some
thing wrong In the gentleman's room. MAJ
be he is i'll nnd fallen out of bed. And
me-, miss, and what are we to DOR
The gentleman's pOomi" In a moment
the true solution of the noise L had heard
flashed across my mind. lt was the report
of a pistol. With trembling hands | flung
q dressing-gown around me and seized the
aandla s'Na ntnaf On I'm him " said in n
hoarse voice, lat Once-at once. Come
with me, Mrs. ROney."
"Oh! lor! Miss. l dursent for the life of
mel"
You mustl you must!n
dragged her across the landing and M
the stairs till we stood at Edmund Grey's
door.
"Edmundr' 1 called out. "Mr. Grey! Are
you ills Pray open the door. 1t is only l
Mary Maitland"
But there was no response. All was
Observation-Disclosures! At last l
could stand 1t no longer. / burst open the
door and rushed in.
There be lay. poor. misguided. heart
with q bullet through his brain. How can
! describe to you the terror of that discOv-
cry, or the useless, frantic efforts we help
less women made to restore him to con-
seriousness. But he was far beyond all NOR.
tai reach.
Mrs. Rooney" / whispered at last to the
scared woman beside me. you must fetch
q doctor at once"
"Ohl Tor! Miss; here's Miss Stanley! Can't
she goi" replied the landlady. and even as
she spoke Cissie. who had let herself into
the house with her latch-key. and had been
attracted by the sound of our voices, stood
upon the threshold. If / could have saved
her from the suddenness of the blow /
would. even though 1t was her fickleness
and vanity that were at the bottom of the
calamity. But it was impossible. She had
seen all before l saw her.
What is it," she demanded. in a fearful
whisper. ~"Is-is-he lllf"
iii! my dearl' echoed Mrs. Rooney.
lies dead. He's bowed his brains ont
with q bullet! And TO think it should have
happened In my house"
"Hush!" | cried. bnt it was too late.
Cissie gave one look at the dead face of
EdmuHd Grey and fell across the threshold
in q faint Then my attentions had to be
directed to her. i carried her into her own
room, laid her on the bed, and did not leave
her again for a long time.
Oh! what q wretched time that was, and
all the worse because we were obliged to
as If nothing had happened. Mr.. Drum
mond was very kind about it all. He gave
the poor lad an expensive funeral, which
the company attended. The manner of his
death was hushed up as much as possible.
his place was filled. ana after a few days
wonder the painful event was forgotten.
But Cissie Stanley did not forget.
She continued to play her part in THE
Butterfiy's Ball." but from the day that
Edmund died she used 10 walk straight of
the stage to her dressing-room and never
spoke to anyone. Lord Philip Freeland
complained bitterly to me of the alteration
in her behavior: but told him she had lost
a dear friend, and wished TO be left as
much alone "a possible
After awhile he disap oeared and went
home to his friends. Bu. Clssie grew thin
ner and paler every day. She diu not con-
fide in me. but | guessed how deeply she
was sufiering-now, when alas. 1t was too
late. When the pantOmime had run its
course. and our engagements were over, we
mothers house, L to my husband.
Cissie. dear" i whispered as | kissed her
and said good bye. II hope you have ceased
to fret about that unfortunate affair."
She shook her head.
IL shall never cease to fret. Mary"
"Oh, yes. you will. You will get "a good
husband like min some day. and forget all
about it."
Cissie raised her big blue eyes to my face.
and l noticed for the first time how sunk
and haggard they had become.
MARY" she said. Il shall never marry.
He was the very love of my life"
And yet che had goaded him TO se!f-de-
struction. What lncomprehenslble crea-
lures women are! Not that / believe that
Cissie Stanley will remain Cissie Stanley
all her life. She Is too pretty for that. But
i think Edmun Grey's unhappy death.
and the share she. took in il, has planted a
thorn In her breast that will make itself
felt until she. too. goes forth into the
shadow land to meet him.