Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-11-10

wish my grave were growing green,
A wind ag-S,ret drawn q er ny cen,
And | IN Helen arms lying
GA fan hIrhcOnnel led.
MIR Eyre'3 indOmitable will had en-
| abied HIM to preserve Il calm GameanOr
| that day; hut it was characteristic of
| him that Ike Il q not pause Il moment by
| Madcap's grave, but turning asida, and
| with 10 word or look to those WIO mai
| come from so far to do her honor. Walk
| ed alone to his mouse, ANA ascending to
| his Wlfe'S room, shut himself III, and
| locked the door.
Ire glance that he threw around,
spoke Of reason on the very verge OF
overthrow; yet it was with the fix ed
resolve to grapple with, and master
something in his brain which forever
eluded him, that he advanced to a cabi-
net That stood on one side OF the room.
1t was remarkable neither for its 3tse-
| fulneSS nor its beauty. but as Mr.. Eyre
touched it, distinct impression of some
! recent experience connected with it.
| fixed his attention; and as an ordinary
| weapon may become unique tnrOuEu
| some especial use to Whlc.- 1t has b IN
! put, so Air. Eyre found a curious taSci-
| nation in thing that he had Seen every
| day for SIX years OF his life, without
| once consciously observing it.
His tingerS wandered over it an
| secured 10 pause without his Will ut d
! certain handle. Strange. he could have
| sworn that not long ago he had opened
| that very drawer, either to seek some
! thing that was there, or TO lay it away.
| Mechanically he drew it toward Inn,
| ajd saw that it was empty.
| The cabinet stood back from the
| light; but as he remained. with his eyes
| n u hA i,,,t
| IL dark red stain crossed it Obliqu4Iy-IC
was ne stain OF blood.
| lie pr-srad one ciinched hand tC his
| brow. Sureiy he hal got the cleW now
| that h ldd lost during the Stupoc N
| which he had two DAVIS lain-Dut no; it
| had escaped him before that, for even
as ne stanched the blood that flowed
! from Madcap's side on that fatal night.
his min I'd been projecting Itself
backward II futile effort TO remem-
Der something similar that had happen
ed previously. Even Madcap herself
| impressed him with strong sense of
unhealthy quite distinct rom dreaming,
! or rather 1t WAS like being reminded of
dream that he had forgotten. till the
actual preSentiment Of 1t brought all its
details to his mind.
Step by step he forced himself to fol-
|
| bered leaving Frank and Madcap in the
drawingroOm, and sitting down to his
| writing. over which, though his brain
had never been clearer. he must have
been overcome by one OF those sudden
hts OF sleep that sometimes followed
| any severe excitement to which he ilait
| been subjected. and from this sleep he
had been wakened by the shrek above
that had caused him hastily to ascend
the spiral staircase that led from his
| study to the bedroom, where he had
| found Madcap alone and unconscious,
seated IN chair drawn close to the
| open window.
| But beyond and beneath these dis
| tlnct memories, he was conscious of an
abyss whose brink he approached with
strong Shudderings, yet fercer will, but
| from which he found himself. as by
some unknown force, dragged back at
the very moment when he was on the
point OF piercing its depths-strange
llghtnlngs passed through his mind, re-
veallng hidden places, yet never that
| one sealed chamber which was locked
| against him; q moving chaos of half
seen visions and strangled recOllectiOnS
cOntended in him for recognition, while,
driven with fury from opposite points
| or the compass, a crowd Of ideas met
and JOstled each other in his brain,
stunning him with the roar and con-
fusion OF a tempest. He had dared to
| pluck the curtain from the Utmost re-
cesses of his soul, and what did they
| give back to him in answer? Confused
echoes. uncertain replies, like a face
guessed at in troubled waters.
AS worn out with fasting and agony.
he covered his eyes, slowly from the
! background of night black as pitch.
he thought an apparition rose; it was
tlnged with flame, blood dripped from
| its raiment and its hands. Above its
| hollow eyes there cleaned a star. and
| that too was of blood color. and he re-
| cOgriZed it for the spirit of murder. and
| knew that the hand hidden in its breast
| clutched a weapon; he glanced aside.
and there, pale and dimly illumined by
the flame that glowed from her, crouch
| ed the shape Of man made in his own
image, who seemed to importune her
aid; suddenly she drew the weapon from
its sheath, pointed, and babe him strike.
A second figure rose within ken, Of a
woman dressed in White-the face was
| hidden. and her attitude was of ona
who sIepJ-Jne man advancing with a
! species OF blind fury, stabbed it to the
heart; then with a gestuT of joy. tore
| the covering from its face to taste the
fruits of his deed. But what is this?
| He draws back-he hurls the weapon
from him-he kneels by the murdered
Shape-he clasps its hands-he calls on
it with tears and cries to reply to him:
but it is silent. it has no power to reply,
| and he turns, with a terrible gesture of
despair and upbraiding, to the spirit.
who looks calmly on, with a smile, then
pointing to his blood-stained hand, van
| iSheS.
With the sweat on his brow. Mr.. Eyre
staggered to his feet, and gazed around
| him.
There stood the bed upon which she
had lain, upon which she might be w.
ing nOw-the beautiful. the beloved
had not the spirit of murder, that had
entered in at the open door of his soul.
in some awful ineXplicable way, passed
| Hester by, to return in other shape, to
wreak itself upon what he guarded more
| jealousy than his own life.
1t was as if a man had resolved to
Stay his enemy with some instrument
over which he had secretly glOated. and
that he had often looked for an oppOr-
tunity of using (sheathed and laid safe
away where none could find it). and one
day this very enemy had tracked him to
his place of hiding. and with that very
steel had stabbed his nearest and dear
est to the hart.
TO be contnued)