The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-02-03
A BAFFLED, CRIME.

"ahu her mother. l was n child in short
frocks and pinaforcs, and Sadie was Il lovely
young lady. l was not so young but that
knew she was an angel to Mt least one pair
OF eyes besides mine. believe Colin Bal
four could have kissed the ground she
walked on. l did not like Colin Balfour
myself. lie was too big and black proved
to suit my childish fancy
lie was very humble until she had pro,n
lsed to marry him, and then he began right
away to he so unreasonable that he made
hcr Lille Just us miserable as could be-
well, one day Colin Balfour went Off in
one of his RACES and enlisted.
SiX months, Il year passed, and no word
from Colin Balfour. Other fellows came
home on leave TO see sweethearts and moth
ers, but Colin neither. came nor wrote,
though We heard of him through others
often, and at last that he had married q
pretty southern girl
Sadie gave one moan when she heard it:
then she took hold of me and shook me in
sort OF passion of pain and outraged love-
"Ile is n wicked man, Greta. He has no
more heart than stone We will forget
him.
The next day she had promised Gran Their
Mayhem, who came often to the house
little dreamed what for-that she would
be his wife. Child as was, and little COM
pretending the holy mystery of wifehood
was afraid of Sadie when l knew what
She had been promised and would not let
her kiss n-1
However, the kind old man was n great
favoritc Of mine at bottom-a genial, gen
tie, good man, who thought he was doing
right and best in marrying n girl Young
enough to bc his grandchild
Mamma Ranste;ld (as always called nv
aunt was in great trouble, and was too
proud to receive that aid from Gran'thcr
i Mayhem which she would not refuse from
her daughters husband. L suspect that
Mamma Ranstead was more than little
polite.
4 He and Sadie were married very shortly,
4 and new house was built quite away from
q the OLD one and On n site of Sadie's choos-
4 ing. Grant hcr Mayhem was very kind
and very patient. think he never said an
9 impatient word. though Sadie must have
a tried him sorcly with her whims sometimes.
One day, when Sadie had been married
a about "A year. Mamma Ranstcad fell sud
j denly i'll, and, while Sadie and / stood
q nghast with fear of what might happen.
a the worst happened that ever could-Aiam-
4 ma Ranstcad was dead
Il Six months after came the news that
d Colin Balfour lad been killed Sadie had
Il not seen him for near three years now and
u she knew him treachcrOus and unworthy,
Il but she shrnnk under the shock OF hearing
s. that he was dead, as though she had been
q his plighted wife and he the hero of her
81 widest naginings. Fortunately or I'M
81 fortunately, Gran'thcr Mayhem was away
lAfrom home on some important business
81 matter just at this time.
"a One day, the day but one after the news
chad come Of Colin Balfour's death, there
"a was knock at the door of the coy little
81 parlor looking upon the garden, which Sa-
Idle called her garden room. l opened the
#door cautiously, thinking it must be n
3servant, and 10! there was Colin Balfour in
&fthe flesh
"A He shot by me like flash and caught
S3the dropping figure upon the sofa in his
Warns.
81 MY poor darling" he cried. kissing her
5saamazcd face between the words, that it
3should ever have come Is this"
81 Sadie looked frightened, but she chung to
|%him, and presently she tainted away in his
I'd arms.
ST. He did not lay her down even then. He
s8hcld her until she was better, and then
f&would not have let her go but that she in
IN sisted, till with one of the old scowls, but
i half suppressed, he yielded
81 l shall never forget how she looked rs
she crept away from him and dropped like
VIE beaten lily into an armchair
&3 Neither OF them minded me. I doubt if
fS|hey had any consciousness of any presence
50 put each others. So shrinking behind the
81 curtains and wondering if that was Colin
81 3alfour's ghost or satan come to carry off
S3Sadie, 1 heard all that shameful tanplc of
H les. Child that 1 was, knew Colon Bal
SS$ our lied when he told Sadie that Gran'ther
'3sl Mayhem had fabricated all those dreadful
she had heard concerning him that
M ie might marry her himself.
&8 He avowcd, the handsome, treacherous
} illain, that he had never looked tendcrly
pom woman's face since he left her; that
s3{ssi PC had been prisoner all this time in the
hands of pitiless foe. 1t was marvelously
&s lard to make all the circumstances tally.
put he had specious tongue, and Saddles
~ brain was dazed with love and anger, pain
$SS83 nd joy. She believed every word, and get
ling up from her chair in burst of wom-
My resentment declared she would 20
traight away from the house into which
9he had been betrayed so foully; she would
~ ever stay to see Gran'thcr Mayhem again.
"A She yielded however, to Colin Balfour's
$a regiments III favor OF II contrary course, and
|8 Lecause the man she loved so, and who she
rs believed had been so wronged made such a
8 ONT OF it she consented to stay where she
~ Jas for the present.
sH$ l was afraid OF Sadie in those days, more
m hribly afraid of her than had ever been
SAG anything. She seemed to not like to
aave me near her either, and would start if
came upon her suddenly.
'f# Finally, after II delay that seemed like IN
LssS8ye to little frightened me, Gran'ther May
$1cw came home. Sadie met and greeted
~ Jim with hysterical gayety, insomuch that
M IN husband, looking at her burning cheeks
Ill ad bright eyes, seemed grayely to doubt if