Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-04-28

ne ulu stop, ana STOOD wonder
ingly silent while she went on impetu-
ously:
You are talking to me as If were
lunatic or child. A child You know !
am not. A lunatic possibly might be-
come, If falseness, deceit, cowardice,
Implicitly in n man were all that was
necessary to make lunatic of wom-
an. When l said that hated you
meant it! When said that l wanted
you never to touch me again l meant it!
When recoiled from your touch as
would from that of n reptile, meant it!
You are a reptile, John Lorimcr!''
lie blanched at her scathing denunci-
alton of him, and. turning his face from
her, he stood with folded arms looking
down into the fire. 1t was on record in
the medical journals, he reminded him
self, that people frequently turned upon
their very dearest friends when demen-
tia seized upon them. Chalmers must
be summoned at once. He would not
add to her excitement by a single word.
She stopped speaking. He could hear
the tumultuous breathing that lifted
the folds of her white wrapper in bill
lows of passion. After a little while
her breath came more placidly.
''Is that all, Nora?" he turned and
asked her, quietly To soothe her ex-
cited nerves was his one object just
then
THAT is all. Is it not enough?"
''Quite enough in the way of con-
demnation."
He had turned towards the door,
''You are going?" she asked, drearily.
els not that what you want me to
fo2"
YES. And you have not one word in
self-defense?"
mot one. You know my theory
always has been that the very worst a
good woman can think of a man falls
far short of his deserving. hope you
will feel better tomorrow, Nora. Try
to sleep now, dear"
lie was gone! She looked stupidity at
the wooden panels Of the door through
which he had disappeared.
mot one word in self-defense! He
| could not look me in the face and defend
himself! That much to his credit And
| now let me finish my work."
She resumed her writing. Her pen
fairly flow over the paper. Sheet after
sheet she filed, folded, enveloped and
directed, until four closed envelopes lay
before her, upon one only of which she
| put a government stamp. When Celeste
brought her luncheon to the door, she
/ found herself locked out. When she
| knocked two or three hours later, and
| informed madame" that she was there
with the dinner tray, she was still
locked out. When she came again at
lamp light, craving permission to put
the child to bed, the door was opened
sufficiently wide for Ninette to creep in,
and through the crevice Celeste was in
formed that Mrs. Lorimer would attend
to the child herself that night. She
was ut liberty to dispose of her evening
in her own way.
The way Celeste did dispose of it WIS
not ut all in cher own way"
She was entrapped on her way down
the stairs by the mistress of White Cliffs
and drawn into the sitting-room, where
the family physician, assisted by John
Lorimer and his mother, cross cues
toned her rigidly and eXhaustively as
to Mrs Lorirncr's mental condition dur
ing previous neuralgia attacks.
:, She slipped away from them, when
they had extracted from her n vast deal
of information she had never suspected
herself possessed of, and crept into q
cot in the hall, just outside Nora's door.
John himself had located it. She had
assured him confidently that Il mouse
could not stir in madame's room, and
she, Celeste, not hear from that posi-.
ton.
It was from that night that Celeste
,ugereaux always dated her belief
in ghosts and regarded their vista.
tions as presages of evil. She told the
story of the White Cliffs ghost always
with JUNCTION.
"It was not of ghosts 1 was think
e ing" she would tell you, chat night
e l was awake. / could not sleep. The
s hall was large and strange to me. The
I cot was narrow. Twas restless. was
thinking of the child Ninctte, and how
she must have missed me, when of /;
sudden l felt a cold wave sweep ovel
my face and l saw n white figure Gid
j. ing noiselessly across the hall and turr
towards the steps. l covered my heaC
4 with the blankets, chilled but no
: frightened. Celeste BouGercaux is no
d a coward. When looked again, there
d was nothing to be seen but the colo
i pale moonlight streaming through thu
uncurtained dormer window upon thu
e bare floor of the hall. The next morn
ing, Mrs. John Lorimer was not to b,
:. found. told no one of that visitation
e from the White Cliffs ghost. Bah! tn,
e provincials, they would have had n,
o fnith in it or in me. But have seel
what have seem"
One portion of Celeste Bougereaux'
It story was irrefragable. 1t was on tn
e morning after she slept on the cot in tn
hall that Johns wife was not to b
', found On the desk in her room w0r
lie lying three sealed envelopes. TIL
u fourth one she evidently had take
ID away with her.
One of the envelopes was addressed t
her husband. To him she said:
IS 81 married you for Ninette's sake,
II leave you for your own. You may be
Is trifle shocked at this violent rending c
t. the feeble chain that links us together
but fancy you will be lnfnitel
re obliged to me in the long run. Consul
In some of your lawyer friends and sc
how the knot can be united legally, for
re- would not have you lose the full fruit
n of this sacrifice by reason of obstacle
L. h. I, - -