The Irish standard., 1893-05-20

the grave, MS r1ch 1rlendS, and they
will buy him off from justice at any
price They will parade all of her
weakness and her folly to the world!
They will blacken her memory, as he,
as you, Eugene Norcross, blackened the
soft smooth white skin of her pretty
neck. My poor little Nellie! My pref,
ty. foolish butterfy!''
Great God! this is horrible!-too
horrible to stand!"
His eyes blazed like living Goals His
arched black brows came together in
fierce contraction. The solid chair
shook under him She echoed him
sternly.
Horrible! too horrible! agree with
you Was it not enough to put her out
of the way, she so slight and weak and
helpless, yon so strong, without involv-
ing me? It must have been absurdly
>~.-'
"What?' he asked, stupidity.
'To choke her. could have done it
myself"
He pushed the damp masses of hair
back from his forehead with both
hands. It was almost a gesture of
despair How could he silence this
woman? How rid himself of her? He
could ring for Bennett and send for an
officer; but she claimed to be Amelia's
sister. 1t was with the hope of enight-
enment that he had consented to see
her. He listened as in dream to her
cruelty composed voice:
'sBut it would have done no good to
denounce you. You were too rich and
powerful. Though I might have sworn
to your guilt on Gods Holy Bible, who
would have believed me? You would
have gone scot-free, after my poor Mel
lies name had been dragged through
the mire. That was why let you be,
until she flung the roll of papers
down on the table before him-'1
found that in the morning papers. 1t
was a daring step to take"
BY superhuman exercise OF that
will-power which had never failed him
in the hour of his need, Eugene Nor
cross mastered his violent agitation.
He looked at the slight, frail woman
who had just arraigned him 50 fercely
with eyes from which the blazing
wrath had died ont, leaving instead in
tense sadness and commiseration for
his fellow-su sufferer.
There was that on this woman's sad,
sweet face that stamped her kinship to
his dead wife. Amelia had lied to him,
had betrayed his absolute. trust in her
frivolously and cruelty But she was
gone, and this woman was sorrowing
for her. Could he not bear with her a
little while?
"And-so-you are her sister," re
said, almost gently.
eyes Her only sister. Her only
relative"
'And You are"
''The Nora to whom she wrote that
fatal letter"
"Why do you call it that fatal let
ter'?''
She looked at him with loathing. He
was lighting cigar! The table in front
of, him was strewn with dead stumps.
She had no means of knowing that it
was his sedative-tl1e one thing that
had kept his brain in working order
during the fierce ordeal of the past ten
days.
''Why do call it that fatal letter?
Because it caused my sisters death.
Your callousness is monstrous, Eugene
Norcross:''
"You are absolutely saturated with
an insane idea. l see what you mean,
but it is not clear to me how you got
your wild impression"
81 was in the dressing-room that
day"
"Well?'
ssAnd 1 heard you tell her, after tell
ing her about the letter coming back to
you, that what you ought to do was"
He put up hand imploringly:
81 know! I know! I frightened the
poor child! A man, unless he is more
saint than man, does not suddenly make
the discovery that he has been lied to,
duped, entrapped. by creature whom
he has regarded as almost fawless,
without being temporarily thrown off
his balance. If you never saw that let
ter you do not know how monstrously
I had been deceived"
Eyes, do know it. 1t was all wrong.
had been telling her so. She had no
right to marry you. But could you not
have put her away from you in some
other fashion? This is such great big
roomy world"
"By God! believe you are lunatic!
I loved my wife! l tried to treat her
as I supposed . woman liked to be
treated. was not young when mar
ried her; I was not skilled with
woman-kind, but believe she was hap
py-yes, do believe she was content.
Ii gave her every thing she wanted
.'Aud took from her the thing she
loved best Of all-her life
Your dreary insistence makes it hard
| to be patient with you. If were a
guilty man, | should regard you as my
Nemesis. did not kill Amelia. I am
mot that sort Of brute. You must be-
lieve me. =
no die. then 2" In spite Of herself,
she was almost persuaded
81 do not know. have offered FIVE
Ithousand dollars for the answer to that
question. 4. 8s$ .As s5s
II heard you say that You ought TO
y xT