The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-06-20
From Sin to Contriti!oD
Lucy Warrilghan'S Sacrifice.
The Story Of a Hasty Marriage and
Its Tragic Sequel.
BY ERNST BRUNCKEN,
A1lthor of THE Bibliomdnidc's Crime"
- Terrible Secret ctc., etc.
CHAPTER XVIII.
At THE DOOR OF DEATH.

rival was dead. Nhat tie was tnere
that still connected him with life?
For some time he hardly realized thathe
had come out of the ordeal unscathed. So
certain had it seemed to his overheated
brain that he would not only kill the
Count but also in turn be killed himself,
that he had not, in his mind, made any
provisions for different outcome OF
the affair. Now he felt sort Of strange,
Idazed surprise at his own continued ex.
istence. He did not want to live. Had
he not closed his accounts?
As he could not die by the hand OF
another, he would die by his own hand.
With this firm resolution he walked
home.
As he went through the hotel garden,
he perceived strange commotion among
the guests who were sitting at the tables
or pTomen aiding on the walks There
was an eager and mysterious whispering
wherever he passed, a thousand curious
eyes were directed upon him, necks were
craned in the distance in order to get
glimpse at him, as he walked toward
the entrance of the house. The ac-
auaintances. whom he met and greeted
returned his salutation with q strange,
scrutinizing look, and he felt instinct
lively that they looked after him and
spoke aboutihim among each other
He knew why he was the cynosure OF
sll eyes and the subject of everybody's
conversation. The events of the morn.
ing must have become known to the ho-
tel guests some hours ago.
Ralph did not care. Let the world
gossip. No doubt, in the conversation
Of the crowd, the story took very diff
ferent form from the truth. No doubt
everybody sympathized with the slain,
and the slayer had not single defender.
No doubt these good people knew many
narrowing details of which he himself
was totally unaware. But what did it
matter? He had done with the world.
He went into his room and locked the
door behind him. The sun was shining
brightly through the windows and the
glare hurt his eyes. He closed the
blinds, 50 that it became almost dark in
the room. ~ =
Then he threw himself upon the bed
and began to think-think for the last
time. But his head ached and his ideas
became confused. That was annoying.
He wanted to part with life with full
consciousness and q clear head
He rose from the bed and went to the
cupboard in corner Of the room. where
he had a number of simple remedies that
he always carried with him for cases of
emergency. He wou take something
to quiet his nerves. 1t was quite dark
in that corner, and he could not read the
inscriptions on the phia S, but he knew
the contents by the shape and size of
every bottle. Feeling with his hands
along the board, he at last found what
he looked for.
sLet me think what is the proper
dose-oh, yes, fifteen drops-that will
make me quite calm
He poured fifteen drops Of the fluid
into teaspoon and swallowed them.
Strange, he thought. Can it be spoiled?
Nonsense! Perhaps it is a hallucina-
tion. There are hallucinations Of the
tongue as well as of the eyes, And my
nerves are excited"
He took the revolver which had killed
the Count out of his pocket, where he
had placed it when he left the fatal
SPOT. He looked at it with scrutinizing
eyes, to assure himself whether it was
properly loaded and everything in good
order. He could find no fault with it.
The revolver firmly clutched in his
IiSub uduo, uc enlCW aiuSSAA on Vic oeu
agSin.
.." The medicine did not yet show any
effect. He did not grow calmer; on the
contrary, his nervous excitement grew.
What was it he that was going to do?
f, He must think awhile-collect'h his ideaa
Oh, yes! He was going to shoot himself,
shat was it! Here was the revolver! he
must not forget it again!
Strange, how his senses are deceived
to-day! First that strange taste OF
the medicine, and now he had an actual
hallucination Of the eye! Or, was that
really somebody looking into the window?
Nonsense! The window. was fifty feet
above the ground; nobody could look in
there! But there was that face again!
He knew who it was; it was cousin
Hattie. How mildly her eyes beamed
upon him! She was very handsome!
But how did she come here? And why
did she look through that window, fifty
feet high? Why did she not come in?
Oh, yes! He new now. She was not
there at all. 1t was only hallucina.
ton. He remembered now that he had
thought of Hattie good deal yester-
day; that may account for it.
Very interesting subjects, these hallu.
cinations! Abnormal action Of the brain!
He must study the matter more careful.
" than he.has done heretofore.
Study? Why, no. He is going to die
shoot himself! Here is the revolver!
He will do it now.
Painfully he raised himself into half
recumbcnt attitude, leaning on his left
arm. 1t grew dark before his eyes.
When he feebly tried to raise his right
hand, which still clutched the revolver,
he tainted and sank back. But his
fingers, nervouSly contracting, touched
the trigger and the shot went of.
The news of the death OF Count Won
Hohenfels at the hands Of an American
physician, with whose wife he had had
love intrigue, created an incredible sem
sation. it spread with lightning-like
rapdity, and both citizens and summer
residents soon spoke of nothing but the
duel. Naturally, the sympathies of the
people were almost exclusively with the
victim. He belonged to one OF the fore
most noble families Of Germany: he was,
moreover. young, handsome, talented,
and popular On the other hand. OF his
slayer nothing was known. Nobody had
ever heard or him, except that according
TO rumor MS wl1e had oeen compelled to
marry him for his money. The voice OF
the few people who knew bim little
more intimately, and had some insight
into his affairs, like Braunfeld, counted
for nothing in the great multitude OF
the condemnidg votes.
Hardly was there lull in the noise OF
30 many wagging tongues, when the