The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-03-03
CHAPTER ".
A Wife's Secret.

CHAPTER ".
A Wife's Secret.
Cicely Bennington was not, in spite Of
her country breeding, a I'm Of ro-
bust frame. She had been known to go
into Mysteries when her brothers play
ed at ghosts and to faint in an owe
heated room. But when she saw her
husband come out Of the cellar with Jo-
seph Radstock's blood upon his hands
she neither tainted nor uttered a cry,
but stood watching him, careful not to
betray her presence by a sound.
She did not fear that he would see
her as she stood back in an unlighted
corner; she could tell by the vacant
look in his blue eyes that there was a
picture in his mind which made him
blind to actual sights. Yet he was SUI
iciently master of himself to remember
to lock the door, giving the paddock a
wrench to be sure that 1T was securely
fastened, and then; after a little de-
liberation, to put the key into his pook-
ct. Then he stood at the door listening.
This was the worst moment for CiceIy.
An impulse to shrek aloud, to tear
him away from the door seized her.
She suppressed it by an effort which
seemed to tax away all her strength
and leave her weak and tottering.
Without any change Of expression,
Duke, like a somnambulist or an i'm
becile, walked back through the outer
cellar toward the staircase. A new
fear possessed Cicely; she would have
to betray herself, or he would lock her
in. AS she stepped out from her corner
and quickly followed him, however,
she saw that her alarm was needless.
The key Of the outer door was not in
the lock, and after a few moments
search, which his wife witnessed, hold
ing her breath, he slammed the door to
with an impatient exclamation and
went up the steps.
Cicely stole after him with only a
few minutes interval. She could not
stay down there, in imagination hear
Ing cries and groans and the tottering
footsteps Of the dying man. At the
bottom Of the front staircase she watt
ed, wondering whether Duke would
miss her and come in search Of her.
The awful action he had just commit
ted had sobered him, just as the fear
and the horror had made her doubly
mistress OF herself. For he had
put out the light in the front
hall and bolted the front door, accord
ing to his usual custom. There was
no sound on the landing above, so she
crept softly upstairs and listened out
side of their bedroom door. Duke was
already in bed; she heard him turn rest
lessly with a heavy sigh. Apparently
he had not missed her, although his
head had been clear enough for him to
think of underdrawn bolts and Vast
ing gas.
Duke, oh, Duke, speak," she cried
in a voice scarcely above a whisper,
but close to his ear.
Wide awake, with all her wits alert
and keen, Cicely hung over him, full
of pity, of womanly tenderness, like
a mother aroused to her duty to a
way ward, but neglected child.
AS she stood celebrating what to
do, for the first time a glimmer of
hope that the worst might not have
happened came into her mind. Rad
stock might not be dead after all.
Why had she not thought of this be-
fore? She felt in her husbands peck
cts, found the key of the inner cellar,
and taking the candle, went quickly
down stairs, not giving herself time
to falter at the thought Of the dread
full sight her eyes must meet. Her
heart almost failed her as she descend
ed the stone steps, and for one mo-
ment she hesitated to enter the cellar.
Bracing herself, however, to her task,
by a strong effort, she ran over the
brick floor, frightened by the sound of
her own footsteps, and glancing be-
hind her to be sure that the noise
was not the footsteps of some one fol
lowing her, knowing her secret.
For it had already grown to be her
secret; she seemed to have taken the
burden Of it, with it's guilt apd horror,
on her shoulders. She listened at the
door Of the inner cellar, but heard
nothing but her own sobbing breath.
Then she put the key In the paddock,
turned it with some difficulty, for it
was old and rusty, and pushed open
the door.
At lust her coward eyes reached the
floor. In the corner behind the door
there was a huddled heap; clothes, door,
walls were stained and soaked with
blood. Cicely knew that It was a
dead man who was lying at her feet,
his face on the ground, n arm bent
under him, the other tutstretched; but
she had the courage to lit h lfeiess
head, and to see that the tliroAt was
ped the head and drew back shudder-
Ing, she caught sight Of the knife her
husband had thrown dONn; It WA
stained and wet. Then shs rel0cked
che door and ded up stairs ~ Il the
rhAntqm 81 tho s,dTdsred man Wa
pursulne hes.