Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-05-17

fear possessed Cicely: she would have
to betrsay 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 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
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 wait
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
lcssly with 4 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 Il voice scarcely above a whisper,
b,,- - 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 Il
way ward, but neglected child.
AS She stood celebrating what to
do for the first time Il 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 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 hai. knowing her secret.
For it had already grown to be her
burden of it, with it's guilt and 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 last her coward eyes reached the
floor. In the corner behind the door
there was huddled hesp; clothes, floor,
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, one arr, bent
under him, the other eutstretched; but
she had the courage to lift the lifeless
head, and. to see that the throat was
gashetl from side to side. As she drop
ped the head and drew back shudder.
ing, she caught sight of the knife her
husband had thrown down; it was
stained and wet. Then she relocked
the door and fed up stairs as if the
phantom of the murdered man was
pursuing her.
For the first time as she saw her
husband lying by this time fast asleep
| she felt spasm of the natural human
loathing of the manslayer. But even
before she had conquered this, she
brought sponge to the bedside and
clearscd his hands from the tell-tale
| stain Than will, r,0i,s Of e.s,ic.
she cut away the front Of his shirt
which was also stained. rolled it up and
hid it away. Then, believing sleep to
be an impossibility for her that night
sh sat up in an armchair beside her
husband with no very clear thought
but with a feeling that he was sick
man, in mind, If not in body. and need
ed her most watchful nursing.
| The horror and the shock of the
nights events, however, had worn out
her body and mind; she fell asleep, and
it. was Duke who awoke first on the
following morning. to find his wife's
head had slipped down on to the pill
low beside him.
He started, still heavy from the ef
fects Of the narcotic he had taken
and not remembering clearly and OF
the events of the preceding night.
'Cicely"' he cried. "Why, Cicely
why aren't you in bed, my dear? What
is the matter!''
Cicely opened her eyes with a start
and looked up at him. Unlike hel
husband, she realized in very few
moments all that had happened, and
glanced fearfully from his face, which
still bore evidences of the strong emo
tons which had torn him, to his hands
Looking at her face. the expression CT
that Of Duke gradually changed ant
grew more gloomy. He followed he1
glance from his hands to his shirt
front.
What's tllis?' he asked hoarsely
finding that the front had been eli
away.
Cicely tried to laugh.
at was wet" she said, trying tt
speak easily, land I was afraid yc,
would catch cold. You were fas
asleep. so had to cut it,
Gradually, as she spoke, the mem
DRY of all that had passed began tt
come back to him. He fixed his eye
upon her with a searching gaze SO full
Of misery that she could not meet 1t
soI- ,1.x