Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-03


 shadows on the windows. Over in the bar and billiard rooms the click of the balls and the refreshing rattle of crack cd ice told suggestively of the occupa- ton of the inmates. Keeping on beyond these distracting sounds, he slowly climbed a long, gradual nscent to the ''beuch, " or plateau above the wooded point on which were grouped the glis- teningwhite buildings of the pretty sum- mer resort, and having reached the crest turned silently to gaze at the beauty of the sceno-at the broad, flaw less bosom of n summer lake all sheen and silver from the unclouded moon. Far to the southeast it wound among the bold and rock ribbed bluffs rising from tho forest growth at their base to shorn and rounded summits.
 Miles away to the southward twin kled the lights of one busy little town. Others gleamed and sparkled over to- ward the northern shore close under the pole star, while directly opposite drowned a massive wall of palisaded rock that threw, deep and heavy and far from shore, its long reflection in the mirror of water. There was not a breath of air stirring in the heavens, not a ripple on the face of the waters beneath, save where, close under the bold headland down on the other side, the signal lights, white and crimson and green, creeping slowly along ill the shadows, revealed one of the packets blowing her steady way to the great | marts below. Nearer at hand, just sbaving the long strip of sandy, wooded point that jutted far out into the lake. . broad raft of timber, pushed by hard working, black funneled stern wheeler, was slowly forging its way to the out let of the lake, its shadowy edge sprin- kled here and there with little sparks of lurid red-the pilot lights that gave | warning of its slow and silent coming. Far down along the southern shore, under that black bluff line, close to the silver water edge, a glowing meteor seemed whirling through the night, and the low, distant rumble told of the At lantic express laundering on its jour ney. Here, along with him on the level plateau, were other roomy cottages, some dark, some still sending forth q guiding ray, while long lines of white washed fence gleamed ghostly in the moonlight and were finally lost in the shadow of the great bluff that abruptly shut ill the entire point and plateau and shut out all further sight of lake or land in that direction. Far beneath he could hear the soft plash upon the sandy shore of the little wavelets that came sweeping in the wake of the raftboat and spending their tiny strength upon the strand; far down on the hotel point he could still hear the soft melody of | thn xynltZ Hn uh,srn1 hoNv fbp band used to play that same air and wondered why it was he used to like it.
 It jarred him now.
 Presently the distant crack of q whip and the low rumble of wheels weru
 heard, the omnibus coming back from
 the station with passengers from the night train. He was ill no mood to sec
 any one. He turned away and walked
 northward along the edge of the bench,
 toward the deep shadow of the great
 shoulder of the bluff, and presently he
 came to a long flight of wooden stairs,
 leading from the plateau down to the
 hotel, and hero he stopped and seated
 himself awhile. He did not want to go
 home yet. He wanted to be by himself,
 to think and brood over his trouble.
 He saw the omnibus go round the bend
 and roll up to the hotel doorway with
 its load of pleasure seekers and heard
 the joyous welcome with which some of
 their number were received by waiting
 friends, but life had little of joy to him
 this night He longed to go away any,
 where, anywhere, could he only leav,
 this haunting misery behind. He was SC
 proud of his regiment. He had been SC
 happy in bringing home to it his accom-
 plished and gracious wife. He had been
 so joyous ill planning for the lovely
 times Alice was to have, the social sue. cesses, the girlish triumphs, the garri son gayeties, of which she was to be the queen, and now, so very. very soon, all had turned to ashes and desolationi She was so beautiful, so sweet, winning, graceful. Oh, God! could it be that one so gifted could possibly be so base? He rose in nervous misery and clinchcd hi, hands high fin mir, then sat down again with hiding. hopeless face. rocking tc and fro as sways n man in mortal pain. It was long before he rallied, and again he wcarily arose. Most of the lights were gone Silence had settled down upon the sleeping point. Hc was chilled with the night air and the dew and stiff and heavy as he tried to walk.
 Down ut the foot of the stairs Inc could see the night watchman making his rounds. He did not want to explain x matters and talk with him. He would | go around. There was Il steep pathway | down into the ravine that gave into tho } lake just beyond his sisters cottage, and this he sought and followed, nov ing slowly and painfully, but finally
 reaching the grassy level of the path : way that connected the cottages witl the wood road up the bluff. Trees anC
 shrubbery were thick on both sides, anC
 the path was shaded. He turned to hi
 right and came down until once nor = he was in sight of the white walls of tn z hotel standing out there on the point , until close at hand he could see the ligh , of his own cottage glimmcring like
 faithful beacon through the trees. ant , then he stopped short.
 A tall, slender figurc-a man in dark snug fitting clothing-was creepinl , stealthily up to tho cottage window.
 Tho colonel held his breath. HI
 heart thumped violently. He waited I watched. He saw tho dark figure reacl q ! tho blinds He saw them slowly, softt . turned, and tho faint light gleaminI 2 from within. He saw tho figure peer : ing in between the slats. and then ; RnAAA.,