Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-04-12

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The corpse. he gasped, with 8
shudder. "Ah, 1t was terrible affair
terrible"
Good Lord, man. what corpse arr
you talking about?" l cried. 1t was
| now evident to ne that my unfortu
nate friend had become insane, and IL
| his crazed condition had committed 4
crime, The idea was we'll borne out
by his manner. He shivered like Il
man with swamp fever. trying. mean
while, in a futile sort of way. to rub
the blood from one hand with the
other.
| What corpSe?" he said, after a
pause, during which had been watch.
| ing his movements with Increasing ap-
prehenSion: Why the same ill-con-
didoned champagnedrinking cadaver
that has caused all the disturbance.
Don't let them in" he went on, becom.
ing intensely excited as several sharp
rapS sounded on the door. Tell them
I'm Sone-gone-anywh New York,
New Zealand, anything YOU like, but
don't let 'em in, Lennon"
He made rapid dive behind the
curtains of the alcove. and emerged
again only after repeated assurances
that the reporters had gone.
That's about the fifteenth reporter
since l came ill.," he said. See"
(holding out his hands,, the blood is
all off now. 1t had dried, you see. and
in the excitement Of the affair | did
not notice it,
He was certainly crazy These inter
mittent periods of calmneSS depression
and intense excitement were proof con-
elusive it seemed to me. | ShiVercd at
the thought.
Its benStly cold here" remarked
Collins, in a perfectly normal tone.
Light the fire" he added, and I'll
brew punch. l suppose the thing
can't be helped now, but l wish it
could have been kept out of the papers.
| shall be branded a chalaton from
San Francisco to New York"
Another phase of the demenia,
mentally observed. 1t seemed that tie
best possible thing to be done was to
humor him. While | was busy about
the. stove my friend stood reclinE a
couple of lemons, now uttering half
suhdued curse, now chuckling idiotic-
ally.
Il give you my VERDI he suddenly
broke out, that l was never SO COM
pletely paralyzed, so absolutely APP
pal!ed in my life. Why, the blood
literally poured from him in stream
Money wouldn't have tempted me to do
the thing, Lennon, but the woman
seemed in such intense grief that |
could do nothing but consent"
Look here" Jayne" | said, trying
to speak calmly, who is the woman?
Who have you killed, and why did
you commit the crime?
Collins had finished making the
punch. He stood with the ladIe In his
hand about to fill our glasses, when
my questions arrested the process. He
looked at me tiXcdly for Il moment,
then he laughed aloud, dealt out two
goblets Of the steaming brew, and sat
down near the stove.
This affair is beyond joke, though,
Lennon" he said with much gravity.
ut means that l shall be published to
the wide world as a fakir who paints
portraits from photographs and that
sort Of thing; daubing trickster of the
breed that no reputable man will rec
ognize."
/ could not imagine what his drift
was this time. The fellow was ahso-
lutcly babbling. You may be mis-
taken. old man." | said. Tell me how
it all came about"
'tYou know Mrs Brownie Bailey he
began. well, [ had a note from her
yesterday 1t said Come ut once and
without fail | was rather surprised,
because-well. you remember how af-
fairs stood between us when she sud
denly decided to marry old Browne
and his money. However, | decided
that couldn't afford to disobey the in
junction, so | went. Madame was in
tears. Browne had died the night be-
fore, and she was utterly inconsolable.
The old gentleman was going to have
a portrait done for the last two or
three years, but he never dill. The
only likeness his wife had of him was
Il bad photograph taken three years
ago. She wanted me 20 have Browne
tilted on end in his coffin and paint
portrait of him. | could use the en-
preston in the photograph. she said,
and the eyes of the youngest child
were exactly like Brownies. | refused
point blank. A man can't afford to do
that sort of thing, you know. 1t savors
too much of the solar print and pastel
shop. Mrs. Browne wept and be
seeched. / was obdurate. At last,
though, womar's tears won the day.
She's still pretty. YOU know, and only
% The price was to be any amount
l chose to name'-fancy naming a price
to Madge Browne! Well, the long and
short of it was that / promised to do
my best"
He paused to fill his pipe and take
sip at the punch before continuing.
After few preliminary puffs at the
ong-stemmed ''churchwarden," he
proceeded.