Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-12-07
BLIND LOVE
wILKIE COLLINS.

He went into the next room, and re.
nrned with his camera. Ia "A rev min
ties he had taken the picture, u was
,oldin9 the glass negative against the
lark sleeve OF his coat, SO as 70 make IL
Visible.
I'VE shall see how it looks" he said,
when 1t is printed. At present ! don't
mink II Is good enough AS an imitation OF
feu to be sent to the Insurance. offices.
Nobody, ! am afraid, who knew you,
would ever take this for u post-mortem
portrait oil Lord Harry. Well, we shall
,s.. Perhaps ty and hy-to-plnrrow-we
ma be able to take "a better photograph.
Ear" Lord Harry followed his move
nents, watching closely, but said moth
ing. His face remained pale, and his in-
robs stll trembled. There was now no
50ubt at all in his mind, not only as TO
Vinpany's intentions, but as TO the crime
Itself. He dared not speak or move.
A ring mt the door pealed through the
house. Lord Harry started in his chair
with a cry Of terror.
That said the doctor, quietly, lis the
nurse-the new nurse-the strau9crP' He
took of the handkerchief from Oxbyes
face, looked about he room rs y careful
that everything should be Ia its right
place, and went out To admit the omau
Lord Harry spraug 10 his feet and passed
his hand over the SICK nians face.
is il dones" he whispered. Can the
man be %poisonedi Is he already deady--
already Before my eycsI"
He laid his finger on the sick mans
pulse. But the doctors step aud voice
topped him. Then the nurse came 10,
following VimDHny. She was an elderly,
IN et-lookinz French woman.
Lori Harry remained standing at the
'ide OF the sofa, hoping to see the man re-
rive.
Now" said Vimpany. c~heerfullv, there
y your patient. nurse. He Is asleep now.
Let him have his sleep out-he has taken
his medicine and will want nothing more
yet awhile. II you want anything let me
know. We shall be In the next room or
n the garden somewhere about the
house. Come, my friend" He drew away
Lord Harry gently BY the arm, and they
left the room.
Behind the ~curtain Fanny Mere began
10 wonder how she WAS 10 get OF unseen.
The nurse. left alOue, looked at her pa
tient, vino lay with his head turned partly
pound his eyes closed, his mouth open.
"A strange sleep" she murmnred; but
ne doctor knows, | suppose. He is to nave
bis sleep out"
"A strange sleep, indeed!' thought the
watcher. She was tempted at this mo-
ment to disclose herself and TO reveal
what she had seen; but the thought Of
Lord Harry's completely stopped her.
With what face could she return to her
mistress and tell her that she herself was
the means OF her husband being charged
with murder; She stayed herself, there
fore, aud waited.
Chance helped her at last TO escape.
The nurse took off her bonnet and shawl
and began 20 look about the room. She
stepped To the bed aud examined the sheets
aud pillov-case. rs "a good French house
wife should. Would she throw back the
| aarfaint ~ Gn-Nylauf xynrrt1 IA annan nuxts
Then il would become necessary to take
the new nurse into confidence. otherwise
- Fanny did not put the r, mainder OF
the sentence into words. lt remained a
terror; IL meant that If Vimpany found out
whe she had been and what she had seen
and heard. there would be two, instead Of
one, cast into a deep slumber.
The nurse turned from the bed. how
ever, attracted by the half-open dOor Of
the cupboard. Here were the medicine
bottles. She took them ont one by one,
looked AT them with professional curiosity,
pulled out the cOrks, slnelt the contents,
replaced the bottles. Then she went ia
The window. which stood open: she stepped
ont upou the stone steps which led into
the garden, looking about her TO breathe
the soft air OF noon among the flowers.
She came back, and il again seemed as
IL she would examine the bed, but her
attention WAS attracted by a small book
case. She began to pull down the books
one after the other and TO turn them over,
as a half-educatcd person does, in the hope
OF finding something amusing. She found
q book with pictures. Then She sat down
in the armchair beside the sofa aud began
TO turn over the leaves slowly. How long
was this going to last?
II lasted about haitian hour. The nurse
laid down the volume with a yawn,
stretched herself. yawned again, crossed
her hands aud closed her eyes. She was
going to sleep. IL she would only fall SC
fast asleep that the woman behikd the
curtain could creep away!
But sometimes at the sleepiest moment
sleep is driven away by an ACCIDENT. The
fore finally dropping off remembered that
she vas nursing a sick man, and sat up 70
look at him before she allowed herself to
drop of.
Stung with sudden inspiration she sprane
to her feet and bent over the man. does
he breathey' she asked. She bent lower
His pulse! does lt beatt" She caught his
wrist.
Doctor she shrieked. running into the
garden. Doctor! Come-coane quick
He Is dead.'
Fanny Mere stepped from her hiding
place aud ran out OF the back door, II oy
the garden gale Into the road.
She hal escaped. she had seen the
crime committed. She knew now at least
what was intended aud why she was sent
away. The motive for the crime she could
not guess.