The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-10

ulns you cursed brute. on her mouth and
on her neck, You've insui-ed her before
your servants and the ours you call your
friends. And. by -. YOU will not move
"a step further toward her unless it's over
my BODY
rake that you -- swa ggering fool.
| said the other man. And he struck Tom
I DraN with the whip right across the mouth
I'LL the blood started out The boOkmak-
or was the stronger man OF the two. and
IN FAR better condition. de returned the
blow vigorously with his fist. and Lord
Eddington reeled backward. Then the
people below heard a shrek. and Edith
ran across the room, out on 10 the landing.
her fragile arms outstretched. as she tried
10 separate the men. EddingtOn caught
one Of her little hands in his iron grasp.
then the other. and forced her down upon
her knees. till Tom DraN closed savagely
with the husband OF the woman ne loved
and tried 70 hurl him TO the ground Mrs.
Dunlop feebly screamed below. At length
Edith staggered 70 her feet and clutchfng
Eddington round his waist. looked up elo-
quently at him. He turned his purple face
loWeringly toward her. and IaumbIing al
her some Of the epithets of which he was a
master, he disengaged one of her hands
and roughly pushed her from him. The
three had unconsciousiy drawn near the
head OF the staircase in their movements
and when he hurled her backwards she lost
her balance. With one loud cry of fear
and anguish she fell all down the first
night or oak steps striking her head
sharply against an old iron-bound chest
that stood upon the landing. Then she
lay stilL narrow red stream trickled
slowly from her forehead over the polished
boards
you've killed her" said Tom Drax.
quite in a whisper, with clenched teeth.
lOosening his hold as ne spoke, 'and you'll
go 10 hell for this whether or no l send you
there"
They lifted Edith's senseless body and
bore it into the bedroom overlooking the
green corn and the sweet clover fields,
shining all rosy under the lowering sun.
"She did not diep ] said for Mrs. Dunlop
had grown husky and was hopping her
eyes and face
Die, sir. Perhaps IL would have been
better so. But how can We poor mOrtals
| tell? Week after week she lay In that
room up above, till the poppies and corn
cookies died, and the wheat and barley
grew golden, andw as carried in sheaves
away. And of all that she knew moth
ing. 1t was injury to the brain, and Of
ten she used to scream out loud and cry.
and wiring her hands Don't hit me- Char
liei You've hurt my chest sol / shall
die of a cancerH she would say; or. Tom.
/ Tom. ] am waiting, darling; I know 1
shant live much longer if you don't soon
come For, dear soul she didn't know
how often Mr.. DraN was really there
holding her poor. hot hands in his, and
putting ice upon her poor head, and nurs-
ing her like a mother would. Many's the
race meeting where they must have miss
ed his face, for he wouldn't ever go away
while she was in danger. And he brought
his sister to help to nurse her, too. Lord
| Eddingtonl Oh, no, he never once came
near her, but went right away. some
where abroad. I've heard tell He didn't
! try, not he, for a divorce. for he couldn't
have got it; and they say when he came
back to England, he was forever living in
| low company, and drinking. and cursing.
and swearing, till he died some ten years
/ since. And his poor wife-why-ah, dear
me. no. her senses did not come back
ever again. It was cruel thing, wasn't
| it, TO bear? Tom Drax. he says TO me-
| i shall keep her with me. Mrs Dunlop.
always so long as ] live. She will come
to my fathers house, and Wen all do
| what we can, but fear it's but little so
he says. Poor young man; his heart
| was about broke. They do say, these
many long years, for all he's such "A hand
| some fellow still that he never so much
/ as looks a a woman. Strange, amt it?
You'd hardly believe that sir? He just
waits on, and hopes, and hopes that poor
Lady Eddington viii get well. and then
| he says he'll marry her. When her father
| old Brunner-dted, the DraX's bought
1 his house on the river. that nice red one
| sir, with the ivy growing all over it; you
/ may see them often of an evening out
/ boating Perhaps they'll be having a row
/ tonight as you go back; it's quite likely.
/ There's old Mr.. Drax and his daughter.
and his two nieces and Lady Eddington
! and Tom all living there"
| The sun was low now and the green
/ corn fields were bathed in an atmos-
/ phere of pale pure gold; these same quiet
nos
/ had hurried despairingly some twenty
/ years ago to the sign of the Startled
/ Fawn. | rose. thanked my hostess heart
/ lily for her story. said goodnight, and
/ drove away towards the station. AS |
| passed across the bridge, at the corner
/ Of which stands an UNCOVERED red
! house, / stopped for MON ent, and looked
| down at the clear river in which every
/ willow leaf was reflected, till the stream
| appeared an expanse of luminous green.
/ l heard the FLASHING of SOULS, and a boat
| came towards the landing place. A tall
/ man, of about IS years old, who I saw
/ had curly dark hair and broad shoulders,
I pushed back his straw hat, and the even
/ ing glow shOne full upon his handsome
/ face. 1t was a familiar one to me, for
/ ! had often seen Tom Drax before now
/ at Newmarket EPSON and Doncaster.
/ He shipped his SOULS, and his compan-
ions prepared to get out They COM
/ pflSed TWO pretty girls dressed in white
| flannel and a middle-aged woman, wear
/ ing rather creased blue serge. l noticed
that her hair was gray. and that it looked
rough and untidy under her shady hat.
/ Tom DraX gave her his hand. and one
of the girls joined him in helping her to
leave the boat. All of a sudden a fish
jumped, close to the group. The elder
gray-haired woman started-pointed with
her fingers to the bubbles in the river.
and laughed aloud in a foolish wild way.
And she went on laughing still, and point
ing at the water. as she stood upon the
steps of the landing place. I heard her
curious. unmirthful tones ringing out
again and again as the party went slowly
up the slope towards the red house, Tom
I DraX gently leading the afflicted woman
by the arm. When they reached the vel
vet sward of the lawn they turned round
once more, Toms kind, handsome face
was down bent towards his companion,
who was still laughing, but more quietly
| now, as if at some jest known only to her
self. ! touched my pony lightly with the
whip, and drove on quickly, and found.
as l neared the station. that my eyes
were quite dim and wet, and that / saw
the waving green of the corn-helds, the