Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-03-18

twoitWas. But, on looking more closely,
I made it out to be the old woman. She
was almost naked, except for the COW
cring of the sack; and one of her vel
low arms, which lay exposed, looked
unspeaka2ly lean and shriveled and
weird. l also noted another point The
tangled black hair, which had always
struck me so about her, was now be-
tlNyed as not being her own. 1t was a
wig; half on and half off at that mo-
ment, giving her a fearfully grotesque
appearance, and clearly revealing her
bald pate, scantily fringed with few
wkisps of gray hair, beneath.
"'What is the matter? Are you i'll p
i asked, bending down, and speaking
in q loud, clear voice; for l knew her
to be almoststOnc deaf.
"She stared at me with dazed, sus-
p;cious eyes, and said nothing; only
moaning again.
care you HIP I repeated.
Another moan.
Where is your brother?' shouted
Has he left you alone"
"She looked hard at me. could see
in her restless black eyes that this time
she had caught the purrort of my ques-
tion-
"'Blother Tom?' she mutteed.
"'Yes!' I roared. Where is he"
"She looked at me very cunningly.
Her eyes seemed to wake up and sparkle
with an almost unnatural brightness.
Don't you know?' she gasped.
81 shook my head.
"Wcll, you shall hear she went on.
I'm just going the Same way myself,
md it's no use keeping secrets any
longer, He's dead
"'Dead!' ! exclaimed, supposing that
her wits were wandering, for l had
seen him at his hovel door less than a
fortnight since. When did he die?'
"Shc gave low chucble.
"Fifteen year ago
Nov, of course, 1 saw that she was
raving. Her hawk-like eyes, fixed on
my face in a most forbidding lcer, ut
once read my thoughts,
"No, amt mad. It's the truth. He
died Is year ago, and l buried him my
self under yonder hearthstone. Get
them to dig it up, and you'll find his
bones
"As she spoke, the bag clutched my
sleeve and half raised herself by SUI
preme effort. Her face wore fiendish-
~ exultant grin. Her whole expression
was grotesque, and repulsiva. She
leered into my face with look that I
can never forget
eyes, yes she said. 'All tTuc-all
true 1 hid it, and no one knew. And.
with hideous chuckle, I've dror'd his
pension myself for 5yearF"
And were her brothers bones found
there?" I asked the rector, in the course
of a subsequent conversation on the
subject
Eyes. lie had been buried scarcely
q couple Of feet below the surface. And
In q hole in the chimney we found the
Tiscr's sayings-more than 6 500 in
gold and notes. 1t was paid over to the
government In return for the I g years
pension out of which they had been
cheated"
at was wonder that no one found
out the woman's dual personality"
at was, indeed. But no one dreamed
of suspecting. And the woman must
have worked It very cunningly. The diff
ference in her look with and without
the black wig was quite remarkable.
Then her brothers dumbness was II
feature in her favor-no chance Of be-
ing found out by the voice. or course,
70 anyone who had the smallest sus-
picion, the whole thing would soon have
revealed itself as plain as pikestaff.
But no suspicion existing, I do not think
that the real explanation was likely to
cross anyone's mind, and, as a matter
Of fact, it never did."-London Truth.