Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-01-18
DARK DAYS
BY HUGH CONWAY.
CHATTER NI.-(Continucd)
SPECIAL PLEADING.

tCaiU night. II mas ilduHleu EXC cNti
since I knew not why. Vow ! know,
lie wrong me, and l killed him. killed
him.
placed my arm around her neck. and
my cheek against hers As she felt my
touch she started up wildly.
NO. HOI' she cried. Touch me not.
Shuo me! Shrink from me. Basil,
do You hear? Do You understand? I
have murdered Il mani 1884,
Once II, re She threw herself OF the
bed, her whole frame Quiverins with
anguish.
"A shamed. ruined woman She
muttered "a Villains forsaken toy,
and now a murderess You have chosen
your wife wen, Basilr'
Sweetest | love YOU" / whispered.
Love me- How can you love me?
Such love is not holy. If you love me,
aid me to die.#Basily Give me some
thing that will kill nie. Why did you
save my life?'
Because l loved you then, as l love
Won now. ~--> 49,
She was silent and [ hoped. was
growing calmcr. ] was but waiting for
the first shock of her ncwly-born knowl-
edge to pass. away, III order to reason
with hers and show her that by every
moral law, She was guiltless Of the fear
full crime Suddenly She turned to me.
How did / Kill him?'' she asked, with
a shudder
Dearest, rest We will talk again
presently"
How did Kill him." she repeated
with yehemcnce. ..,
He was found shot through the
heart" | answered. reluctantly.
shot through his hcart-his wicked
heart! Slot by me. How could [
h4ye sho5; him? With what: Basil
not have the smallest thing concealed.
/ will know allr'
He was shot with pistol
"A pistol. A pistol! :, How did I
come by it? Where is it?''
II threw it away
You? Then you$ knew"
/ bowel MY head | felt that con-
ccalment was useless. She must know
all. 80
told. her. everything. I told her how
She had promised to come for me: how,
rs she didmot keep her promise, went
in search of her ! told her how she
had swept past me in the sncWstorm;
how I hai9fEorei.taken her II I.frepeated
her wild $v1rliss and told her how the
fatal WGaponshad fallen at my feet, and
how / <hgd@ sa1r the impulse of the mo-
ment, hI1s,ltdeft away into the night; how
she had|BrQken away: from me, and fled
down tie 7l6nely road; : how, excited and
terrified ltH her words,3eI had gone aon
to leaEl their meaning; how had
found the body @of Sir .Meryyn
Ferrand:. how, without thought of con
cealing theydeed, .Iahad laidftlTe. dead man
by the roadside :: how'll had rushed home,
and foaffld her. Philppa, waiting for
insanity. I@told hers all this. and /
Swore that from, the moment | discoy-
cred that her senses had gone aStray |
held her, although she had done SO dread
full deed, as innocent of crime as when
she slept, a babe on ermothers breast:
5Jr. i, Hot G
eyes. She interrupted me neither by
word nor gesture; but when had fin
ished speaking shetcoyered her face with
her hands, and great tears trlckled
through hei" fingers. ''No hope! No
hope" she cried. ooh, Basil, | dared to
hope that something you would tell me
would SHOW me it was not my hand
which did this thing! My love, my own
love. we have been SO happy while /
could persuade myself u1l this was a
dream! q We shall be happy no more
Basil!'
by force | drew her to me, and laid that
POOR head on my shoulder. / stroked
the smooth, black silky hair, | kissed
the white forehead, and used every en-
dearing 5and soothing expression that love
such as mine could suggest. In vain!
rEhe moment | lOosened my hold my
wife fed from my side.
'Basil", she cried, t4you knew it. You
knew the blood Of man was on my
hands! Again | say such love is not
holy!
Dearest, again / tell you that III my
cyes-if the truth were known, in the
eyes of all-yOu are innocent.as. II babe. "
She shook her head hopelessly. | saw
that nothing at present could move her
Perhaps it Wls.mere@than I,.had "a right
to expect So for the time [ gave up
arguing. | begged her, for my sake to
retire to rest 7 gave her a soothing
draught / sat by her for hours, and
held her hand, until. at last her eyelids
fell. and worn out by grief, she slept.
Oh, how right | had been in choosing
flight! Although cursed chance had
revealed what / fOndly hoped would be
forever buried in oblivion, how right /
had been. Had the hands Of justice
grasped my sweet wife, although she
might no doubt have been found guilt
less. the trial, the exposure, would have
killed her. Thank heaven, she was safe,
and amcnable only to the tribunal of her
own sensitive conscience!
When | heard her breathing grow reg
ular. and knew that she was in a
deep sleep, [ pressed my lips gently to
her fair cheek. and left her. | went in
search Of my mother, and made the best
tale | could think of to account for
Philippas indispositioli. 1 forced my
self to wear smiling face, and to listen
WlJu IL SHOW OE- tLlGIGSI " Iuc tltCOu1l
my mother gave me of certain difficulties
which had during nav absence arisen with
some of the native servants. But there
was nothing which could really interest
nae when 1 thought of my poor love lying
there sleeping, to awake, alas! to sorrow
and remorse No wonder that, as soon
as | had spent with my mother the small,
est portion of time which filiaf duty and
gratitude eXacted, | flew back to Phlllp-.
pas bedside.
| watched beside her until she awoke-
until her splendid, dark eyes. unveiled
themselves: T leaned over and kissed her
passionately. Between sleeping and wax
ing, while consciousness was yet III abey-
ance. she returned my caresses. Then
came back memory and its terrors.
Leave me, she said, Il am a muder-
ess!;'
Once more I denied it; once more [
told her she was innocent. My only hope
was. that by continued argument | might
in time ease her mind. She listened al
most Alphabetically. l grew eloquent and
passionate. Was | not pleading for my
own sake as well. as hers? If | could
Yapsi1a1a bar she was uO1ccOUnf1 bile