Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-03-31

watchers IemaiIed in the room: the
major extended upon the sofa, and the
young lawyer seated upon an arm
| chair.
Meanwhile the doctor visited the bed
side Of the lady. He found her sensi-
Die, though very weak, and attended
Dy Miss Hit and her own woman,
Madame Elise. He gave some careful
directions for her treatment, and then
retired to the parlors below. with the
intention of remaining in the house
until the moraing:
Oi the two sufferers, the lady was
the first to recover the possession of
her faculties. There were many good
rsasors for this. In the first place,
she was younger and more elastic in
constitution; next, she had been Injured
to suffering; then, she had never, since
the infancy of her child, been accus-
toned to her society; therefore. her
grief partook of the nature Of Il Sc
we're disappointment rather than that
OF u cruel bereavement; finally, she
was not without hope, and that is q
great mental support.
And thus 1t was that when she had
taken the nervine stimulant prescribed
by the doctor, she felt herself stronger
andsaid:
madame, it was you, think, who
spoke of my daughters fate, for she
was my daughter and only child. Will
You now be 80 GOOD as to tell me al.
the particulars?"
'Ma'am, 1t seems to me never caI
do right, do what l may! You hear&
how that old brute Of a Major Burns
blowed me up for telling the captain y"
mo, l did not"
ooh, no! so you didn't! You had
tainted! Well, he did, then! he called
me a horrible fool. and said that had
driven the captain mad! And, now,
YOU see. if you should be taken worse
through anything that l should tell
you, the blame would be laid on me.''
II shall not be worse: the danger of
the first shock is past; the rest may be
very cruel. but it can be borne! Tell
me all you know of my child's fate"
The major had told the truth of Miss
Hit in one respect. The tragic events
Of the week had precipitated her to the
verge of dotage, else she would never
have ventured to relate to Il fragile.
nervous, invalid woman. the horrors
of that fatal morning in the bridal
chamber. 1t was well that she did so,
however. Fools rush in where an
gels dare not tread!' and often the
fools are in the right of it.
Tie lady lay and listened calmly to
the whole descriptive narrative, not
only of the supposed discovery of the
murder, but of Daney's whole life at
the island. as far as was known to
Miss Hit herself-includirg Daney's
infancy, childhood and youth; her
love. courtship and marriage; her ar
rival at the island; her supposed MUIR
der and it's discovery; the suspicious
circumstances that pointed out her
bridegroom as the assassin; his ex-
animation and committal to prison.
And you really suppose Monsieur
lie Colonel Greville to have been the
assassin?' said the lady, with wonder
full GOODNESS.
II do, ma'am.'
"Then 1 do not, Madamew said the
Italian lady.
But why, ma'am?"
"Simply, Madame because l do not
believe that there has been any MUIR
der comlrittedv'
But, ma'am, consider! the blood
upon the floor! the violent disorder of
the furniture! the general evidence OF
4 desperate strlggle!'
'rhose seeming evidences could have
been easily arranged for the very pur-
pose of misleading investigation.
Whereas, if such a desperate struggle
as they seem to indicate had really
taken place, it must have been heard
by every person in the house. There
fore, you see, it could not have taken
place. Consequently, my child could
not have been violently murdered; no
she was quietly drugged and alb
Quoted. Her unhappy husband was.
no doubt, also dragged into that deep
sleep of which he spoke" said the
lady, with marvellous calmness. that
was due, 10 doubt, to the powerful
nerviDe she had taken.
Miss Hit began to gasp for breath.
:'If l thought-if l thought" she
said, that there was any chance Of
little Daney being alive, l should
break my heart for pure low ~