The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-02-09

my hand seized package of letters hidden
among lace. Like lightning, it flashed
through my head and heart. Ha! this was
the kind of letters you recognize at the
first glance-love letters!
"The package was tilo up With a pink,
Sllver-bOrdered ribbon.
What are you about to do?' 1 thought
as l held it in my hand. is this the way
for man of honor to act? Spying out the
secrets of his wife-secrets that belong to
the time of her girlhood? Have you a
right to be jealous of that time when she
did not yet know you? Who could believe
her capable of a false step? Who? 1t is
an infamy to suspect her
But then the demon whispered again.
But suppose these letters are dated
since that time that she has become
yours?" And 1 untde the ribbon. l opened
one letter after another, and read them all
to the end.
"Oh, what a terrible hour that was!
For what did those letters containY
The basest deception to which man ever
fell a victim. The writer of my
best friends! And the tone-the tone. What
| a passion what a certainty reciprocated
love! In what terms he spoke of keeping
the secret! And all these letters were
dated since our marriage! How shall L
describe to you what l felt? After the read
ing L tied the letters up again, covered them
! with the lace and locked the drawer.
expected. | stood on the terrace. She hast
lily stepped from the carriage toward me,
embraced and kissed me tenderly, and
seemed exceedingly happy to be with me
again. l tried my best to keep self pos
session We supped together and then re-
tired to our bedrooms. l did not close an
eye. After midnight | rose and entered
her room.
GLOW gentle and beautiful was the fair
head which rested on the white pillow
the image of angel surrounded by snow
white clouds. What terrible lie Of nature
is vice behind innocent an exterior. L
had made up my mind to kill her just as
she lay there.
4 pass over the details of my crime.
She died without Offering any resistance. as
calmly as others go to s,eep. She had never
! opposed me in anything. ana did not op-
pose me now. One single drop of blood fell
Hpon the back of my hand YOU know
>'here. L became aware of it only on the
following day after it had dried.
I'VE buried her, no susDccting the
! truth. l lived in solitude. Who could control
my actions? Besides. she had neither par
ents nor guardian, and had so delayed the
dispatchng of the usual funeral invitations
that none of the invited could arrive IN
time.
after returning from inc funeral I did
not feel the slightest sting &C conscience.
1 had been cruel but she mad deserved it.
l did not want 20 hate her-wanted to for
get her. I hardly thought of her Never
! man has committed murder with less re-
! pentance.
I'm the castle I found waiting for nc the
| Countess, who rad .ust arrived, u her re-
| gret, like all the others, too late Size lur-
! ried to mcat me in great e,l21.crnnnt ard
| overwhelmed NE with wor Is Of sympathy
| and consolation, to which l hardly listened.
| Did l need consolation? I was nor sad
! Finally she informed me with suDdued
voice that she was comp ellad to oorfde
! to me a secret, ana said shat she relied
| my discretion as 4 man of honor ske
| had given my wife a package of letters
! which she herself had not dared to keep
| at home and these letters she now asked
me to return to her A shudder of horror
ran through me. Still 1 was capable OF
| questioning her with external composuce as
| to the contents of the letters.
! Sir she answered. greatly embar-
| raised, your wife was more generous than
you. When she accepted my letters for
! safe-l1eepng she was not curious to know
| their contents, She even promised me
| to leave the package untouched, and I am
| perfectly convinced that she never read a
! line of them. She had noble heart and
| would have been ashamed to abuse the con-
| fidence placed in her
! 49, BY what. then. shah 1 recognize your
| letters?' l asked.
They were tied with pink, silver Dor
dered ribbon
81 took my wifc's key and made a show
of having difficulty in finding the letters.
Is it tniS?' / then asked.
Yes. yes; that's it. You see the knot
which l tied here is intact
Il did not dare to look her in the eyes.
Soon afterward her carriage rolled out
of the gate.
THE drop of blood IN my hand had long
since been removed. No external symp-
tom indicates any suffering, and yet the
spot upon which the drop had lain burned
| like corrosive poison. And this pain is
increasing from day to day. At times
fall to sleep from mere exhaustion. but
the sensitive pain continues even during
sleep. l complain to no one; no one would
believe me. You have seen what pangs 1
have to bear and what relief your two oper-
atoms have given me, but hardly is the
wound healed up when tho pain comes
back. My force is at an end. Within
an hour l shall be dead. One thought
consols me, that already earth she had
been avenged: perhaps she will forgive me
in the beyond l thank you for everything
you have done for me. May heaven re-
pay YOU"
few days later the papers brought the
news that S., one of the richest land hold
ers in the country, had shot hmself-out
of grief over the death of his wife, some
said, out of despair over incurabe
wound. said others-whle his nearest ac-
quaintances declared him the victim OF
monomonia, claiming that the lncurable
tion.-St. Louis Post Dispatch.