The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-11

maybe l could have made things turn out
differently.
I asked no questions, therefore, and she
said nothing more; but she watched me
from the window as 1 went down the gar
den path and along the road, and l could
not get il out of my mind that her face
was fuller of wistfulness than of joy.
So they were married. Did go to see
the ceremony performed? Well, sir, l did
and so did all the village TOO. 1t was not
a very Joyful wedding, for the village folk
were angry with her for throwing me
over, as they said Though she hadn't
promised me anything, and had a perfect
right 10 choose for HERSELF, and Oliver
wasn't popular, being a foreigner with
nasty scowl, and a habit of cursing which
folks sometimes thought would bring
down a judgment on his head. And so,
perhaps. II did.
1t wasn't a pretty wedding, either The
bridegroom'S face was yellow white. and
his face twitched unpleasantly. Cynthia
was not only pale but NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and forlorn. She had had bad dreams. I
heard from her father afterwards. There
was no fun or jollity to speak of; and as
for me, my heart was heavy as lead
They were not going away; they had
taken the cottage on the headland close
to Cynthia's fathers little house. and
there, 1t was given out, they meant to
bide. I don't know if youth understand
sleep
for me that night. 1 couldn't rest in a
bed, nor yet in the four walls of the
house; so l tramped miles along the cliff
and back again, reaching the hight above
Polwhele somewhere about dawn. where
there was a golden light an the sky. hut
the sun was not yet up, and the air was
deadly cold.
Why 1 came so near to divers house
cannot rightly say. My feet seemed drawn
in that direction against my will | was
about two hundred yards off when 1 heard
cry-nay, not one cry, but wild shrill
screams, one after the other, as if some
one was mazed with fear and pain.
set off to run, when suddenly the door
opened and a slim, white creature. with
hair flying behind her and arms thrown
above her head, darted down the path
and out upon the downs to the edge.
the very edge, of the treachous cliff. I
shouted aloud, 1 ran-God knows how I
rap-but I was not in time. l saw nv
Cynthia throw herself from the cliffs into
the depths below.
looked over and dared not look again.
There was something white lying on the
stones at the base of the cliff She might
still be alive I thought. ] called for help.
and ran, madly and wildly, down the
nearest path that led to the shore
But haste made no difference now, She
was dead.
[ was still kneeling beside her, and the
doctor and some fisher-folk were standing
round, when we saw the wretched hus-
band, Luis Oliviera, coming toward us,
with staggering steps and livid lips, his
eyes staring, his hands clenched at his
sides. The doctor tried to stop him, but
ne pushed everyone roughly aside and
stopped down to uncover her face. He
laughed when he saw it, and not one of
us but shrank back from the man who
could give vent to that wild demonIac
laughter when his newly-made bride lay
before him dead.
Then he looked up and saw me. His
face changed to the expression of savage
hatred that l had seen before
1t was your doingp' he cried, to my in
tense surprise and dismay. you brought
it about, curse you! But for you she
would be living yetr
You are raving," said I, not very
steadily.
''Raying, am I? Who spoke to her
about the bandage on my arm? But for
that she would not have thought or sus-
pected-and you, you liar and fool, you
knew
Knew what?" I gasped, staring at his
disordered aspect, and wondering whether
l was not dealing with mailman after
all.
That III was leperp he shrieked.
at the highest pitch of his dissonant voice;
then, with a yell of laughter, he tore a
Ioosened bandage from under his sleeve
and brandshed before us the SCARED and
withered limb which bore the marks of
the fell disease that Cynthia had held in
horror.
"a leper" he cried. "a leper-as white
as snow!"
Then, before anyone could interfere. he
had drawn pistol from his vest and shot
himself through the temple falling dead
over the body of the woman whom he
had loved-and slain.
Ever since that day, II has been runor-
ed that he is sometimes seen at the leper-
window, but for myself, 1 have never
looked upon his face again, alive or dead
So ended Tregarthen's story. In its
main outline l know that it is true; and
Cynthia's horror of leprosy presents no
unparalleled case to the student Of his
tory. As to the supernatural element of
the tale, I do not feel at liberty to say
very much. Unless my fancy played
strange tricks with me that day. l certain
ly saw at the leper's window a face which
correspondent in every point with Tregarth-
ems description of the man whose BODY
rests at Cynthia's side in the lonely
church yard above Polwhele. But I can
not help hoping that what I saw had moth
ing 20 do with Luis Oiviera, and that his
troubled spirit rests in peace.
The End.