The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-05-21
CHAPTER XIV.
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me in such a wild. despairing way!
weep and mourn, upbraid me as the
.ause Of all your bitter sorrow, and
anything, only do not stand there in
such silent, frozen horror and despair.
Lesley! Lesley! Oh, Heaven, have
KILLED her!"
The wild words dropped from Max
Ruthven's ashen lips. White and still,
aazed, bewildered by the awful shock,
the suddenness of the fearful blow,
Lesley stood, half comprehending his
meaning. To her there was but one
word now; it caught and held within
It's relentless grasp all the hopes and
Joys, and possibilities of happiness in
aer life-that one cruel. bitter word
dead!
Max Ruthven caught her cold, white
hands, and pressed his lips upon them
lnrebuked, for she knew not what he
did. He was scarcely conscious of his
pwn actions. All that was best and
ruest in this mans nature was stirred
oy this sight of this wordless grief,
this dumb despair. In that hour the
Evil in Max Ruthven's heart died
sudden death, and bitter remorse took
possession of him. All the iniquity of
which the man had been guilty skunk
away out of sight now in the presence
Of the one pure love of his whole god
less life.
Frightened at Lesley's stony calm
and fearless agony he sprang to the
oellrope and rang wild peal, which
brought Mrs. Greyson and Maude in
terrified haste to the apartment. A
few words from Ruthven sufficed to
explain the situation.
ooh, my poor darling!" cried Maude,
throwing her arms about Lesley's neck
and drawing her head down upon her
shoulder. "Cry, do try to cry, Lesley.
Oh, Mrs. Greyson, what can we do to
break this unnatural calm? 1t will
kill her."
Speak to her of him-of Mr.. Ards
ley" suggested Mrs. Greyson. Lesley,
deai )" she added, taking the girls cold
hand in her own, "he is dead. John,
he whom You loved SO dearly, your
own husband, is dead, Lesley
Dead"
Lesley repeated the word in bewil-
aered tone; her eyes stared vatantly
Before her; but nothing seemed to have
power to unlock the floodgates and lie.
the wild tears burst forth.
LET me make suggestion, If you
please, Mrs. Greyson," ventured Max,
at last. Suppose the-the body is
brought here into her presence? The
sight of it might have the desired eff
fec. am afraid that she will lose her
teason. See how vatantly she stares!"
Maude flew from the room to break
the sad news to her parents.
A conveyance was dispatched at once
to bring the body; and later in the day
the solemn little procession wound
slowly up the long avenue which led
20 the Cedars.
The body was fearfully mutilated,
The face swollen and dscolored, but the
hair and mustache were of the same
hue as John Ardsley's and the gar
ments were identified as those of the
missing man; even a ring-a peculiar
ring, which all present recognized as
having belonged to John Ardsley-was
nf
corpse. But no papers we're discovered
upon the body; nothing, save a satiny
card-a lady's visiting card-and on
the back line penciled in delicate
hand.
The detective who had been upon
John Ardsley's track, and who had
been the one to first discover the body,
took this card from the hand of the
coroner, with grave expression upon
his shrewd face, and he kept his own
counsel.
There were no marks of violence up
on the body, and the inquest resulted
in verdict of accidental drowning.
He had doubtless fallen over the steep,
precipitous bank, into the foaming tor
rent below; though there were those
who shook their heads obviously at
this theory, for no one knew that road
and the steep bank just at its curve
better than the late steward of the
Chadwick estate
The body was buried at once, in the
family burial place of the Bradburns,
and plain monument erected; for
Lesley was too poor now to afford
more costly structure, and silence fell
over the whole sad affair.
1t was the night after the funeral, a
dark, gloomy night. Lesley had at
last found. relief in tears, and had
sobbed, and wept. and moaned until
49, l. 4 L.