Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-01-07


dazed by the prospect and the old
mans bitterness. Then he pulled
the glass door to aud went down
The balcony steps along the avenue
10 where Kate was standing in
tremble, staring at the light from
The study. 1t was queer she should
say to him:
LpO, you never threatened him!
l heard your voices, but | was too
frightened to move. Leo, don't
harden your heart so-wOuldn't
you be bitter IN his placer
Perhaps was all he said. The
air of this place suffocstes me-
Well, they had got to the end of
the avenue when there came after
them a bOarse scream, unnerving
enoug in the circumstances is
the one word-'Mui der and moth
ing more. But the worst Of it was
that the sound came from the
house he bad just left.
OF course. he stood staring at
the girl, incredulously, and the
next thing he knew was that she
had broken away from him and
was flying back mp the avenue.
He followed mechanically and
instinct took him back to the study
window. Aud, b, JOvtl across the
carpet ia there, sure enough, lay a
still figure; bis wife hung over it
with clasped hands, and the ser
wants were bnzzing and whisper.
lpg brhind. Murder. Well, the
old gentleman bad been struck
sideways, 1t seemed, as he sat.
rnere was purple mark on his
right temple, aud there was his
own heavy ebony ruler lying Dear
by. And tue mani Well, Mark
house suddenly woke up to the
fact that they were pointing at bin
and that the buzzlng had stopped
There be isr says some one.
Don't let him go'
What BE couldn't believe his
own eyes, of course. They were
all shrinking back from hlw-eveD
bis own wife, he thought. is every
one madr he asked. Kate, what
does 1t meanY
'Meanr says Silyerly, stepping
up. swhy, it means murder, Mr.
Markbouse, and you mustn't leave
this house yet. Accuse youi-all
Of us. You came here for money,
stealthy; was in tie hall, and l
heard every word of your quarrel.
When you had gone | knocked
several times, but the door WAS
locked / called the Others, and
we broke in to find him lying-no,
Miss Kate, you can't "
She had canght those words and
grasped what they meut. Woman
like, her first thought was for her
husbands safety; she got boli OF
SilverIeS's arms ana held him
back by man force, implOring
MarhkOuse to 90, to escape, and
leave the rest to Providence. OF
c DnrEp. he ought TO have stood his
ground. but the thought that she
believed him guilty fairly paralyzed
him. It seems. At any rate, he
rnrned and went off without an
other word-as bad thing as he
could have done.
For the next two days it was all
chaos. People who called to SYN.
pstbize found Kate wandering
about like a ghost, and everyone
was whispering of her as widow
alre16nI9 ID seemed clear enough:
| NJ bnpuse mad struck the blow H.
temper and was missing; bis bes'
friends could only hope that he had
got ahead OF the bue-and cry. Two
Lays; then came the news that
NArkbonse had been arrested easil,
4 few mil S away. simply Remark
Jag that he cared not jOt whether
they brought bin IN innocent OF
the reverse.
Mss Kate, she heard 1t about J
o'clock that evening, aud 1t seemed
70 put new life iatO her She
stood staring at space, they said,
for about FIVE minutes add then
sent a man gallOping of with a
telegram. That telegram was ad'
dressed to me, and it simply said
Come instantly, upon a matter oi
life and death.
I happened to be away from
; home that night, but took train
e for Wimbledon about 10 the mex
! morning and found that the Inquest
was afoot. Tne jury had Just beer
{ to view the body, and most OF the
t servants we're making ready TO re
= turn with them and give evidence
\ Tr fho nanorol ovoffamanf haf