The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-02-01
CHAPTER ~.

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On the afternoon Of the day follow
irg the murder I made my way to De
Fene Gardens. The previous evening l
had gone there full of blissful excite
mens was going shere te ask Mabel
Eenton Go be my wife, and as ] scarcely
doubeed what her answer would be- ]
was in the seventh heaven OF prospective
happiness. Now, the day afterward, /
entered the house absolutely detected
and broken down, for Iknew her broth
an to be 4urderer. The police were
an his. track and at any moment be
MIGHT be arrested. = vorld OF trouble
was ii store for my darling.
the man who opaued the door eyed
snewish marked curiosity. My devotion
% Mabel was BOO obvious to have es-
saped notice below stairs. The visit of
/ the police that morning 60 make In;
aniries had naturally aroused great ex-
siEement In those regions, and now not
only mas regarded as the favored
sEitnr Of his young mistress, bat I had
MI she additional interest OF being
inspected murderer.
BE ushered me- into the drawing
roSm It Itremained just as ] remember
ed it the previous evening. There vas
s$he bowl Of roses from which ny love
had taken the choicest bloom TO fasten
IN my coat, treasure whicil I had In
Eardiy vowed to heard forever, buG
which had been lost In the brutal fray
lest, crushed and Eodden In the mire,
There was the book Mabel had been
reading when entered, and by its SIDE
she paper knife with which she had toy
ed before made her hand my captive.
And there was still shat subSle odor OF
S7aiets, which would linger In my mem
Dry, iaseparabIy connected with That
scene. 5
Brit now the frou from Of dainty
skirts told me OF my darling sapproach.
Ihe handle turned, and Mabel stood be-
! fnre me.
9 alabels',
Duncan e,
For one sweet moment all else but
aar love was forgotten In one long, rap
4urous. embrace. Not "a hours had
elapsed since Last held my dearest ia
any arms, hut what world of agony
had happened in that timel
looked into her eyes, so full OF un-
told happiness for me; I kissed the lips
that spoke 5ut.os sweetest love, and for
xEe moment all the pending misery WAS
fnrgutten in enc long fand rapture OF
bliss.
Never had Mabel looked go unspeak-
ably lovely Her red geld hair rippled
and shimmered In the clear sunlight
and waved and clustered round her
white forehead. Her deep blue eyes
looked into mine in trustful faith. Her
poniing lips invited kisses, disclosing
pearls OF, rarest beauty, while the color
eeu her cheeks came and went in concert
with the heayIng of her breast.
tOh, Duncan, my poor boy, how
shamefully they have treated you! How
could they suspect yous How dare they
arrest yons'
g Their suspicion was nothing. You
did not doubt me for moments" :.
Duncan how could I?''
She started from my embrace and
held herself erect.
Though all the wcrld were against
you, you know 7 could not fer one mo-
ment doubt you.
I drew my dear one to a seat still
foIiiing her hand in mine.
.aTell me, Duncan, she said, with
gentle sympathy, tell me all about it"
- So i poured into her ears all I dared
tell her Of my experiences after leaving
her the previous evening. touched as
lightly as possible on my finding the
body Of tae murdered woman, scarcely
mentioning the man who stood over her
AS 4 told of the fury of the mob her lit
tie hand tighsened in mine and the color
left her cheeks. When l spoke to her of
the long, dreary night at the police sta
ton, her eyes betrayed her sweet COM
passion, and when / breathed tenderly
all my thoughts of her in the darkness
and gloom that had shrouded me she
nestled almost imperceptibly nearer to
nae, and again for a moJasnt I forgot
the coming agony. When l described
the weary waiting in the morning, the
arrival o. my friends and my ultimate
release. she broke in eagerly:
''Ah, Duncan, it was so unfortunate
George was away when the police came!
I know how sorry he will be that he
could not be the first to goto you! How
indignant he viii be at their suspecting
you.''
Oh, the untold irony of her wordsl
All tins time my mind was forlornly
g-cping for an answer to the monoto.
nous question which I knew must come
sooner or later and which would tell
her what would give worlds that she
should know first from another.
Ilistened as with womanly care she
prayed me to tell her il / had rested
and eaten and a hundred other things
which tender love alone could suggest.
Z listened. and | suppose NV answers