The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-10

off nv feet. There was nothing for it.,
however, but to pretend that had
known her.
1T was the same old stereotyped way
Haven't seen you for some time!
Where have you beenT : Will you ever
forget the last time etc. Non COM
initial phrases--were fencing and all
that, you know-rotten nonsense!
"Well, the upshot of it was, / asked
her point blank to have dinner with
me. She laughed, accepted, and in a
minute we were up the avenue. Let me
give you hint Of what she looked like,
old chap You may have read about
| i'll said nothing). Her face was as
clear as wax, without bit Of color,
Her eyebrows were straight and mar
row, and her hair rose from her white
forehead as even as cnacOal Hne. Tier
eyes were 50 pale that the BLACK dots
of her pupils could be seen dozen feet
away, but her lips were as red as blood.
Blood" he repeated. She was the
strongest and most beautiful thing alive
God! Yes, she was.
'Well. Go my best, | could not find
out how she knew my name. ! grew serl-
Gus, but she laughed that off; then l
grew interested-I could have sworn
that / had never met her, you see. Sud
denly she turned to me and spoke IN
French can claim it as my native lam
guage, almost-and we talked ON in that.
She was clever; she was bright; she
was uncommonplace, and insensIbly,
she made me keep my distance. At
last we stopped at the frame house on
the Hill overlooking the Hudson. There
were a number Of cabs and carriages
waiting The veranda was filed with
we'll dressed people; wine was being
opened silks and satins and bad Eng
lish. You know that set.
1--WE dined together at a little table in
the corner. If ever a man made love, 1
did / didn't know myself / was
swept away. Den, believe l scintilla-
ted could see nothing but gray eyes
looking at me across the cloth. | could
hear nothing but the low, purring laugh
and the caressing tones of her answers.
My heart beat so fast l almost smOth-
cred | was wild-crazy, if you like.
Suddenly / noticed she had gone light
on the wine / had ordered. The bottom
Of my own glass had seemed TO 60
further and further away. The bub-
bles would rise at me and seethe as if
they played little tune Of pleasure.
Never had l felt so in my life. i was
the hero Of a fairy tale. Life was great
and grand and given to enjoy. river
steamboat swept up against the dark
shadow of the Palisades; it cleaned like
a great opal | felt that | could have
waved my hand and stopped it; that
she and / could have gone on board
and sailed away to some country where"
Charlie paused-'where there never
was hell" he added.
Now follow Well, we rose to go
and | had paid my BILL She had
laughed at all my attempts to find out
who she was. l was in despair, and
yet / had the sensation that there were
only two persons on earth, that woman
and myself, and what should we care
for the rest? 1t was late. | had dis
missed the hanson and nothing but a
solitary four-wheeler stood in the drive
way near the shed. | called the man
to me and we got inside and there | told
her how i loved her; there | asked this
creature that four hours before l had
never seen--whom | did not know-this
SIhinx-this," he stopped, "this-God,
/ know not what, to marry me, as It
she'd been princess whom I'd served,
/ asked it. Her only answer was sound
/ could not distinctly understand, but
she allowed me to put my arm about
her shoulders, she allowed me to kiss
her upon the lips. / was crazy mad,
wild; and yet / thought victorious. o,
how | lived in that one moment!
II had noticed what lovely throat
and neck she had, round and full with
that little crease across it, beneath the
chin. Her head was on my shoulder,
or, better. on my chest. What perfume
it was in my nostrils | could not fathom.
She was making a strange chittering
sound, attractive. but like the noise of
some beast, or, may be, bird-and yet
like laughing!
I'VE PASSED by an electric light. 1t
flashed for an instant through the cab
window and / saw what made me al
most die as I sat there. There was
something cleaning at my chest--she
held a narrow bit of steel grasped In
her right hand!
Have you ever seen a mechanic fit a
plunger i'll its place? She was adjusting
the point above my heart with her fin
gers. At once Inc murder OIL my DFOJueF
came to my mind. The stab wound and
the story of the woman who struck the
blow. All the horrid scandal
it was so hard to hush. |
was strong; my months Of pad
ding ON the lakes had given me a
grip. l moved softly and slowly, rails
ing both my hands / caught her by the
throat. She made a strike at me and
something jingled at my feet. / could
feel my fingers sink into her fesh-it
rose under my nails; they almost met!
She struggled strongly, but not sound
did she utter, nor did |. | held her
there until everything went black and
was so tired that my arms ached from
thumb to shoulder: and | flung her
back, dead Dead. Do you hear me?
Dead"
Cummings was painting so hard [
feared some sudden trouble with his
heart. But j remembered it now-the
strange woman found murdered in a
four-wheeler. The self-drunken driver.
The mysterious dinner party of two ait
the Claremont. The man who disap-
peared The ten days mystery. But
nothing Of the finding Of
knife: mans silver watch chain was
fnund on tha floor IF tho eah b,yvaver