Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-20

OF kindly QlSp0S1tl0n ana quite capaDle OF
doing a very unsclfsh act. Still, this would
not seem to be reason enough for me to in
trude upon her late at night with a plea for
large loan of money had / not been in
desperate condition of mind which made
any attempt seem reasonable that promised
relief fro-h the uncomfortable burden of a
pressing and disreputable debt. was
obliged to have money, a great deal oil
money, and l had to have 1t at once; ana
while I know this will not serve to tighten
the suspicion / have brought upon myself
by my late admissions. 1t is the only ex-
planation l can give you for leaving the
ball at my fathers house and hurryinS
down secretly and alone into town to the
little cottage where, "a had been too
early in the evening. small entertainment
was being given, which would insure us
being open even at so late an hour as mid
night. Miss Page, who Will. l am sure,
pardon the introduction of her name into
this narrative. has taken pains to declare TO
you that In the expedition she herself made
into town that evening she followed some
persons steps down hill This Is very like-
ly true and those steps were prohaolS mime
for after leaving the house by the garden
door I came directly down the main ROAD
to the corner of the lane running past mrs
Webbs cottage Having already seen IRON
the hillside the light burning in her upper
windows. I felt encouraged to proceed. and
so FASTENED on till I came to the safe ON
High street. Here had moment OF hesl-
tation and thoughts bitter enough TOT me
to recall them at this moment came into my
mind. making that instant. perhaps the
very worst in my life. but they passed.
thank God and with nothing more u.sSpeI
ate N mind than a sullen INTENTION OF ,i ntN
ing my own way about this money hit e,
the latch of the front door and steppeu III,
81 had expected to find a 1ovlaI sroup
of friends in her little ground par o. y.
at least hear the sound or merry 49,
and laughter in the rooms above; pu' ~
sounds of any sort awaited me; lndeeu' 'ie
house seemed strangely silent lor one 50
fully lighted. and, aStonlsheu at Iiit9,
,ys,r m
in An unexpected and pittful Slght aWalt-
ed me- Seated at table set with apuh-
dance of untasted food l saw the master
of the house with his head sunk Lor"
on his arms asleep. The expected guests
had failed to arrive, and he, tired out with
waiting had fallen into a doze at the board.
This was condition of things for Whlch
l was not prepared. Mrs "epp, Whoih l
wished to see, was probably upstairs, and
while might summon her by sturdy rap
on the door beside which L stood, L had
SO little desire to wake her husband Oh
whose mental condition | was well aware,
that L could not bring myself to make any
loud noise within his hearing. Yet L had
not the courage to retreat. All my nope Oh
relief from the many difficulties that men
aced me lay in the generosity OF TINS
great-hearted woman. and if out OF puSll-
lanimity | let this hour go by without max
ing my appeal nothing but shame and dis
aster awaited me. Yet how coud l hope
to lure her down stairs without noise? l
COuAu not anu 81, SltItiHS " INC III pSi7N
of the moment, without any realization, L
here swear, of the effect which my uneX-
pected presence would have on the noble
woman overhead, slipped up the narrow
staircase ana, catching at that moment the
sound of her voice calling out to Batsy, 1
stepped up to the door | saw standing open
before me and confronted her before she
could move from the table before which
she was sitting, counting over large roll
of money.
My look tand it was doubtless not a com
mon look. for the sight of a mass of money
at mat moment, when money was every
thing to me, reused every lurking demon IN
my breasD seemed to appau, if it did not
frlghten, her, for she rose and meeting my
eye with d gaze in which shock ana some
strange and poignant agony totally mcom-
she cried out:
No, no, Frederick! You don't know what
you are doing. If you want my money
take it; If you want my life, 1 will give II
yourS-dOn't-
did not understand her. l did not know
until thought it over afterward that NV
hahd was thrust convulsively into my
breast IN a way which, taken with nv wild
men, MADE me look as if l haG come to
murder her for the money over which she
was hoVerlng- l was blind, deaf to every
thlnS but that money, and bending madIv
forward IN state of mental intoXication
awful enough for me to remember now. |
answered her frenzied words by some such
broken explanations as these.
Give, then! [ want hundreds-thousands
how now, to save myself! Disgrace.
shame, prison await me if l don't have
them Give, give!" And my hand went ont
toward 1t, not toward her; but she mistook
the acCon, miStook my purpose, and with
d heartoroken cry, to save me. me, from
CRIME, the worst crime of which humanity
Is capable she caught up a dagger living
only too near her hand in the open drawer
against which she leaned. and in moment
OF tatnomless anguish which we who can
never know more than the outward seeming
or her life can hardly measure plunged
against 1t and-I can tell you no more
Her blood and Batsys Shrek from the ad-
joining room swan through my conscious
ness, and then she fell, as I supposed, dead
upon the floor, and 1. in scarcely better
ease, fell also.
This. as God lives. is the truth concern
ing the wound found in the breast OF this
Observation-Disclosures woman"
The feeling, the pathos, the anguish even
to be found in his tones made this story
strange and incredible as it seemed, appear
for the moment plausible.
And Batsy?" asked the coroner
Must have fallen when we did for |
never heard hel voice after the first scream
But l shall speak Of her again. What 1
must now explain is how the money in Mrs
Webb's drawer came into my possession
and how the dagger she had planted in her
breast came to he found on the lawn out
side. WheE | came to myself, and that
must nave been very soon, | found that
the blow had been such Mortified witness
to had not yet proved fatal The eyes l had
seen close as | had supposed, forever, We're
now open, and she was looking at me with
a smile that has never left my memory,
and never will.
There is blood on you she muir
INJURED. You did not strike the blow. Was
1t money only that you wanted, Frederick?
If so, you could have had it without crime
There are thousand dollars on that table
and half much again in the closet over
yonder. Take them and let them pave your
way to a better life NY death will help
you to remember Do these words, this
action of hers. seem incredible to you, sirs?
Alas! alas! they will not when / tell you
and here he cast one anxious, deeply anX-
ious glance at the room In which
Mr.. Sutherland was hdden-"that I'M
known to me, unknown to any one living
but herself, unknown to that good man
from whom it longer be kept hid
den, Agatha Webb was my mother. I am
Philemon's son, and not the offspring of
Charles and Marietta Sutherlandr'
Go be continued)
The Dance in BaracOa.
From the Outlook.
Tho p11Itar the kettledr1Ip the oo,rd rot