The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-09

! =. The 60Je EaIer H


The man was a sailor. L could see. but
It vas the expression of his face that
most powerfully interested me, as he
sauntered in and sat down to wait his
| turn in the reception room" Blank de-
spair was there, and that woe-begonc.
reckless look which l have seen dozens
of times on the faces OF men and women
who have tried 10 commit suicide, and
either failed or been rescued There was
also an Unsurpassed excitement affect
ing him. as could sec by tho powerful
quivering OF his hands as no cut himself
a bit of tobacco.
Been having a spree and lost his
! money or watch aud now comes 10 us
| for help" was my mental comment, so
| i was In no hurry TO attend 10 him. His
| first words. however, both undeccived
and startled me.
MY name Is Matthew Harris, and I've
come TO give myself up"
stared at him. trying in vain to re-
member any one OF that name who was
| wanted"
What for? What have you done?' I
said. after a pause.
For killing my wife. She was buried
| about month ago., and I've had no rest
ever since"
i thought 7 understood II now. The
! man was mad, and like many more I'm
| that unhappy condition imagined himself
/ guilty OF murder.
l took him 70 "a quieter room. and tried
| TO engage him In conversation till the
medical Inspector could be brought 10
examine him. But my eelicacy was
quite thrown away upon the self-accused
! sailor, who was a man or great intelli-
gence and penetration for he read my
thoughts like book, and promptly said
II know what you think You're say
| ing TO yourself, oh. here's another mad
| man-lll have TO humor him bit: but
you're wrong I'm not mad. nor likely
| TO bel only wish l was; I'D get some
| kind of rest then"
IF you killed your wife. how comes II
that we have heard nothing OF the
| crime?" / quietly remarked. How was
| the thing done?"
"Oh. there's lots o. ways o. KILN folk
/ that nobody ever dreams on, wearly
| returned Harris. Nobody thought I'd
harmed a hair of her head; and nobody
| would yet, only my conscience won't let
| me Off / thought, before she was gone,
that IL ever anybody deserved to e
| helped out OF the world IL was her, but
when folks are in the grave you come
to think different on en-"
You were unhappy. then?"
Mortal unhappy. Nobody knows but
myself what / suffered through that wo-
man-as drunken a jaGe as ever crawled
the earth If l didn't know II. / couldn't
believe that II was the same lass that
used to sweetheart and look forward TO
seeing at the end OF the voyage. She
was pretty and good as any on earth
| then, but she took to drink after we was
4 married-little by litties--and then II got
such hold on her that she couldn't help
herself. First she drank all my savings.
! then she drank er clothes. and then
she began to drink the furniture"
and YOU tried TO stop It, OF course?"
| Might as we'll have whistled for wind
| In dead caim-she wouldn't be stopped; /;
| and as i was at sea most of the time.
| Id no proper idea what a miserable wo-
! man she'd growed TO. l thought when
| the child came IL would pull her up
| bit. but IL didn't for long. ! was sort o.
\ built up on The wee thing. / will ad-
| nit" and the man wiped the sweat
| from his brow rather slowly 10 hide some-
| thing else. 1T was so like what she'd
been when she was pure, and young, and
| sweet; and, as l didn't know how IL was
| neglected while L was away / never took
thought OF evil. | was always thinking
| OF the child when l was away. seeing
| that its mother was not worth thinking
| OF now, and looked forard to the time
, when it would be grown-up lass able
| to watch its mother and keep her outen
! harm way. My God. when think of IT,
die after ALL"
( How? what? did she injure the child?"
II was coming up Leith Walk, one
! bitter cold morning before 6 o'clock, wnen
our ship had just got In and was think
| ing what a nice surprise I'd give TO the
| child when / got home. I'D little squeak
/ ing doll In my pocket for IT, and no end
! OF sweeties I'd brought from Rotterdam.
\ When / was half way up I.eith Walk
| comes on a crowd OF working men, and
| such like, who were gathered round
ragged little Infant they'd found lying
| bout dead in the frozen gutter IL had
| been left there for God knows how long
most likely all highland was just
4 about gone when the policeman got il
| and put his coat about IL. / swore a bit
| at the unnatural father and mother that
| could leave such q little thing there, and
went as far as the police station with
4 the crowd. and then heard that the poor
| little thing was dead. then went home.
l and found the door or my house open
bur nobody at home. Then somebody
! told me that my vile had been took up
4 drunk the night before. Nobody know d
\ anything about the child. l went TO the
station and found my wife, but she aidn I
| know what she'd done with IL neither.
| Don't know how IL was, but the minute
| she said that, my heart went all cold
and dead as a lump of lead. and thought
| straight OF the little thing I'd seen picked
UP on the street If that's my little
| Chicky'--I used TO call her that.-I said to
] myself, III never hold up my head
| again ] went down TO the station house
and got them TO show me the frozen little
! thing. Ii was my little Chicky, stin as
| "A stone. l took out the little toys ia
| brought for her, and let 'em drop on the
| fioor-they was no use 10 me now. Tn
4 not hard-hearted, but l couldn't cry
there wasn't a bit or cry In me. The
men in the place seemed To take on more
than me, and said some kind words which
| / didn't rightly hear. was so struck TO
see Chicky dead. Then I took her up in
my arms, and axed the loan OF a coat TO
cover her over while carried her TO my
house ;and they sent man TO follow and
watch me In case 1 should drop dead on
the way Wish't had--wish't had'
II think 1 remember that case" inter-
! posed I'm a subdued whisper. Your We
was tried for II. and got six months
| imprisonment"
IL saw Chiclsy buried, and then sent
word to my wife that I was done with
her: that she'd get half OF my pay as
soon as she came out Of prison but that
| she and | must be same as strangers.
| But what's the use OF saying anything
| or arrauofpg nnythinu with n worn n N