Saint Mary's beacon., 1900-06-28
A LIFE SENTENCE.

They had come out together on
the lawn from the room that was
too small to hold two men and their
anger. Mildenhall's sudden rage
had kept him as yet from realizing
the full meaning of the torn letter
which had fallen from the lace ut
his wifc's bosom rs she left the din
ner table three minutes before. She
had swept away, trailing her silks af-
ter her. unconscious. Every fresh
thought flushed bis face anew, and
his fingers oonvulsively crumpled
or rolled the scraps of paper that
he clung to with both hands.
"0h, you scoundrel ! Oh, You
id scoundFel n
The half-light from tho drawn
blinds fell on the letter-the fool
ish letter, in Kingsmark's hand
writing-and fell, too, on Kings
marks white, hardened face, that
seemed to peer with a piteous Curl
osity at what so little time ago was
the face Of his friend His friend,
his dear old friend, whom he had
so baseIy betraYed--and that not
for loves sake, but in the climax
Of a series Of weak concessions to
the foolish passion Of his friends
wife.
The broken voice went on, sound
ing YEARLY, like the voice Of one
who has spoken a long time.
"And II any one had told me,
Jack-only Eve minutes back--be-
fore THAT you--oh, you d--d
scoundrel !"
At the fresh blaze Of wrath, Kings-
mark put up his arm instinctiyely.
"Keep off," he said, speaking
for the frat time.
The action put new thought
into Mildcnhall's madness. With
scream like az animal in pain.
the big yellow. bearded man threw
himself upon Kingsmark and hurl.
cd him TO the ground. as they
rolled over together, Kingsmark
felt hands at his throat. lie eyes
swan in his head-thc clutch re.
leased for an instant, and before it
frightened again, his fingers found
what they sought 10 hia breast
pocket.
Mildcnhall was kneeling on him
and laughing hysterically; speech
was impossible to Kingsmark ho
tried it; then forgetting everything
but that life and sense we're leaving
him, he struck upward with all his
ebbing force,
A tremor ran through the fingers
at his throat, aud their clasp was
loosened. He struggled to his
knees.
Evelyn Mildenhall seemed to be
sitting against the tulip bank, with
his head thrown back and his beard
pointing upward, just as il used TO
DO when he let of his great peal Of
laughter at some jest Of a friend.
"Evelyn !"
No answer. Then the blood
rushed into the forehead OF the man
who realized what he had done.
lie stepped back into the house
and throw on his hat and Inverness.
When he returned, he leaned over
MiIdenhall and stroked his hair
with his hand. The man was dead 4,
but the man who had killed him
could not think OF that now. All
his senses were strangely alive to
trihes.
Through the open window he
could sec the dining-room as they
had left 1.-THE chairs thrust back
the cigar box open on the table, the
wine still in the glasses. One of
the two who had sat there was dead
the one who was alive hardly
knew which. The turf was wet.
Had a shower fallen !? At dinner
she had complained Of the heat, and
languidlY predicted rain. Milden-
halls head, lying back like that,
must be crushing one of the tulips.
Naturally an unobseryant man,
Kingsmark noticed for the first
time that the tulip-cups shut at
night. Something was shining at
Mildenhal's breast. The silver
figure of contadina halfting to the