The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-04-19

see the TWO ora SeulleLleu DelOfe L
slept, since nothing but death or dire
distress would have kept them from
gratifying the one whim of my fathers
failing mind. promised, and with
perfect peace in her face she pointed to
the dagger in her breast
"But before could lay my hand upon
it she called for Batsy. 7 want her to
hear me declare before l 60 said she,
that this stroke was delivered by my
self upon myself But when rose to
look for Batsy l found that the shock
of her mistress fatal act had killed
her and that only her dead body was
lying across the window sill of the adj
Joining room. 1t was chance that rob-
bed me of the only witness who could
testify to my innocence. in case my
presence in this house of death should
become known, and. realizing all the
danger in which it threw me- 5's:i: rot
dare to tell my mother for fear it
would make her last moments mser-
able. SO told her that the poor wom-
an had understood what she wished.
and this satisfied my mother and made
her last breath one Of trust and con
tented love. She died as | drew the
dagger from her breast. and. seeing
this was seized with horror of the
instrument which had cost me such
dear and valuable life and flung it
wildly from the window. Then lifted
nd loj1 hpr
on the sofa. That the dagger was
an old time gift of her former lover,
James label. did not know. much
less that it bore his initials on the
handle
he paused. and the awe occasioned
by the scene he had described was so
deep and the silence so prolonged that
shu,ider passed over the whole as
semh,age when from some unknown
quarter a single. cutting voice arose in
this one short. hooking comment:
"Oh. the fairy tale."
Was it Amabel who had spoken?
Some yet thought so and looked her
way. but they only beheld sweet,
tear stained face turned With an air of
|
| begging pardon for the wicked doubts
which had driven him to this defense.
Frederick met that look with one so
severe it i,artook of harshness. Then.
resu!nng his testimony. he said:
III is Of the label brothers must
now speak and of how one of them.
James by name. came to be involved in
This affair.
when | left my new found mother,
was in such state of mind that !!
| passed the room in Which my new
found father sat sleeping. With scarcely
so ui,Ich as a glance. But as | hasten
ed on toward the quarter where the
Ii,ielS lived some computations of pity
:1r his dcsolate state caused me to fal
.er ii my rapid flight. so that did not
reach the house quite as quickly as
might otherwise have done. When
tl.a. found ii dark. as might reason
ably have cNpccted but. remembering
the extreme anxiety which my mothei
llat! shown in their regard. even in her
dying moments. ! approached the front
,lGur and WAS about to knock when
f0und ii open. Greatly astonished. 81;
Qnrp passed in and. seeing my way
perfectly in the moonlight, ntered the
9Gnl on tlie left. the door of which also
stood open. It was the second house
had entered unannounced that night
and in this. as in the other, | encouA
tered Il man sitting asleep by the table
Going UP to him. | saw it to be tn
Oh ,,ft 40 ,f1i Inl, nd
: ceiving that he was suffering for foo
and liz !, cn;'dtTi0n of extreme misery,
took out tie first bill my hand encoul
tered i'll my ovelfull pockets and laid
on the table by his side. AS did so Ii
: gave q sigh. hut did not wake; and. 81,
o siied thnt had done all that WAS Wis;
and all that oven NY mother would eA
g pect OF Inc under the circumstances
l and fearing to encounter the othc
u brother if fingered, | FASTENED ava
/ and took the shortest path home. Ila
u been more CT 4 man or if my visit I
q Mrs Webb had been actuatcd by
/ more communicable motive. | Woul
/ have gone at once to the good ma
II who believed me To be of his own tle,:
/ and blood and told him Of the strans
y aud lcartrrnding adventure Which la
! changed the whole tenor Of II
n thoughts a!!d life and begged his AT
e vice as to what had better do undo
L the difficult circumstances i'll which
It found ,GEself placed. But The memoi
II of !: ousand past ingiHlitWlcs. t
y getAer With the knowledge of the shoe
). which he could not fail to receive {
n learning at this late day and Under GO
/, dltions at once so tragic and full
e menace that the child which his Ion
5, buried wife had once placed in h
s arms as MS own was neither Of h
e blood or his, rose up between Us Al
r caused me not only to attempt slenc
a but to Secretc in the adjoining Woo
f the money | had received in the va
It hope that all visible connection b
h tween myself and my mothers trag
d death would thus be lost You see,
e had not calculated on Miss Amab
d Page"
d The flash he here received from til
b lady's eyes startled the crowd and ga
e Sweetwater. already suffering und
oft sh Of In, Or al en- ,ri