The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-26
THE ADVERTISERS 4 .s W
 ae # DAILY SHORT STORY.0 /
ccOpyrisht. 1900. by Daily Story Publishing Co.,,

1t out on the desk before her. ! Y
 Yet I will-yes, I must--teil 1t all. Why I ever quarreled with Bessle l l cannot explain. We had been playmates from childhood. She knew that 1 loved
 her. Perheps I was to blame for in- sisting that she must not go out with pr, Seacrest. He was cad--mi idle aged and Northerner in the bargnn. | Any woman ought to have sense enough to see that. How pretty she looked that night as she stood there by the big oak. near the edge of sAe lake, in tsle moonlight swinging her sailor hat by its strings.
 What business is 1t of yours, I'd like to know?' she inquired saucily. Then I made the first mistake of that horrible night. often I wonder how ever could start up in the mid- dle of the night with that question burning ia my brain. made an an- gry, taunting reply. She answered in kind. Once she burst into tears, but quickly concealed her emotion. Envy had aroused my anger; jealousy blind cd me. Still would never have c5m- mitted that awful ded if she had not called my martyred father a spy. Red spots danced before my eyes. My fingers closed about her throat. She looked at me in defiant surprise for moment and when my grasp frightened she began to struggle and trie1 to scream, but there was only a sup pressed gurgle. 1 do not know how long I held her-those dilated eyes staring at me-that tongue protruding from her mouth. At last l approached the bank of the lake, gave her a push and released my grip on her throat. Thar.a anla ah in tho W ran to the house and climbing on the rear porch. entered the hall and sought the shelter of my room.
 "Oh, the horros of that night! hid my face in the coverlid and lay trembling,-barely restraining myself from rushing back to the scene of my crime in order to gaze in the silent depths of the lake for a glimpse of the body of my victim. Soon the wind arose and came shrieking from the east. I could hear the moaning of the waves as the tempest lashed the waters on the shore of the lake. Finally sank into a light slumber; 1t seemed scarcely a moment before heard voices below my window. I sprang Up and looked out. A tall, stalwart mu- latto, holding a pink and white sailor hat in his hand as talking excitedly to my mother. The whole household surrounded him.
 x %
 My mother finally consented to my going north to a law school. Kind Goul
 she never once suspected the cause of my moodiness and thought a change of scenery would cause me to forget my love for Bessie. In two months the public forgot all about the pretty little girl that committed suicide and ceased .~tk. e.. vs,~.. |. | of my affection.
 ''Can I ever forget? The first day at
 Yale l met her on the street. I gave
 a startled exclamation when first Eaw
 her. The follows thought'I I had gone mad. They say have a past.
 "Oh, how I hate this place. If 1t was
 not for my mother I would leave this
 spot forever. On moonlight nights I
 row my skiff under the sha1ow of the | bank"
 The light grew dim. The writing on
 the yellow pages faded from view;
 strong hands seemed to clasp her
 throat. Flora fell limp to the floor. When the girl recovered conscious
 ness. the sunbeams were pouring
 through the windows, bathing the fur
 nishings of the room in golden radi-
 ance. Flora placed her hands to her
 throbbing temples. Was it all a
 dream? No. the yellow manuscript lay
 on the writing desk. The lamp was still burning. The wretched girl tried to
 scream but something seemed to rise up and choke her. The manuscript
 seemed to fascinate her; again her eyes
 were rivited to the last page. At the
 end was written a name that she had
 promised to bear for life. Already. the final preparations were being made
 for the wedding. With blanched cheeks she stared at the terrible thing before
 her. At the bottom of the page, some thing was written In a neat, round hand. She brought the page nearer her eyes.
 My Dear Mir. Bentley: We thank
 you for the pleasure of reading your story and regret that 1t is unavaila ble
 in its present form for our use. "- Editor"
 Floa sprang from her seat with a
 cry of delight. Then she began to cry softly and seizing the hated manu-
 script. she crammed 1t, viciously into | the drawer which she closed with a | bang.
 Good morning, dear" called Aunt
 Esther as she entered the room. Up So soon? Well. it's a perfect day. Are you happy"
 Indeed, I am. aunty." responded
 Flora. with a becoming blush as she turned to arrange her hair. 2 by H. S. Canheld.