Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1901-06-21

Il
o'clock and returned about two or
three; and every night he went out at
half-past six, and rarely came back
until after 12-and none Of the board
ers could conjecture where he was or
what he was doing between these
hours.
But what most excited Miss Melin.
da's curiosity was this:
She occupied the room adjoining
Mr.. Mortimer's, in common with heI
mother, and frequently, after he re
turned, he did not Immediately re.
tire to rest. She could hear him Chez
mother could not, being slightly deaf.
and, in addition, a very heavy sleep
err walking up and down his room
talking, sometimes low, sometimes
groaning, at other times sobbing, ano
then he would laugh very heartily
This would be kept up sometimes foi
three hours, and then he would 60 tC
bed and snore.
These proceedings bewildered Miss
Tubbs in trying to discover their
cause; but at last she arrived at the
conclusion that he must have commit
ted some great crime-murder! per-
haps-and his conscience was trou-
bling him.
Or perhaps he was fugitive from
justice, and was afraid of being
caught, and, therefore, was going in
sane from fear and conscious guilt.
These suppositions only rendered
him more fascinating in Miss Molin-
da's eyes. She sympathized with him
-pitied him.
81 suppose he has been cheated out
of his property by some villain" she
thought, sorrowfully, 'and on return
ing to his home to claim his birthright
found it held by usurper lie could
not substantiate his claim, and, driven
to desperation, killed the usurperand
then fled, and is now living in seclu-
sion to evade the minions Of justice"
Miss Melinda tried every means in
her power to overhear Mr.. Mortimer's
soliloquies, so that she might obtain
some clew; but for long time her
efforts were unsuccessful. She failed
to make out what he was talking
about; but at last fortune favored her
One afternoon about four O'Clock
she was all alone, her mother being or
visit to a friend, the boarders, with
the exception of Mr. Edwin Morti'
mer, being absent on their severa
business duties; and Mr.. MOrtimcI
was in his room, and Miss Tubbs wa.
in the kitchen, kneading dough fol
piecrust -.-.-u ---
She was softly warbling to herself
some delightful melody when she wa.
startled by a shout that evidently pro-
ceeded from the room occupied by the
mysterious boarder,
She listened intently, and presently
the shout was repeated with double
vigor
"What can that be?" she asked her
self, trembling, but at last curiosity
overcame her fears, and, rejecting heI
first instinct, which was to rush out
into the street and scream "Policer'
she crept upstairs quietly and lis
tened.
The door Of Mr. Mortimer's room
was ajar-very slightly, though! so
she could see nothing, but could hear
very plainly. And this is what she
heard
First a sigh, then a groan, followed
by a heartrending sob-Mr Mortimer
pacing the room hurriedly meanwhile.
Miss Melinda held her breath and
listened intently.
ooh, no, cannot" cried Mr.. Nor
timer, in tone of despair; 81 cannot
drive these visions from my mind!
They haunt me night and day! Their
pale faces follow me everywhere, and
cannot shut my eyes to the dreadful
truthw
Melinda listened, homor-struck,
hardly able to keep from screaming
aloud.
Gle is hauntedw she thought,
fearfully. "He has committed some
great crime. | knew itw
"Done in moment of passion, "
continued Mr.. Mortimer, in a sepul-
chral tone that curdled Melinda's
blood to hear. "but how could | re-