The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-08

by this new horror that had come upon
him.
In the morning his solicitor called upon
him and asked for an interview with re-
gard to Lady Joyce's affairs. In going
over a deed box containing property and
papers OF Lady Joyce's he had found a
sealed packet-"To be opened after my
death by my solicitor" Inside this he had
found q letter addressed to Sir Vivian and
inscribed: Fer my husband. To be given
to him when L am dead"
The solicitor explained that the letter
having got accidentally in the folds OF a
deed had been missed in the first search.
Sir Vivian took the letter with a trem-
bling hand. The stress Of the last few
days had almost broken him down.
The solicitor having performed his mis-
sion, retired, and the stricken man opened
the letter from the dead and the voice
from the grave spoke to him.
MY Husband-I have kept my guilty
secret all my life. cannot let it be buried
in my grave. II 1 have never had the
courage to tell you while I lived, you must
learn the truth now. In the first years of
our married life we were childless. You
longed for a son, because if you had none
your death to a cousin whom you de-
tested. When you left for India with your
regiment had the JOY of telling you that
I hoped soon to be a mother We prayed
that it might be a boy. Alas! my hopes
Of child were not realized. And 1 had
reason to believe that 1 should never know
the joys Of motherhood. You were far
away fighting with your regiment and 1
did not write and tell you. 1 didn't want
to give you pain. But at the time my
child should have been born a poor girl
who had been in service with my mother
and had married a man who deserted her
came to me in great distress. She had
given birth to child and she was starry
ing. She believed she was slowly, dying
Of an incurable disease and implored me
to be a friend to her little one.
'"Then a wicked idea entered my head.
The child was a boy. I have not the cour-
age now to tell you the miserable fraud.
the endless deceit 1 practiced in order to
carry out my wicked design. But three
days later L wrote you that my baby had
been born while I was travelling, on my
way to friends in Scotland, and that we
had a son.
THAT son. Vivian, was the child of this
poor girl The only person who knew that
l had taken the girls child away was her
mother, drunken dissipated wretch. who
was only too glad to be rid of the burden.
1t was a stipulation that If / took it she
would never attempt to communicate with
me, or to claim it again.
You came home from India and Won took
the child to your heart as yours Year by
year as it grew up you loved it more and
more, and I had not the heart to tell you
Of the cruel fraud practiced on you.
But my punishment was to come. Years
afterward God gave me a son of my own
my little Eric. Then L thought 1 should
have gone mad. 1 had robbed my own child
Of his inheritance. Again and again I made
up my mind to tell you, but the fraud had
gone on so long had not the courage. The
scandal would have to be made public in
order to GUST the impostor. L could not
bring this shame upon you, so 1 bore my
sorrow silently tor years
Then came the horror of Viyian's evil
conduct. 1 had to see him bringing dis
grace upon your name. wasting your money
in riotous living, and still L dared not
speak
But now have discovered that he is
not only a reckless spendthrift, but a crimi-
nal. He has committed forgery, and writ
ten TO you for money to save him from the
law. L have paid him money. but L have told
him the truth. have threatened that if he
| brings misery or shame to you 1 will speak
the truth, and let you know that he is nc
son of yours. but the child OF a servant
maid that have fostered on you. But he
shall not rob my son Eric OF his rights. II
you die before me, Vivian, l shall tell the
world the truth. If 1 die before you, yoJ
! Will find it written here. | shall be dead
before these lines lie before your eyes
Pity and forgive me. My sin was begotter
Of my love for you-my fear that if L were
| childless your love would not be AWAY:
mine"
Sir Vivian Joyce read his wifes confes
sion and his brain reeled. What was he tC
| do?-what was he to say? The truth mus
| be known. Suddenly an idea came to hin
and sealed itself upon his brain. His wifi,
had threatened Vivian to tell the truth
| Vivian had found a woman who had writ
ten letter asking Lady Joyce to come t.
a lonely lane late at night That letter wa.
supposed to be from an old woman. wht
knew a secret of Lady Joyce. Sir Viviar
saw the whole horrible plot at once. 1t wal
| Vivian who had met Lady Joyce-the WON
an who, at a word, could make him al
outcast and a beggar-and it was Vivian
who had silenced her with the assassin
knife.
With a cry of rage Sir Vivian dashed
| from the room and ran up the stairs to TIL
chamber where his supposed heir was ly
| ing.
Now he could give the murderer to jus
tice for no drop of his blood ran in tn
| guilty wretchs veins.
He turned the handle Of the door anc
entered the room. The nurse came to hin
and raised her hand.
"Hush! she said. II thought he wa
asleep. Sir Vivian, am grieved to tell yol
that your son is dead"
went to his own chamber and flung him
! self upon his knees. All the shame and tn
scandal to his dead wife's memory wa
| spared him now.
Eric Joyce was his only son. the heir t.
the title and estate.
|
The mystery OF the murder of Lad,
Joyce, wife of General Sir Vivian Joyce
still remains unfathomed by the police
| ------------
Two SOnnets.
do remember we'll when first we met
How with unchanging eyes looked on thee
Whose own for one short moment turned to me