The Iola register., 1901-03-08

ures and possible financial crashes.
The young man engaged in specula-
tion now and then.
The major gave him the telegram
and turned away. He was deathly
pale and tripped on a rug as he
walked towards the door. Blanche
looked over Talley's shoulder. The
message was from the agents of the
Cleopatra's company on Broadway,
and ran as follows:
ave regret to inform you that your
wife, in a temporary fit of insanity,
during a severe storm two Gays before
the Cleopatra arrived at Liverpool,
threw herself overheard ana was not
rescued. Our information comes di-
rect from the captain of the Cleo
patra, who adds that full particulars
are being sent to the New York pa
pers."
isn't it awful-poor old mani" said
Talley, looking at Blanche, but she
seemed to have lost the power of
speech. She turned white to the
roots of her hair. Going into the lit
tie reception-room adjacent, she found
her guardian standing at window.
She laid her hand on his arm.
"Oh, l am so-sorryl" she said, ten
derly.
But he only laid an unsteady hand
over hers, pressed 1t a little, and said:
'Thank you, dear little girl; leave
me alone now, please"
And as she moved away she saw
him sink into a big armchair and
cover his face with his hands.
That afternoon the papers came
bearing a long account of the tragedy.
The major was in his room and sent
one of the maids down for them, so
no one saw his face while he was
reading the details, which shocked
him as if every word of the account
had been true.
did you ever imagine that Mrs.
Goddard was not quite right mental
ly?" asked Talley when he was able
TO catch Blanche alone that after
noon.
Yes" she answered. 81 suspected
or rather she confessed to ten
dency in that direction the night be-
fore she sailed. She said she hoped
Nht wy hBt NOulh cure nCIs
"Ah, that sort of thing never en-
tered my head" said the private sec
retary. 81 thought she had the clear
est head of any woman alive, but
bright people do lose their balance"
They saw little of the major that
day. He remained in his room.
Friends called to offer condolences
and letters and kilograms of SYM
pathy piled up on his desk in his
study, but he saw no one nor opened
any communication. The next day
he went to the city, and there in a
small hotel where he was unknown TO
any of the inmates he took up his
abode.
He was as nearly insane as a man
OF sound mind can become. His exist
ence became a routine of mental tor
ture. He spent each day in walking
through streets where he was not
known. At night he would lie awake
till his physical nature would refuse
longer to bear the burden his wife
had put upon him, and then his strong
frame sank under the blessing of
sleep.
He realized fully what she was ex-
pecting of him, and he hardly knew If
he would be equal to carrying out her
plans. At the expiration of the first
week after the reception of the news
n letter arrived in his private letter
box on Sixth avenue. He was almost
afraid to open it. 1t seemed like a
communication from the dead-or
worse, command from hell And
when he had finally devoured il, and
found that Jeanne and Mrs. Nolan
were comfortably domiciled in n lit
tie furnished villa near Kensington
Gardens and really enjoying life in
perfect security from detection-even
then, ] say, he had no more hopeful
horizon.
was the sin of il all that ground
his finer nature down into despair.
and he was wise enough to know it.
However. there was even in Jeanne's
letter much of the potent charm which
had been since his marriage his di-
recting influence, and he read and re-
read the graphic account of her ad-
ventures till the awful picture was
stamped on his brain. She wrote
often, and her epistles were always
replete with good humor, her old vi
vacity and endearing expressions.
In that way month passed. He
scarcely spent an hour out of zach
day at Lyndhurst Often he went out
on an afternoon train and took the
next back to New York. The man
who had charge of the private letter
boxes stared at him curiously every
time he came in and with quivering
fingers unlocked his box.
The major began to disregard his
dress; often his neckties were not
carefully tied, nor his boots polished,
nor his silk hat ironed. He no longer
frequented the armory of his old
regiment, nor his club. He had no
desire to meet men he knew.
1t was after he had received a let
ter from Jeanne urging him not to
delay any longer in the matter OF
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