Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-07-11

had been true.
did you ever imagine that Mrs.
Goddard was not quite right mental.
lyp" asked Talley when he was abl>
to catch Blanche alone that after.
noon.
YES" she answered. 81 suspected
Or rather she confessed to ten.
dency in that direction the night he.
fore she sailed. She said she hoped
the voyage would cure her"
"Ah. that sort Of thing never en-.
tered my head" said the private sec.
rotary. 81 thought she had the clear.
est head of any woman alive. but
bright people do lose their balance"
They saw little Of the ma ior 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
eny 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 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. Az night he would lie awake
till his physical nature would refuse
longer 70 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 II
he would be equal to carrying out her
plans. At the expiration of the first
week after the reception Of the news
a letter arrived in his private letter
box on Sixth avenue. He was almost
afraid to open it, II seemed like q
communication from the dead--o,
worse, command from hell And
when he had finally devoured it. and
found that Jeanne and Mrs. Nolan
were comfortably domiciled in a lit
tie furnished villa near Kensingtor
Gardens and really enjoying life in
perfect security from detection-eveu
then. I say, he had no more hopeful
horizon.
~ was the sin Of it all that ground
his finer nature down into despair
and he was wise enough to know it.
However. there was even in Jeanne.
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 wa,
stamped on his brain. She wrote
often, and her epistles were always
rcplete with good humor. her old vi.
vacity and endearing expressions.
In that way a month passed, He
scarcely spent an hour out OF each
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
! Nditlullo lieu, NOR Nls DOOlS pOliSneu,
nor his silk hat ironed. He no longer
frequented the armory of his old
| regiment, nor his club. He had nc
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
making Blanche his wife. owing ia
the great likelihood of the girls dy.
| ing suddenly. that he bethought him.
self that he had neglected his ward
very much, considering her solicitude
in his behalf, He knew the girl was
thinking of him, for every time he en-
sered his room at Lyndhurst he saw
evidence of her thoughtfulness in
fresh flowers cut in the conservatory
by Der own hands.
On this day, when he arrived al
Iyndhurst. he went into the library
His father, who had been in his life
time a distinguished surgeon, had left
good collection of valuable medica
works. II was Jeanne's alusion tc
Blanche's critical condition thai
caused him to look up description
Of her malady. "Aortic aneurism."
he murmured, as he ran through the
index of big book. But the finding
of the article on the subject, and the
colored illustrations of the delicate
organs on the point Of bursting from
the pressure of blood. sickencd him.
at is indeed fatal" he said. "She
can't possibly live long, and if l only
knew that she would be happier as
my wife for the remainder Of her life
Jeanne might have her wish. II
would make Jeanne happier, too, and
perhaps she does deserve better luck
than to be the wife of poor man"
Had he been as suspicious and as OBJ
servant as many detectives he might
have noticed that the words ''aortic
aneurism" had been pressed into the
surface of the paper across the text
as il some one had written them with
a pencil on piece OF paper resting
on the page. The formation of tht
letters resembled the handwriting o.
his wife. but he noticed none of these
points, and closed the book.
Just then the footman brought II
small parcel and placed it on I
table.
What is that, James," asked tn,
major,
"A package Of medicines for Mis-
Briscoe, sir"