The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-16
THE STRANGE CASE OF WILLIE RANSOM.

demanded nothing but my love. always managed to spend two or three evenings out 6f the week with her., and then she was radiant with jov. All went vel until one night at q private entertain Janette, whom you know 70 well. She had just returned from Paris, where ene had gone to complete her education. she was radiantly beautiful, tall. or voiup. tuous but light and graceful figure ana hair that seemed spun from purest go!d. She sang and played exquisitely. Tn the dance she seemed to float through the air upborne on angel wings. Almost as first sight, I fell desperately in love. MY attentions were, assiduous and, at iaSt, become her accepted lover.
 Tt is needless to say that in /the meantime paid slight attention to Ma mic. At last I received from her Q pit- begging me to return to her. I was deeply touched; but felt that 1 could not be untrue to Janette. so I sat down and wrote Mamie long letter. inform ing her of my engagement. and stating be discontinued. assured her that she should never want; that I had bought the cottage in her name; that had made arrangement with the First Na. of every month. When had sent this letter, by special delivery, l, felt that a great weight was removed from my bosom, and went out for walk. That enjoyed the charms of her society aa never before. She sang and played my favorite pieces with exquisite skill and true sympathy, as though she was my guardian angel. being usedrby an nil- the indiscretion which man is 70 apt to fall into, when enamored with simple minded girl like Mamie. l went home, , my heart overfowing with happiness. and ot tcV.f xxroll Avan nVratn nf
 Next morning. arose and called for the morning paper as usual. The first item that met my glance was this: About o'clock last night an unknown lyns back a Of Iis the oid % I stas. o House IUa ana immediately plunge into the river. She disappeared at once from sight. and noth- ing has been seen Of the body" I was troubled beyond measure when I read this. and at once sent my man-servant cut to see if Mamie was at home. He returned in about an hour, saying that he found the house wide open and no one about, and the neighbors had seen nothing of her since the evening heforc. when she seemed to be in great dis tress and affliction. At this news I was thoroughly downcast, and went down ana offered to the skiffman a large reward for the recovery of the bsdy of the wo-
 ing before. l returned to my room. where l passed the day In ahject mis- cry. Toward evening, a skiffman came and reported that the body was found. street. There. stretched upon the maddy bank of the river. lay the corpse of Mamie. horribly disflgurci by her long snbmersion in the river. At the awful sfnt saint ny aa ssnses sns gays way and rsw ard staggered up the bank. and fell heavily to tho earth. losing conscious. Eess. I awoke In my own room, feeling terribly weak. You were beside me, and y,u told me to lie perfectly still. lay learned that had had . terrible at- tack of brain fever. and that for two weeks my life had been despaired of. With returning consciousness came the agony of remorse, but I still gained in strength, and after some weeks of con valsscence, l was pronounced well. felt 1t to be my duty to conceal all from Janette, for knew the revelation would gtod. There were moments when | felt an almost irresistible impulse to rush out into the street and proclaim to the w,rld l was & murderer. Yet kept sil- ence. On tho night before your depar- ture for vour summer trip, I was feeling particularly well. I seemed to have re- covered my health entirely, the fanEs Of remorse gnawed my heart less than at any time since the death of Mamie. l went to visit Janette, she was de- lighted to see mo so much improved. We spent charming evening together It was almost midnight before I bade her adieu. --'-''
 "As l walked down the street I was again happy. It was a cold. clear. moon lit night I heard the distant bell of the Asylum striking the hour of midnight. Suddenly. sitting upon. the curbstone close at hand there appeared Mamie as though 1t were a phantom. Oh. you have never seen the Supernatural, you can form no conception of it's effect upon mortal man. T was utterly unnamed. An indefinable instinct told me that 1t