Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-11-09

hanelaSn Il1teQ the Qead woman as
If she were a sick child. threw his
cloak over her and, carrying her out
to his wagon. placed her in a sitting
posture on the back seat. Then,
| springing into the vehicle, he drove
away.
He had a good mile to go. and half
the distance had been covered when
sud Ienly black figure sprang into the
mi. die of the road, laid hold OF the
horses head and brought him to
stendstilL SO
1t was Schuyler Brant.
Hello Dr. Harry You're id unso-
ciable this evening Ha, ha, ha, ha,
ha, Why didn't you stop and ask
| fellow to rider" And ere Ranelagh
could gulp his heart down, the man
had leaped into the wagon beside
! him
I'm at it again. DR.. Harry" the
man ratified on. But, say, has Mary
/ been to see your" he asked, lowering
! his voice and throwing a strange ten
derness into it.
Ranelagh was now fighting for his
own life, and the struggle put unearth-
! ly ken into his mind
Ssh, for Gods sake be quiet, Brant!"
he whispered into the drunkard's ear.
"She's there behind us on the back
seat. asleep, WORKOUT It's been too
much for her,"
'Oh. what a wretch I am, DR.. Har-
ryi" moaned the man, leaning forward
| Sc
At that instant the dead wife lurched
forward and sank in heap between
the seats, her chin catching on the
back of the front one.
Ranelagh felt her. and so did the
drunken husband for her head fell
forward until her forehead pressed
against his back.
The doctor gasped and shivered as
If someone had dashed knife into his
back, down. down to his very heart.
Was all lost? No. not yet! There
was one more card to play
Dent stir, Brant," lie gulped. "She
is ,kneeling; she is praying! She's
praying for you. man! Don't stir! Let
her have her sleep Quit" And DR..
for the shaking of the lifeless form
was terribly like the heaving of a
sobbing heart.
But Brant did stir He half turned
and. patting that beautiful death 8
head broke out weeping:
"Take heart, dear wife, take heart!
BY Heaven, I will be better man! I
| 7 will on 1n
little Bible mother gave me-" And
then. as if some other thought had sud-
denly flashed upon him. he whispered:
"Pull up, Dr. Harry, pull up, Let me
out! III run home cross lots and wash
up and put on other clothes. Speak a
good word for me, DR. Harry Com
fort heri Drive slowly; get her Gained
down. I'll meet you at the door" And
shaking off the influence of the liquor
Brant sprang lightly out or the wagon
and disappeared in the deep shadows
of the increasing storm.
Like poor wretch condemned to the
pcine forte ct du1e. from whose
crushed breast a merciful hand might
suddenly lift The mass of iron. Rane-
lagh heaved a deep and loDg-drawn
sigh. which sounded like a brother to
the blast which played around him.
Their having driven somewhat nearer
to Brant's house, he alighted. took the
dead body of the mans wife. bore it
into n tkicket near the roadside. laid
it upon the ground. regained his wagon
and drove swiftly homeward, after he
had turned around in front of the
drunkards house.
Upon the preliminary hearing. the
village doctor told how the woman
had come to him complaining of her
husbands prolonged debauch; how he
had striven to comfort her and. the
rain coming on. had started to drive
her home; how they had met Brant;
how Mary had kneeled and sobbed in
the wagon, and how Brant had leaped
out and fastened across the field
Ranelagh could not remember that
Brant had said anything about wash
ing up and changing his clothes. The
servant was in the bedroom. undress-
ing. when she heard the doctors wagon
halt IN front of the house
When questioned as to whether she
heard Mary's voice downstairs. her re-
ply was that she had not, but that she
could hear Brant talking plainly:
that he rushed wildly from one room
to another, and that twice she had
heard him exclaim, "By Heaven, I an,
free at last" And she was positive
that she heard the rattle of the tin
basin when he took it from the nail
where she had recollected having hung
it.
On the eve of his trial SCHUYLER
Brant, driven to madness by theeawful,
though unreal, fabric of his own guilt
thus reared by the hand of fate, stran-
gled himself to death with one of his
braces.
Ten years later after DR.. Henry's
death. Retty Ranelagh came upon he.
brothers confession.
1t was mld-winter, a fire was blazing
upon the wide hearth in that old New
England home, and she had but enc
step more TO take when she fell In =
swoon, and the neighbors were hastilt
called in and The world learned of Dr..
Ranclagh's crime.
MENACE OF THE FOREST.
Continent VIII Dry Up III Present De-
structive Processes Continue