Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-08-30

she lay and caught his first sight Of
the ribbon and the pistol attached to
1t, the most experienced among us were
baftled as to the nature Of his feelings
and thoughts. One thing alone was
patent to all. He had no wish to
touch this woman whom he had SO
lately sworn to cherish. His eyes de-
voured her, he shuddered and strove
several times to speak, and, though
kneeling by her side, he did not reach
forth his hand nor did he let tear fall
on the appealing features so pathetic
ally turned upward as II to meet his
look.
Suddenly he leaped to his feet.
Must she stay here?" he demanded,
looking about for the person most in
authority.
The captain answered by question:
"How do you account for her being
here at all? What explanation have
you, as her husband, to give for this
strange suicide of your wife?"
For reply, Mr.. jeffrey, who was an
exceptionally handsome man, drew
forth small slip of crumpled paper,
which he Immediately handed over to
the speaker.
"Let her own words explain" said
he. Il found this scrap Of writing in
our upstairs room when l returned
home tonight. She must have written
1t just before-before"-
A smothered groan filled up the
break, but it did not come from his lips,
which were fixed and set, but from
those Of the woman who crouched
among US. Did he catch this express
sion Of sorrow from one Of whose pres
ence he as yet had given no token Of
recognizing? He did not seem to- His
eye was on the captain, who was slow
" reading, by the light Of lantern
held in detectives hand, the almost
allegible words which Mr.. Jeffrey had
Just said were his wife's last commu-
nication.
Will they seem as pathetic to the eye
as they did to the ear in that room Of
awesome memories and present death?
I find that do not love you as
thought I did. cannot live, knowing this
to be SO. pray God that you may for
give me. VERONICA.
A gasp from the figure in the corner;
then silence. We were glad to hear
the captains voice again.
"a woman's heart is great mys-
terry" he remarked, with short glance
at Mr.. Jeffrey.
II Voc ooptipoont uya onu1d oil oobo
for he to whom she had alluded in
these few lines as one she could not
love was man whom most women
would consider the embodiment of all
that was admirable and attractive.
That one woman so regarded him
was apparent to all. If ever the heart
spoke in human face 1t spoke in that
Of Miss futile as she watched her Sis
ter's husband struggling for composure
above the PROSTATE form of her who
but few hours previous had been the
envy Of all the fashionable young wo-
men in Washington. I found it hard
to fix my attention on the next ques-
ton, interesting and valuable as every
small detail was likely to prove in
case LILY tueOry Ol tulS Crllue SHOULD
ever come to be looked on as the true
one.
"How came you to search here for
the wife who had written you this
vague and far from satisfactory faro
wen. L See no mint IN these lines OF
the place where she intended to take
her life"
"No! Nor Even this strong man
shrank from this idea and showed a
very natural recoil as his glances flew
about the Ill omened room and finally
rested on the fireside over which so re-
pellent mystery hung in impene-
trable shadow. "She said nothing Of
her intentions; nothing! But the man
who came for me told me where she
was to be found. He was waiting at
the door Of my house. He had been on
a search for me up and down the town.
We met on the stoop."
The captain accepted this explana-
ton without cavil. l was glad he did.
But to me the affair showed inconsist-
! encies which secretly felt it to be my
especial duty to unravel.
ITO be continued.)