Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-05-19


" to the leather couch at the far END
Of the room, Their backs were turned,
and the Younger one was talking in a
low tone,
The sirl leaned toward me eagerly,
We didn't expect YOU SO soon" she
said, He wrote he was coming, And
he seems ugly tonight, He is always
ugly when he's been without morphine.
He@ did he get away"
Get away echoed
YES from the sanitarium, He was
to have been watched" 1t flashed
over me in second why the Hon
StanieyS eyes rolled SO much, and
why the girl looked worn TO death,
You must understand" she said
I'VE are afraid of him, You mustn't
let him come away again, BE gentle,
but Yen mustn't let him come, DO you
underStand%
| nodded So this was the skeleton
in the Norringtun closet And she took
me for a nurse come after my own,
looked over toward the couch, The
Hon, Stanley was jogging his head up
and down in a silly fashion, and mum,
bling 10 himself He seemed stupid
enough, heaven knows, but in his
eyes, that rolled around searching the
room as he muttered, there was an evil
light. The other left him and stepped
quickly TO the girl at the table,
Go now" he said, in a whisper.
No she said 1T isn't safe for
you alone, He'll be asleep presently,
and then--may stay, nurse
She turned to me expectantly And
in that moment as the eyes OF the
man nj her side met mine, knew that
he was not deceived as she was But
he made no sign,
The nurse thinks YOU should go"
he SAID, taking Their arm aud leading
her gently toward the threshold
No Dick" she murmuerd. But
she moved slowly forward | watched
them, plying her from the bottom OF
my SOU At the door she hesitated
He was urging her softly on, when her
head bent for an instant again into the
room Her gaze slipped by me- and
fro2e into terror SO plainly awful that
my heart stopped beating The Hon
Stanley was standing at the table with
the revolver in his hand, grinning Joy
ously.
Pretty shooting" hahhled the Hon
Stanley Dead pigeon or dead wife
Pretty shooting, Dead pigeon"
His eye pupils were shrunken to pin
points, and he looked like a clothing
store dummy come to life, but dead
~ dummy for all that.
There wasn't anything to throw at
him, and SO there wasn't anything fot
me to Go hut look on, | couldn't have
turned away for the world. II uc-
Cured TO me that ! had never really
seen a murder committed before, And
wondered If, after shooting the other,
the Hon. Stanley would shoot his wife
frst-or me, The girls arms were
thrown ont upon either side Of her,
screening the young fellow. Mean
while the revolver barrel waggled up
have been even betting the Hon. Stan
ley would miss, but this was only ff
teen at the outside.
It was done quickly, As the rcyol,
Yer lifted, the man behind the girl
gathered himself for spring. He
leaned towards the green table, while
her scream rang through the room,
and billiard ball, with all the dead.
liness of ivory impact, felled the Hon
Stanley to the fur rug, while his finger
pressed the trigger, the report crack
ing loud enough to drown the scream
for the moment Then. In the silence
that followed. there was the Crackle
of wheels on the drive outside. with
feet upon the yeranda and doors
closing.
The girl crept between us. and
kneeIed down by the Hon. Stanley,
whose face was working She touched
his forehead, then picked up the bill
\ lizard ball that had rolled foot away.
With it, she turned to The young fellow
at the table.
hed, she whispered. When the
brain is wrcnched too far, reason tot.
tiers quickly. 1t was the red ball.
Y.
TIE man looked over at me-
My shoes are downstairs" ] said.
lie touched bell in the wall. We
waited for the footsteps upon the stair
case together What a thoroughbred
he was. With the rap, the impassye
face of servant appeared in the door.
way His damp clothing showed he
had driven through the storm.
Lethbridge," said the young fellow
Mr.. Torrington has returned unex.
pectedly, He has met with an acct,
dent You will drive for a doctor"
Yes, sir" said the butler His
eyes told nothing although the reyol.
yer that lay by the Hon Stanley was
In plain sight He turned to go.
And Lethbridge," the young fellow
added, you Will drive Nurse" He
looked at me inquirlngly Reynolds. =
| answered at random. seeing that he