Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-12-09

ell and, only stopping TO take the key
of the Moore house from my bureau.
left the house and wandered madly-
know not where.
II did not go back that day. l could
not face her again till l knew how
much OF her confession was fancy and
how much was fact roamed the
streets, carrying that key from one end
Of the city to the other, and at night
1 used it to open the house which she
had declared contained so dreadful
secret.
II had bought candles on my way
there but, forgetting to take them from
the store, l had no light with which to
penetrate the horrible place that even
the moon refused to illumine. realized
this when once in, but would not go
back. All have told about using
matches to light me to the southwest
chamber Is true, also my coming upon
the old candelabrum there. with q candle
in one OF its sockets. This candle
lit my sole reason for seeking this
room being my desire to examine the
antique sketch for the words which she
had said could be found there.
Il had failed to bring q magnifying
glass with me, but my eyes are
phenomenally sharp. Knowing where
to look, was able to pick out enough
words here and there In the lines COM
posing the hair to feel quite sure that
my wife had neither deceived me nor
been deceived as to certain directions
being embodied there In writing. Shak-
en- in my last lingering hope, but not
yet quite convinced that these words
pointed to outrageous crime, I few
next to the closet and drew out the
fatal drawer.
"You have been there and know what
the place is, but no one but myself can
ever realize what it was for me, still
loving. still clinging to n wild incense
quent belief in my wife, to grope in
that mouth Of hell for the spring she
had chartered about in her sleep, to
find 1t, press 1t, and then to hear, down
in the dark Of the fearsome recess, the
sound Of something deadly strike
against what took to be the cushions
Of the old settle standing at the edge
Of the library hearthstone.
II think / must have tainted, for
when I found myself possessed Of SUI
ficient consciousness to withdraw from
that hole Of death the candle in the
candelabrum was shorter by an inch
than when I first thrust my head into
the gap made by the removed draw
ers. In putting back the drawers I
hit the candelabrum with my foot, up
setting 1t and throwing out the burn
ing candle. AS the flames began to
lick the worm eaten boarding Of the
floor momentary impulse seized me
to rush away and leave the whole
place to burn, but did not. With a
sudden frenzy stamped out the flame
and then. finding myself in darkness,
CROPPED my way downstairs and out.
If entered the library do not remem-
Der it Some lapses must be pardoued
a man involved as I was"
"But the fact which you dismiss 30
lightly IL an important one" insisted
the major. eve must know positive
ly whether you entered this room or
not"
II have no recollection Of doing So"
Then you cannot tell us whether
the little table was standing there.
with the candelabrum upon 1t orr
Il can tell you nothing about it."
The major. after a long look at this
suffering man, turned toward Miss
Tuttle.
"You must have loved your sister
very much" he sententiously remark
ed.
She flushed, and for the first time
her eyes fell from their resting place
on Mr.. Jeffrey's face.
II loved her reputation" was her
quiet answer, "and'- The rest died
in her throat.
But we all-such Of US, I mean, who
were possessed of the least sensibility
or insight-knew how that sentence
sounded as finished in her heart, "And
I loved him who asked this sacrifice
Of me-"
Yet was her conduct not quite clear.
"And to save that reputation you
tied the pistol to her wrist7" insinu-
ated the major.
NO." was her vehement reply. II
never knew what I was tying to her.
My testimony in that regard was abso-
lutely true. She held the pistol con-
cealed in the folds of her dress. did
not dream-I could not-that she was
contemplating any such end to the
atr0ciOus crime to which she had con-
fessed. Her manner was too light. too
airy and too frivolous-a manner adopt
ed, as now see, to forestall oil Ques-
tons and hold back all expressions of
feeling on my part. Tie these hanging
ends Of ribbon to my wrist were her
words. Tie them tight; knot under
and a bow on top. I am going out.
There. don't say anything. What you
want to talk about will keep till to-
morrow. For one night more I am
going to make mery-to-to enjoy my
SELF She was laughing. thought
her horribly callous and trembled with
such an unspeakable repulsion that
had difficulty in making the knot. To
speak al all would have been impossi-
BILE. Neither did 1 dare to look in her
face. was touching the hand that
and she kept on laughing-such a hol-
low laugh covering up such an awful
resolve! When she turned to give me
that last injunction about the note this
resolve glared still In her eyes,"
"And you never suspectedY'
"Not for an instant. did not do
Justice either to her misery or to her
conscience. I fear that I have never
done her justice in any way. thought
her light pleasure loving. 1 did not
know that it was assumed to hide q
terrible secret"
"Then you had no knowledge Of the
contract she had entered into while q
schoolgirl"
mot In the least. Another woman
and not myself had been her confidant.
woman who has since died. No int.
nation Of her first unfortunate mar
riage had ever reached me till Mr.. JET.
| frey rushed in upon me that Tuesday
morning with her dreadful confession