Morris tribune., 1904-06-11

unnatural excitement and in an un-
| to us all that the subject presently
was tabooed among us, but though
she henceforth spared us all allusion
| to it she continued to talk about tho
| house itself and of the previous deaths
which had occurred there till we were
| forced to forbid that topic also. She
was never really herself after cross
to be married. The shadow which
turks within it's walls fell at that in
stant upon her life. May God have
mercy
The prayer remained unfinished. His
head, which had fallen on his breast,
sank lower.
He presented the aspect Of one who
| rows.
But men in the position Of Coroner
q. cannot afford to be compassionate.
Everything the bereaved man said
deepened the impression that he was
acting a part. To make sure that this
the slightest touch of sarcasm, quietly
observed:
"And to ease your wifes mind-the
wife you were so deeply angered with
you visited this house and, at an
hour which you should have spent in
reconciliation with her, went through
it's ancient rooms in the hOpe-of
what?
Mr. Jeffrey could not answer. The
words which came from his lips were
mere ejacula tions.
Il was restless, mad. found this
adventure diverting. 1 had no real
purpose in mind"
'Not when you looked at the old pic
ture?
'The old picture? What old pic
ture?'
'The old picture in the southwest
chamber. You took a look at that.
didn't you-got up on chair on pur-
pose to do so?''
Mr. Jeffrey WINGED. but he made
direct reply.
Eyes; gave look at that old pic
ture; got up, as you say, on chair to
do so. Wasn't that the freak Of an idle
man, wandering. he hardly knows why,
, from room to room in an old and de-
serted hOuse?'
His tormentor did not answer. Prob
ably his mind was on his next line Of
! inquiry. But Mr.. Jeffrey did not take
his silence with the calmness he had
shown prior to the last attack. AS no
word came from his unwelcome guest,
he paused in his rapid pacing and,
casting aside with one impulsive ges-
ture his hitherto imperfectly held re-
straint, he cried out sharply:
"Why do you ask me these questions
in tones of such suspicion? Is it not
plain enough that my wife took her
own life under a misapprehension Of
my state of mind toward her? Why
should you feel it necessary to rake up
these personal matters. which, how
ever interesting to the world at large,
are of a pe~lnful nature to me"
"Mr. jeffrey" retorted the other,
with a sudden grave assumption of
dignity not without it's effect in case
of such serious import, I'VE do nothing
without purpose. We ask these ques-
tons and show this interest because
the charge of suicide which has hither-
to been made against your wife is not
entirely sustained by the facts. At
least she was not alone when she took
her life. Some one was in the house
with her"
1t was startling to observe the effect
of this declaration upon him.
'ImpossibIer' he cried out in a pro-
test as forcible as it was agonized.
'You are playing with my misery. She
could have had no one there; she would
not. There is not man living before
whom she would have fired that dead
ly shot unless it was myself-unless it
was my own wretched, miserable SELF
The remorseful whisper in which
those final words were uAEered carried
them to my heart, which for some
strange and unaccountable reason had
been gradually turning toward this
man. But my less easily affected COM
panion. seeing his opportunity and pos
sibly considering that it was this gen.
tleman's right to know in what
doubtful light he stood before the law,
remarked with as light touch OF
irony as was possible:
"You should know better than we In
whose presence she would choose to die
If she did 50 choose; also who would
be likely to tie the pistol 10 her wrist
and blow out the candle when the
dreadful deed was over"
The laugh which seemed to be the
only means of violent expression re-
naming to this miserable man was
kept down by some amazing thought
which seemed to paralyze him. With
out making any attempt to refute a
suggestion that fell just short Of per-
sonal accusation, he sank down in the
first chair he came to and became, as
il were, lost in the vision of that ghast-
ly ribbon tying and the solitary blow
ing out of the candle upon this scene of
mournful death Then, with strug-
Cling sense of having heard something