The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-01-19

He was forgetting himself again.
Indeed his manner and attempted OK.
plantations were full of contradictions
10 emphasize this fact Coroner H. cX.
claimed
II should think so. She paid Il heavy
penalty for her profcsscd lack of love.
You believe that her mind was uu.
seatedf"
Docs not her action show it,"
"Unseated by the mishap occurring
ut her mawiagc?"
yes"
"You really think that2"
eyes"
"By anything that passed between
youf'
Yes"
MAY ask you to tell us what pess
ed between you on this pointf"
YES"
He had uttered the monosyllablc so
often 1t seemed to come unconsciously
from his lips. But lie recognized nj.
most as soon MS we did that it was not
n natural reply TO the last question,
and, making gesture of apology, he
added. with the same monotony of
tone which had characterized these re-.
plies:
"Shc spoke of her strange guests un.
accountable death more than once. and
whenever she did so II was with an
unnatural excitement and in an un.
balanced way. This was so noticeable
to Us all that the subject presently
v l5 taboOed among us. but though
SIZE hcnccforth spared us all allusion
- 1t she continued to talk about the
h, Use itself and of the previous deaths
= hich had occurred there till we were
forced TO forbid that topic also. she
was never really herself after cross
ing the threshold of this dcSolate house
to be married. The shadow which
turks within its walls fell at that in
slant 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
Is quite done with life even its sor-
rows.
But men in the position of Coroner
n. cannot afford to be compassionate.
Everything the bereaved man said
deepcned the impression that he was
acting part. To make sure that this
was really so the coroner. with inst
the slightest touch OF sarcasm. quietly
observed:
"And to ease your wlfe's mind-the
wife you were so deeply angered with
you visited this house and, Mt an
hour which you should have spent in
reconciliation with her, went through
its ancient rooms in the hope--of
whatT
Mr.. Jeffrey could not answer. The
words which came from his lips were
mere CALCULATIONS.
II was restless, mad. found this
adventure dlverting. had no real
purpose in mind"
mot when you looked ut the old pic.
ture?"
THE old picture? What old pic.
turef'
The old picture in the southwest
chamber. You took look at that.
didn't you--gOt up on chair on pur.
pose to do SOP
Mr.. Jeffrey WINGED. but he made n
direct reply.
YES; gave look ut that old pic.
ture; got up, ms you say, on n chair to
do so. Wasn't that the freak of IN idle
man, wandering. he hardly knows why,
fpa 10, To-, a 4
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 unwelcomc guest.
he paused in his rapid pacing and,
casting aside with one lmpulslve ges-
ture his hitherto imperfectly held re.
stralnt, 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 n misrepresentation Of
my state of mind toward her? Why
should you feel It necessary to rake m
tuthe pcISOuul ulullcIS, WHICH, HON
ever interesting to the world at large,
are of a painful nature to me"
MIR. Jeffrey" retortcd the other,
with sudden grave assumption Of
dignity not without its effect in n case
of such serious import, 1--WE do nothing
without purpose. We ask these ques
tions 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.
impossible" he cried out in pro.
test as forclblc as it was aGOni2ed,
you are playing with my misery. She
could have had no one there; she would
not There Is not "A man living before
whom she would have fired that dead
~ shot unless it was mySelf-unless 1t
was my own wretched, miserable self"
The rcmorscful whisper in which
those final words were uttered carried
them to my heart, which for some
strange and unaccountable reason had
been gradually turning toward this