The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-11-17

line Of letters dropping one by one into
the home. The ii rst Letter bore q Dor.
der Of black, and is among those not
yet given cut for publication.
The border Of black is for my frs,
love- said the writer, You robbed
me OF the nan.
l wanted-he who is now In his
grave. And now l am determined tt
strike at you. 1t ia my purpose first
to break your heart by making you
childless, and then to free your hus-
band That it IL my purpose to do this
you may khow."
The mother smi cd and put the let
ter aside. A week wont by and there
came anotf e. letter,
You have taken no heed Of my
warning" sad the writer. II tell yo,
I'll strike through those you low,
most"
Ard with each morning there lay on
the breakfast table, in sinister signifi
canoe, the letter with the hand writ
ing that they knew so we'll.
Heavier and heavier grew the hearts
OF the parents with each Of those let.
tors.
But at last there came a morning
when the familiar step Of the pCstmsn
passed by their door. A second and a
third morning came and went, With
still no letter.
And they cried fer Joy atthc thought
that the shadow OF death had been
lifted from them. The mere incident
of the house dog dying In commissions
WaS o sutli 3lent to attract attention.
Never was the thought OF the un
known avenger less present to their
minds than on that September after,
noon when the b,by Willie toddled
cut to tho doorway ard then a few
yards along the road.
OILY half an hour had p .ssed when
there appeared In the doorway a man
bearing the motionless figure OF the
child in his arms.
He had been found lying In the
roadway near his fathers cottage.
No II at that time took auy par.
ticular notice Of the odor OF garlic on
the breath Ct the Child.
All that the doctors could say was
that the symptoms indicated the pres
ence Of some foreign substance Ia the
body. Within twelve hours the boy
was dead.
The heart OF the mother was full of
a foreboding OF that which was yet to
come.
With the coming Of Monday morn.
ing there again lay the familiar enyel.
ope on the table.
There Is reason in this warming"
wrote the sender Of the letter. There
ni11 10 .D~ x10,-> ~ -. -
with you"
Andnow the letters came with every
cost, SANDER was now alternated with
commonplace vel biage, and these let
Cers, really telling little Of The hide
truth, are the only communica
lions made public by the polics at the
inquest.
Then once mOre csme a cessation of
che letters, and the parents, tremb-
ling, Waittd d.
All through these weeks bad Mrs.
Perkins, llotly watching, bent her
eyes on tie one Oma who OF all
others, by reason OF old momories OF
which she even now viii not speak,
she beloved hated her.
There Is a woman who IS hillirg
my Cnl'Qrcn and WHO may take my
husband, rs she would have taken The
other she said.
The world now knows the story Ct
the October afternoon on whic', thu
child Octavla was To meet her death
by the hand OF the prisoner.
She had risen from her mothers
side, and ran lightly to the house OF
Mrs Mcdowell, and the next that was
'cen Of her was when she rcappeared
IN tho doorway OF the Perkins cotuage,
and with q sigh and a moan tainted 10
her mothers arms.
Again was the Characteristic 0do
nf garlic; again she shiycrirg convuis
iona and Ihe sharp RaSps aud cries o.
agony, ere eight houIs later dcath re-
leased the 81 II rer.
Suspicion had In the mind Of Mrs.
Perkins beccm certainty. From tnae
moment the word murder" took bne
place Of all Others ia the Vocabulary
OF the Richmond people. Mrs. Perkins
poke at last and ctied out for vengen
4nce on tie woman who, she d ,clares,
killed her children, and would have
robbed her OF her huSb2nd.-NaW York
American.