The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-04-30


limbs She hastily covered it.
1t Is nothing. 1t has no connection
with this hideous business tonight. If
you and your friend viii sit down, | will
tell you all ! can.
L am the wife of Sir Eustace
Brackenstall. I have been married
about year. 1 suppose that 1t is no
use my attempting to conceal that our
marriage has not been a happy one. ]
fear that all our neighbOrs would tell
you that, even if [ were to attempt to
deny it. Perhaps the fault may be
partly mine. l was brought up in the
freer. less conventional atmosphere Of
South Australia, and this English life,
with its prOprieties and its primness,
Is not congenial to me. But the main
reason lies in the one fact, which is no
torious to everyone, and that is that
Sir EuStaCe was a confirmed drunk
ard. To be with such a man for an
hour is unpleasant. Can you imagine
what il means for a sensitive and high
spirited woman to be tied to him for
day and night? 1t is a sacriIege, a
crime a villainy to hold that such a
marriage is binding. I say that these
mOntrOuS laws Of yours will bring a
curse upon the land-GOd will not let
such wickedness endure" For an in
slant she sat up, her cheeks flushed and
her eyes blazing from under the terrible
mark upon her brow Then the strong,
soothing hand Of the austere maid drew
her head down on to the cushion and
the wild anger died away into passion
ate sobbing- At last she continued:
L Will tell you about last night You
are aware, perhaps, that i'm this house
all the servants sleep in the modern
wing. This central block Is made up of
the dwelling rooms, with the kitchen
behind and our bedroom above. My
maid, Theresa, sleeps above my room.
/ There is no one else and no sound
could alarm those who are in the far
! Their wing. This must have been we'll
| known to the robbers, or they would
not have acted as they did.
Sir Eustace retired about haIf-past
ten. The servants had already gone to
/ their quarters Only my maid WAS up.
and she had remained in her room at
the top Of the house until l needed her
| services. / sat until after IL i'm this
room, absorbed i'm book. Then !
walked round to see that all was right
| before | went upstairs 1t was my
custom TO do this myself for. as I
/ have explained. Sir Eustace was not
always to be trusted. ] went into the
| kitchen, the buffers pantry. the gun
| room, the billiard room. the drawing
room and finally the dining room. AS
1 I approached the window, which is
! covered with thick curtains. I suddenly
/ felt the wind blow upon my face. and
realized that it was open. / flung
! the curtain aside, and found myself
]
elderly man, who had just stepped into
I the room. The window is a long
/ French one which really forms a door
leading to the lawn. 1 held my bed
room candle lit in my hand. and, by
! its light. behind the first man l saw
! two others, who were in the act of en-
/ tering. I stepped back. but the fellow
! was on me i'm an instant. He caught
me first by the wrist, and then by the
throat / opened my mouth to scream,
but he struck me a savage blow with
his fist over the eye, and felled me TO
the ground. I must have been uncou-
sciOuS for a few minutes. for when /
came to myself I found that they had
torn down the bell rope, and had Sc
cured me tightly TO the oakeu chair
which stands at the head of the dining
table. ! was so firmly bound that l
could not move. and handkerchief
round my mouth prevented me from
utttering a sound. It was at this in
slant that my unfortunate husband en-
tered the room He had evidently heard
some suspicious sounds, and he came
prepared for such a scene as he found.
He was dressed in his shirt and trou-
sers. with his favOrite blaCkthOrn Cud-
gel in his hand. He rushed at the bur
glars, but anOtheT-it was an elderly
man, stopped. picked the poker out of
the CRATE, and struck him a horrible
blow as he passed He fell with a
! grOan, anC never moved a6.--u- I faint
/ ed once more, but again il could only
have been for a very few minutes dur
{ ing which l was insensible. When L
opened my eyes | found that they had
collected the silver from the SidebOard.
and they had drawn d bottle of wine
which stood there. Each Of them had
d glass in his hand. I have already told
4 you. have l not. that one was elderly
! with a beard, and the others young.
/ hairless lads. They might have been
q father with his two sons. They talked
( together in whispers. Then they came
/ over and made sure was securely
! bound. Finally they withdrew. closing
. the window after them. 1t was quite
/ a quarter of an hour before l got my
mouth free. When L did so, my screams
/ brought the maid to my assistance. The
/ other servants were soon alarmed. and
! we sent for the local police, who in
/ stantIy communicated with London.
/ That is really all that I can tell YOU
/ gentlemen. and 1 trust thar It will not
| be necessary for me to go over so pain
I full a story again
! Any questions. Mr.. Holmes" asked
/ Hopkins.
( Il will not impose any further tax
upon Lady BrackenstalIs patience and
! the dining room, I should like to hear
/ your experience" He looked at the
maid"
Il saw the men before ever they came
I into the house. said she. AS ! sat
4 by my bedroom window I saw three
men in the moonlight down by the
lodge gate yonder, but l thought moth
! ing of il at the time. 1t was more than
! an hour after that L heard my mistress
{ scream, and down l ran. to find her,
| poor lamb, just she says, and him on
/ the floor with his blood and brains over
I the room. 1t was enough TO drive "a
/ woman out Of her wits, tied there. and
Z her very dress spotted with him. but
{ she never wanted courage, did Miss
[ Mary Fraser Of Adelaide. and Lady
! Brackenstau of Abbey Grange hasn't
( learned new ways. Ou'Ve questioned
. her long enough, you gentlemen, and
, now she Is coming to her room, just
! with her old Theresa. to get the rest
! that she badly needs.
/ With a mOtherly tenderness the gaunt
] woman put her arm round her mistress
! and led her from the room.
! she has been with her all her life"
/ said Hopkins. "Nursed her as a baby,
J and came with her TO England when
! they first left Australia eighteen
months ago. Theresa Wright is her
name. and the kind of maid you don {
: pick up nowadays. This way, Mr..
/ Holmes If you pleased"
The keen interest had passed out of
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