The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1905-06-28

candle. Then, with every intention of
fight, | backed toward the door by
which | had entered. But some inn
pulse stronger than that of escape
made me stop just before reached it.
/ could see nothing the place was dark
as Iophet-but could listen. The per-
son-Mr. Jeffrey or some other-was
coming my way, and in perfect dark
ness | could hear the faltering steps
the fingers dragging along the walls;
then rustic as of skirts, proving the
intruder to be woman-a fact which
greatly surprised me-then long
! drawn sigh or gasp.
This last determined me. The stu
alton was too intense for me to leave
without first learning who the woman
was who in terror and shrinking dared
to drag her half resisting feet through
these empty halls and into a place
carsed with such unwholesome mem
cries. did not think of Veronica. No
one looks for Il butterfly in the depths
of q dungeon. But did think of Miss
| Tuttle-that woman OF resolute will.
( Without attempting to imagine the
reason for her presence, stood my
1 ground and hardened till the heavy
! mahogany door at the other end Of
1 under the faint and tremulous push of
! a terrified hand. Then there came
! silence-a long silence-followed by Il
\ moan so agonized that | realized that
Z whatever was the cause of this painting
1 woman's presence here, it was due to
| no mere errand of curiosity This
whetted my purpose Anything done
In this house was in way done to me;
so remained quiet and watched. But
I the sounds which now and then came
from the remote corner upon which
my attention was concentrated We're
very eloquent.
Il heard sighs and bitter groans, with
now and then murmured prayer,
broken by Il low wailing, in which l
/ caught the name OF Francis. And STILL
possibly on account of the utterance of
this name, ! thought the woman near
me to Je Miss futile, and even went
SO far rs To imagine tie cause OF her
1 suffering ii not the nature of her re-
libuton. Words succeeded cries and
caught phrases expressive OF fear
and some sort of agoniZed hesitation.
Once these broken CALCULATIONS We're
interrupted by dull sound Some
thing had dropped TO the bare floor.
We shall never know what it was, but
l have no doubt that it was the pistol
and that the marks Of dust to be found
on the connecting ribbon We're made
by her own fingers in taking it again i'll
her hand. you will remember that
these same fingers had but Il few min
utes previous CROPPED their way along
the wallsl For her voice soon took 4
different tone, and such unintelligible
phrases as these could be heard issu
ing from her partly paralyzed lips:
- must! can never meet his eye
again alive. He would despise- BRAY,
enough to to-another's blood COW
!, ard when-own. Oh, God, forgive.
Then another silence, during which
almost made up my mind to interfere
. then a loud report and Il flash so star
Ting and unexpected that recoiled
, during which the room leaped int,
sudden view-she, too, Veronica, witt
! baby face drawn and set like a WON
n'Sthen darkness again and Il heay,
, fall which shook the floor, if not m
hard old heart. The flash and tina
: fall enlightened me. l had just wit
messed the suicide of the last Moor
5 saving myself a suicide for which
was totally unprepared and one whic
t l do hot yet understand.
: -~..