The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-03

by anything that passed between
your
yes"
May ask you to tell us what pass
ed between you on this pointi'
yes"
He had uttered the monosyllable SO
often 1T seemed to come unconsciously
from his lips. But he recognized al
most as soon as we did that it was not
| a natural reply TO the last question,
and, making a gesture Of apology, he
added, with the same monotony of
tone which had characterized these re-
plies:
'.She spoke Of her strange guests I'M
| accountable death more than once, and
whenever she did 30 it was with an
unnatural excitement and in an I'M
| balanced way. This was SO noticeable
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 the
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
ing the threshold of this desolate 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
2. cannot afford TO be compassionate.
Everything the bereaved man said
I deepened the impression that he was
acting a part. To make sure that this
was really SO the coroner, with just
the slightest touch of sarcasm, quietly
observed:
And to ease your wife's mind-the
wife you were so deeply angered with
you visited this house and, ut an
hour which you should have spent in
reconciliation with her, went through
its ancient rooms in the hope-of
what?''
Mr.. Jeffrey could not answer. The
words which came from his lips were
mere ejacula tons.
adventure diverting. I had no real
purpose i'll mind"
mot when you looked at the old pic
ture?"
1.-THE old picture? What old pic
turey'
The old picture in the southwest
chamber. You took 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; l gave look at that old pic |
ture; got up, as you say, on a chair to
do so. Wasn't that the freak of an idle !
man, wandering he hardly knows why, |
from room to room in IN 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 misrepresentation 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 q painful nature to me-"
Mr.. jeffrey" retorted the other.
with 4 sudden grave assumption of
dignity not without its effect in a case
of such serious import, 1--WE do nothing
without purpose We ask these gues
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 forcible as it was agonized
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 it
The remorseful 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
man. But my less easily affected conf
panion. seeing his opportunity and pos
sibly considering that it was this gen
tIeman'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 so choose: also who would
be likely to tie the pistol to 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-
to this miserable man was
kept down by some amazing thought
which seemed to paralyze him. With
1T 20 ynf I