The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-11-22


the guard to ke-o us by ourselves.
and John will never see you on earth
again! Look at me, Alice"
He bent forward till Ills breath
blew in furnace gasps into my face.
You needn't carry yourself so
bravely. Mark you, I've found you
now, and as sure as there's blood
spilled darkly, an an open hades
yawning for the guilty, you'll not es-
cape!"
At these dreadful words, and his
wild looks, the conviction seized me
that l was in the presence of a mad
man-shut up for the next forty
minutes-completely at his mercy,
unles by the mercy of Heaven l could
save enough womans wit to divert
his fury from myself.
Almost fainting, / yet managed to
force a smile, and to say, very sooth-
ingly:
You're making a mistake, sir.
I'm a perfect stranger to you, and
only changed my maiden name Of
Alice Hayden this morning for that
of Alice Maitland. My husband,
John, keeps fruit shop in Edin-
burgh."
Curse John Maitland l hate him
and all that belong to him!" cried
the brute, and he spat on my beau
tiful white flowers. How dare you
sit there with your innocent smile
and blooming cheeks? Do you know
l can hardly keep from beating the
smooth simper out of your lying face
against these partition walls, and
throwing your bedizened carcass
through the Window" and he licked
his lips till my flesh crept. "Am 1
plump? Am l ruddy? Are my eyes
full of deceit? Are my hands filled
with flowers?"
At each question his voice rose and
his excitement kept pace, until at this
last he thrust out his bony arms,
with a yell of frenzy, as If he would
have torn me in pieces.
Sinking back as far as the seat
would allow me, looked up in help
less expectation of blow, and for
the first time caught his eyes.
All flaming as they were with
murderous intent, he tried to drag
them away from mine, began to trem-
BILE, and covered down in his seat at
last like beaten dog.
Inwardly thanking Providence for
thrustlng this weapon in my hands,
I resolved never to release the fren-
zied wretch from the power of my
eyes until help should come.
I'LL mean nothing, you
know" he stammered, rolling his
head uneasily from side to side.
I'm only telling you my little story.
Where was II" And he clasped his
head between his hands in piteous
confusion. Was / at the Double
Six, or the Queens Bloody Head?"
You were at the Double-Six," an
swered 1. determined to eschew any,
thing pertaining to blood.
That's false!" retorted he. gds-
piciously. 81 was at the blood
sprinkled bills. Do you know, when
she brought them home, and laid
them one by one before me, one hun
dred, two hundred, three hundred,
four hundred, five hundred bills OF
the Bank of England, and said 'These
are yours, l felt my brain spin off
like a rocket up to the skies And,
look you, in every one her gracious
majesty was befouled' with the nil
dew of blood, just as If somebody haG
daubed her off to express that some
ones contempt for her and her laws.
Why, you know it was so plain that
l cried Immediately:
"This is your painting, Alice
done in good hearts blood! Why,
you're Alice! you're my wife!" ex-
claimed he. breaking off abruptly.
''No, no." / returned, as calmly as
1 could, "go ON with your story.
never heard anything so interesting.
Didn't you?" said the madman.
never heard it before?"
Never" answered /.
That's good" he returned, eying
me critically; cts something to have
a new listener ct last The story is
fifteen years old, and nobody has
ever let me tell it through yet. Fools!
they pretend to believe me mad.
Well, do you believe it's true?"
81 haven't heard it yet. Go on"
ooh! l thought had told it. She
said she had found the bills in wal
let beside an old lime pit on Hep
bane Moor, three months ago, when
was i'll with the affair of the
Double-Six-all her lies, you see and
that the body of the wretch who had
gained my all from me was found in
the pit; and the authorities had sent
me the money because had lost a
thousand pounds to the murdered
man. And then, .-aving odd me
this damnable tissue of lies, she per-
suaded me to leave the county and
go to Glasgow. Mark you, all softly
as she put it, l wasn't deceived.
knew that she had committed the
murder and stolen the money. So my
peace left me; / felt that in suffer-
ing Alice to live l had sold myself to
Satan, and | watched, watched for
chance to cut short her guilty life.
How | hated herl And do you know
for fifteen years have hated her as
deeply as ! loved her at first. All,
that was lovel My innocent-eyed!
my white-souled. Bah! l loathe to
look at white. | could tear those
lying white garments from you
"Let me hear the end of the story
first" interrupted /, fixing my eyes