The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-30

STAFFORD Circle, who in the interim
of waiting had allowed ner curiosity
to master her dread and by one peep
into the room. which seemed to exer-
else over her the fascination of a Blue.
beari's chamber, discovered the out
stretched form of a man lying sense
less and apparently dead on the edge
OF the hearthstone. The terror which
! instantly spread among the guests
shows the hold which superstition Las
upon all classes of humanity. Hap
PLY, however. an unseemly panic was
averted by the necessity which all fell
of preserving some sort of composure
till the ceremony for which they had
assembled had been performed. for
simults neousIy with this discovery OF
death in the library there had come
from above the sound of the approach
ing bridal procession, and cries We're
husleI and beating hearts restrained
as Miss Moore's charming face and
exquisite figure appeared between the
rows of Towering plants with which
the staircase was lined. No need for
the murmur to go about: Spare the
bride! Let nothing but cheer surround
her till she is JelTreys wife, The look
of joy which irradiated her counte-
nance and gave a fairylike aspect to
her whole exquisite person would have
deferred the most careless and self
centered person there from casting a
shadow across her pathway one min
ute sooner than necessity demanded.
The richness Of the ancestral veil
which covered her features and the
natural timidity which prevents a
bride from lifting her eyes from the
floor size traverses saved her from OBJ
serving the strange looks by which her
presence was hailed. She was conse-
quently enabled to go through the cere-
mony in happy Inconsistencies of the
forced restraint which held that surg
ing mass together.
But the bridesmaids were not so
happy. Miss Tuttle especially held
herself upright simply by the exercise
of her will. and, though respondent in
beauty, suffered so much in her anxi-
ETY. for the bride that il was matter
of small surprise when she tainted at
the conclusion of the ceremony.
MIR Jeffrey showed more composure.
but the inward excitement under which
than once in his responses, as many
there noted whose minds were not fix
ed too strongly on fight.
"Only DR.. Auchincloss was quite
himself, and by means of the solem-
nifty with which he invested his words
kept the hubbub down, which was al
ready making itself heard on the out
skirts Of the crowd. But even his in
fuence did not prevail beyond the mo-
ment devoted to the benedictiOn. Once
the sacred words were said, such a
stampede followed that the bride show
ed much alarm, and it was left for Mr..
Jeffrey to explain to her the cause of
this astonishing conduct on the part
Of her guests. She bore the disclosure
well, all things considered. and once
she was fully assured that the unhap
by man whose sudden death had thus
interrupted the festivities was an in
truder upon the scene and quite I'M
known, not only to herself but to her
newly made husband, she frightened
perceptibly, though, like every one
around her, she seemed anxious to
leave the house, and, indeed, did so as
soon as Miss Tuttle's condition war
ranted it.
'The fact that the bride went
through the ceremony without her
bridal bouquet is looked upon by many
as an unfavorable omen. In her anx-
iety not to impose any longer upon the
patience of her guests, she had de-
scended without it.
''As to the deceased, but little is
known of him. Letters found on his
person prove his name to be w Pfeif-
fer and his residence Denver. His
presence in Miss Moore's house at a
time so inopportune is unexplained.
No such name is on the list of wedding
guests, nor was he recognized as one
of Miss Moores friends either by Mr..
Jeffrey or by such of her relatives and
acquaintance as had the courage to
enter the library to see him.
with the exception of the discolored
mark on his temple, showing where
his head had come in contact with
the hearthstone, his body presents an
appearance of natural robustness,
which makes his sudden end seem all
the more shocking.
His name has been found registered
at the National hotel.'
Turning over the files I next came
upon the following dispatch from Den
yer:
1.-The sudden death In Washington of
Wallace Pfeiffer, one of our best
known and most respected citizens. is
deeply deplored by all who knew him
and his unfortunate mother. He is the
last of her three sons, all of whom
have died within the year. The demise
Of Wallace leaves her entirely unpro-
vided for. 1t was not known here
that Mr.. Pfeiffer intended to visit
He was supposed to go
in quite the opposite direction, having
said to more than one that he had
business in San Francisco. His intru-
sion into the house of Miss Moore
during the celebration of a marriage
in which he could have taken no per
sonal interest is explained in the fol-
lowing manner by such as knew his
peculiarities: Though mer-
chant by trade and latterly a miner in
the Klondike. he had great interest in
the occult and was a strong believer in
all kinds of supernatural manifesto
tons. He may have heard of the I'M