The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-08-19

or most sweet to her that he wept first
before he spoke-wept such tears as
men seldom shed. his strong frame
shaken with sobs?
When the passion of his tears was
exhausted, he told her the story of
his mad love. his hasty marriage, and
his unutterable misery and despair.
She did not add to his sorrow by
one %reproach, did not say, as some
women would have said, that she had
foreseen 1t, She bent her beautiful face
over his bowed head and listened with q
heart rlven with anguish and love.
1T was my own fault, MOTHER" he
said. 81 thought I knew better than
you. I was a fool, wise In my own
conceit."
you left her at Como?' she said,
gently. How came she there, Carlos
in the mere?''
Il had forgotten. I have told you
only half my story after ALL" he re-
piled. Il meant to. tell you everything,
but I put off the evil day: and then
came that unfortunate announcement
In the newspapers. I hardly thought
she would see 1t: but It seems that the
poor girl felt lonely and went to dine
at the hotel in Como. There she saw
an I@ilSilSH newspaper anu TedO the
paragraph. She must have loved me
very deeply-poor Maggiel She came
away at nee. bringing the paper with
her. She went to Lynn Mavis, and
from there She wrote to me-you gave
me h letter yourself, m~other-saying
that she would come over to Firholme
that night, and that I must see her, 1t
was the night of the dinner, n I knew
that whatever she felt inclined to do.
she would do. and the thought of a
scene before Lady Gladys was intolera-
BILE to me. 7 knew that I must go and
meet her, IL / wished to prevent her
from coming to Firholme. 1 did so.
There was nothing in my mind when I
left home. I swear, but the wish to be
kind and patient with her. 1 met her
on the high road; but-alas for her,
alas for mei-she was In one of her
worst moods-defiant, coarse, violent.
and, / am ashamed to tell you, she
had evidently fortified herself with
brandy. I turned from the high road
as soon as I could was ashamed of
her-and brought her Into the grounds.
We walked under those tall trees that
shade the western side of the pool.
1t was only then that I could get one
sensible word from her. For the lftieth
time I asked her what had brought her
here. Then she drew that fatal news
paper from the bosom of her dress and
cried out, 'This-thisI' I understood all
In a moment.
at Is a false report. Maggie ! said,
and you ought to know it,
"I will believe 1t Is false she an
swered, If you will take me to the
house and tell that painted, bold-faced
madame that I am you wife,
"I shall do nothing of the kind L
said, quietly. You will be more your
self tomorrow, and then we will see
what Ia to be done
I'VE were walking then quite close
to the water-indeed l told her once
that her dress was wet. and she drew it
aside. What spirit prompted her-un-
less it was the vicious one of drink
l cannot tell, but she began to abuse
you and Lady Gladys. She shouted
out the most insolent things, she would
not lower her voice; and Heaven
forgive me, l was never a very patient
man!-my brain throbbed and my blood
seemed on fire. Perhaps l, too, had
tried to get UP false strength from
stimulants. I know that she said
everything most horrible of Lady
Gladys; but she could not remember her
name.
"'Give me that paper she cried.
that l may read her name again and
call on Heaven to crush her!
"Of course | resisted. | would not
let her have the paper. l said to myself
she would not revile Lady Gladys, but
that on the morrow l would take her
away. 1 swear to you that l had not
IL eot,+o.+ fhnt.oht ~ har minQ her.
But she hung herself on me suddenly
and violently, determined to wrest the
paper from me, and screaming out
such horrible things about you and
GLADYS. | would not let her have tile
paper; | pushed away her hands. and
she fell--fell backward, with a loud
cry. into the pool. I had no thought
of pushing her in, I did not even know
we were SO near the brink. but ! did
not save her.
GAS she fell, she seized hold OF my
coat. and then of my cuff, and tore 1t
from the wrist; and, rs you saw. they
found ii in her poor hand. Why she
sunk like a stone and never rose again,
[ cannot tell. l stood there some MIN
utes. II she had come to the surface
again, | would nave saved her; but l
did not plunge in after her, and so |
slew her. All. mother, talk of avenging
furies. of evil deeds coming home! l
would rather undergo any torture than
suffer as | have suffered since. could
not rest here, SO 1 went away; but the
scarlet brand went with me. l came
back haunted, driven by a thousand
furieS.'
He paused, and then said suddenly:
Mother. what induced you to order
the draining of the mere while l was
away? Was 1t heaven, to punish me!
What strange, weird hand pointed out
such a way to bring about my death!
She was my wife, mo~ther-poor pretty
Maggie, All, If she were but alive now,
and sitting as she sat last year in me
bonny woods of Hattoni You will e
for her father and tell him the truth
Let ler be buried as becomes my wltecs
miserable wretch that | am, Ana
mother
He drew her head down TO his lips
and whispered something to her As
she heard II the pailor OF death came
over her face.
ooh, my son, must 1t be- she eFleo's
81 there no hope Of escapeY !,
ePs Sc ooalinned Tomorrosy.l