Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-12-09

was ousted from her husbands heart.
Cerisse had forgotten her home and
children.
Both Cerisse and Harcourt stopped
at actual murder. They began to play
royal game. The resemblance be-
tween Cerisse and Narcisse made this
easy. They kept Narcisse under the
influence of the loco blossoms-drugged
her poor mind almost to imbecility.
When Narcisse lay stupefed from the
dearly powders Cerisse paraded before
the world as Mrs. Harcourt. Cerisse
was always Jealous of their child the
little Harold, Jr
one day Harold, Jr, fell by acct
dent into the lily pond. The poor drug
ged mother was watching him at the
time and sat by the window too stu
pehed to move or rescue him. Har-
court tried, but he was too far away
at distant corner of the garden. Har-
OLD dead, he decided 1t would be best
to leave India. Hackleye and father
were growing suspicious of Cerisse's
long absences, and Mrs Harcourt's
friends in India were becoming unduly
exercised over the changes that appar-
entity had come over her, for of course
S~ANAArlll6C Vi
was known to none. So Harcourt gave
out mat he was to travel for his wife's
health. In my pitiable shape 1 could
90 mite to protect my cousin. but /
tried to travel closely enough in their
wake to prevent their ever killing her.
For my affection Cerisse felt no pity.
She loathed the sight of me, and her
evident hatred soon drove me to ally
myself in spirit with my sadly injured
brother-in-law and cousin Harcourt
| and Cerisse had planned to spend the
summer here. She was to go to live
in lodgings till she could find a home
in which to remove with his wife, and
then Cerisse would join them, and the
same old farce was to have been re-
newed. To that end Harcourt leased
the Flanders house"
A distinct "Ah!" ran through the
court room and Harcourt Simultaneous
| ly uttered denial.
ITO that end" continued LIE NAL
heureux, "Harcourt leased the Flanders
house. For some within or other he
| took 1t under the name of Hamley
Hackleye. l think Harcourt had in
tended to make an end of Narcisse
there, for he knew that Hackleye was
close on the trail. Then Cerisse was
to have stepped into her cousins shoes
and Hackleye would have believed
that it was his wife who had died. Ce-
risse took rooms at the OBSTETRICS and
almost Immediately a secret doorway
was cut through. 1 tracked Harcourt
to the house at 81 Briarsweet place the
night of the murder. waited till 1
had a chance and secreted myself in
the house. 1 saw him remove the
plaque and climb into my sisters room
followed, hiding in the closet.
"Cerisse and he quarreled nearly sill
evening. Cerisse in one of her petu-
liant moods was provoking him beyond
endurance. She was becoming wear
led with him. The letter that was
| found on the floor urging her to live
up to the demands of womanhood and
to return to H had been recently re-
ceived by her from Harcourt, and she
made 1t the pivot on which to turn
many joke and jest. Finally she told
him she was tired of him, and thought
she would go back to her husband.
They squabbled and wrangIed till final
~ Cerisse made ready for bed. Har-
court started to go home, but at length,
fully dressed, threw himself down on
the bed and began to smoke at the
same time Gliding Cerisse for using so
many cigarettes. Then she asked him
for money, claiming that her losses at
the races had, as she termed it, laid
her fiat He said he had no money,
and then she turned on him with re-
proaches of an over-fondness for rou-
lette. They bickered about money till
nearly daylight and till Harcourt would
not talk any more. Cerisse dropped off
into a doze, but Harcourt lay there
smoking in moody silence. Cerisse
reused and asked him to get her a
drink of water He refused at first.
but she kept at him. Finally he got
UP, went over to the stand, fumbIed
there for a moment and came back.
handing her the glass half filled with
water, and said, Never ask me for a
drink again.
"Cerisse lay back on her pillows, and
apparently fell into slumber again.
Harcourt resumed his place by her side.
l was about to go. wishing to make
my way back home before the dawn
broke, when suddenly Harcourt turned
over on his elbow and moaned like a
whipped lioness.
What have 1 done, what have /
done?" he cried over and over again.
MY temper. my temper! My awful
jealousy! Cerisse. 1 have killed you,
killed you'll"
HE kissed her again and again. and
wept and dug his nails into his flesh.
The sunlight came in at the window
and the breakfast gong changed in the
hall Reality came back to him. He
cautiously slid from the bed and made
his way back into the house. He knew
that safety lay in flight.
Handicapped by deformity, kaew
could do nothing, but I relied on
Hackleye. Together 1 thought we
might take the body away with us
through that trap door. went over
to the bed and assured myself that &C.
risse was quite dead. 1 smelled of the
glass and from the lack of odor and
the condition Of Cerisse's body guessed
that Harcourt had depended upon his
old friend, the loco plant, to end her
life. Perhaps he had given her the
| 5ase meant foy. No