Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-05-04
T1H@gDlsESR!zg TEH WEST W1nes
E5HR8$l4YssEV s'hlANz.
[EN1M@e

,IiiS pace. NAT nave L zone lnal l
should be forced to bear this punish
ment? Have l not loved with Il true
wonlan's love? Speak to ms. DO not
look at me with eyes SO CLASSY that
they seem to see not. Give me one
word. that 1 may hear you as the same
Stephen thai you we're before this fear
full malady overlook you. Let me
again see the light of heaven and the
faces of my friends
crept softly carer the door, and
got into position from which l could
partly distinguish the occupants of the
room and their surroundings.
In the center of the loor stood
Stephen. but with such a strange, fren-
zied expression on his face that had I
not known his features we'll I should
have thought it could not be he. Be-
fore him knelt Il woman whose face was
buried in her hands.
You shall not leave me thus!" she
said, as he turned to go, Il must and
will have my liberty.
had hardly time to draw back into
the shadow of a heavy curtain when he
entered the room where 1 was and
walked quickly across to the landing,
closing this last DOR after him and
locking 1t. Thus I found myself also
a prisoner. l heard his footsteps de-
scend the stairs, and then the sound
died away.
1 was u from my thoughts by
a sob from the occupant of the next
chamber. Going up to the door which
Stephen had closed after him, I knocked
and then entered. My tap had evident
ly not been heard, tor l found the
graceful form seated in a chair in an
attitude which betokened despair, her
arms upon the table. her head leaning
forward and her beautiful dishevelled
heir falling in waves about her.
Madam"
1 had walked up to her and placed my
hand upon her shoulder.
ON" And she turned towards me
her pale, fearful. horror-stricken face,
then shrank away in fear. who are
you? Pray do not hurt me. ] know
l am helpless
1t was some time before 1 could con-
vince here hat l was really a friend,
for so long had She been buried in these
rooms that her mind had become al
most unhinged and her sense Of per-
ception blunted. BY degrees, however.
I made her understand who I was and
how l had come there; n then, in
answer to my questions, I cleaned the
history of her captivity.
When Stephen married her she was q
handsome young girl Of eighteen and
he was verging on the period of middle
age. For three months after their
marriage he had been kindly INC at
tentive-all, in fact, that a wife could
desire of her husband. Just at the end
of that time, however, he discoveredl
been written by her before her mar
riage to a former lover, and for some
days afterWard he was moody, Jealous
and strange in his conduct.
One night he entered her room with
that fixed. fren1ied. wicked look upon
there before, but which had marred his
features in all her interviews with him
since, and directed her by signs to fol-
low him, a mandate which in her ter
ror h readily obeyed.
Il think those foolish letters of mine,'
she said in conclusion, written before
1 a learned to love my husband, have
turned his brain. I was warned before
l married him that he was affected
with h malady of sleep-walking, and
that when under it's influence he not
only lost complete control over his
reason. but also seemed to live a double
life.
When awake he was generous, frank
and good: but when in somnamhula
state, I was told, he was morose, ieal-
GUS, Wfcked-in a word, insane, and
that In his waking hours he had no
recollection OF what took place or what
he did when in this latter state"
where the rector. who was ar old coll
lege friend OF mine. was not a little
surprised to receive such visitors at
SO early an hour.
Before returning to the Stanley
house l rode on the rector's cab to my
brothers doctor, who live about three
miles away, and consulted him upon
stephens sad coditton. He told me
that he was quite aware of the facts
OF the case. but that he had not for the
moment thought the malady could have
been capable Of working so much mis-
chief.
He then made the suggestion that in
all probability a crisis In the disease
would now be reached. brought about
by the mental shock which the discov-
cry OF b escape would give when next
n somnambulist visited the west
wing. The result OF this crisis would
either leave him a hopeless maniac
or completely cure him.
At the doctors request I arranged to
meet him the same night at twelve
O'Clock. in order to watch Stephens
movements: then rode back to the
rectory, and from there proceeded with
all haste to Stanley house.
AZ night he retired to rest at the
usual time, and I went out into the
grounds to meet the doctor, about an
nour q q half aftcrward. When I
met him. we proceeded to the west
wing together, to watch the effect Of
the shock OF discovery upon the patient.
Al soon AZ we reached Il door,
saw that Stephen had been before us,
TOR the door vas ajar. With q heart
that beat fast with my fears, / hurried
into the house, and was about to run
upstaire, when I tumbled over some
obstacle at the bottom. The doctor.
who was following closely, carried q
dark lantern. and it's light soon re-
veaied to us the bleeding form OF my
unhappy chum.
He = dead" the doctor said. rising
from his knees, after making q hasty