New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-07-26

stripped. window seats denuded and
the whole collection disposed here In
- way which, struck me % nm
natural.
But at this point my second match
went out
Thoroughly reused now you vii,
say BY whatn. l felt my way out Of
the room and to the head OF tho stat.
easA ! remembered the candle and
eandlestick I had heard thrown down
on the lower door BY Carmel Cumber-
land. would secure them and come
back and settle these uncanny doubts.
! had hunt for the candlestick and
q still longer one for the candle. but
6naIly ! recovered both and. lighting
the latter. felt myself for the first
time more or less master of the situa.
ton.
Rapidly regaining the room in which
my interest was now centred, set
the candlestick down on the dresser
and approached the lounge. Hardly
knowing what | feared or what ex-
pected to find. I tore off one of the
cushions and flung it behind me.
More cushions were revealed. but that
was not all.
Escaping from the edge Of one Of
them l saw shiny tress of woman's
hair. gave gasp and pulled off
more cushions. Then l fell on my
knees, struck down by the greatest
horror which man can feel. Death
lay before me-violent. uncal1ed for
death-and the victim was woman.
It was she-she indeed. Dead
Adelaide. the woman had planned to
wrong that very night and who had
thus wronged me! For moment
could take in nothing but this one
astounding fact; then the how and
why woke in maddening curiosity
within me.
But beyond the ever accusing. pro-
tuberant stare those features told
nothing. and. steeling myself to the
situat ton, made what observation l
rnnld Of her condition and the sur.
:a:nc;ns circumstances, for this was
my betrothed wife. Whatever my In
tentions. however far my love had
strayed under the spell cast over me
by her sister-the young girl who had
Just passed out-Adelaide and l had
been engaged for many months. Our
wedding day was even set.
But that was all over now-ended,
as her life was ended, suddenly. in
comprehensibly and by no stroke OF
God. Even the jewel on her finger
was gone. the token Of our betrothal.
This was to be expected. She would
be apt to take it of before commit
ting herself to fate that proclaimed
me traitor to this symbol. should
see that ring again. should find
it in a letter filed with bitter words.
l would not think Of 1t or Of them now
I would try to learn how she had com
mitted this act, whether by poison
or
It must have been by poison. No
other means would suggest them
selves to one Of her refined sense
But if so why those marks on her
neck, growing darker and darker as
stared at them?
My senses reeled as scrutinized
those marks. Small. delicate, but
deadly, they stared upon me from
either side of her white neck till ma
ture could endure no more. and l
tottered back against the farther wall,
beholding no longer room nor lounge
nor recumbent body, but young
girls exquisite face. set in lines which
belied her seventeen years and made
futile any attempt on my part at self
deception when my reason inexorably
demanded an explanation Of this death.
As suicide it was comprehensive, as
murder not, unless
And it had been murder!
l sank to the floor as I fully real
lied this.