Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-06-24

1880
place below and recognized these
sounds as a mans heavy footsteps com.
ing up the rear stairs l got a fright
at being where | should not be aud
slipped into the first door l found, ex-
pecting this man to come out and join
the ladies.
But he did not. He just fingered for
a moment in the hall l had left; then
l heard him Chamber out of the win.
dow and go. I now know that thi1
was Mr.. Arthur. But l did not know
it then, and l was frightened for the
horse 1 had run of with and so got
out of the building as quickly as l
could.
"And all might yet have been well if
I had not found lying on the snow at
the foot of the shed a bottle Of whisky
such as | had never drunk and did
not know how to resist. Catching it
up, 1 ran about the house to where l
had left my rig. 1t vas safe, and In
my relief at finding it l knocked of
the head of the bottle and took a long
drink.
Then 1 drank again; then 1 sat
down in the snow and drank again.
In short, l nearly finished it; then L
became confused. l looked at the piece
Of broken bottle In my hand, took a
fancy to its shape and, breaking off
a bit more, thrust it into one of my
big pockets; then l staggered up to
the horse, but l did not unite him.
Curiosity seized me again, and L
thought 1 would take another look at
the ladies-perhaps they might want
fused, but Invent back and crawled
once more into the window.
This time the place was silent-not
a sound, not a breath-but l could see
a faint glimmer of light. I followed
this glimmer. Still there was no
sound.
Il came to an open door. A couch
was before me, heaped with cushions.
A long ray of moonlight had shot in
through a communicating door, and l
could see everything by it. This was
where the ladies had been when I lis
tened before, but they were not here
now.
Weren't they? Why did I tremble
so, then, and stare and stare at those
cushions? Why did l feel l must pull
them away, as l presently did? l vas
mad with liquor and might easily have
imagined what 1 there saw, but I did
not think of this then. l believed what
1 saw instantly. Miss Cumberland
was dead, and l had discovered the
crime. She had killed herself-no; she
had been killed.
should l yell out murder? No, no;
I could be sorry without that. I would
not yell. Mistresses were plenty. ]
had liked her, but I need not yell.
There was something else I could do.
"She had n ring on her fnger-a ring
hat for months l had gloated over
ind watched as l had never watched
and gloated over any other beautiful
ching in my life. l wanted i'll had
always wanted it. 1t was before me
for the taking now. | should be a
fool to leave it there for some other
wretch to pilfer. l had loved her. L
would love the ring.
Reaching down, l took it. l drew
it from her finger. | put it in my
pocket. I-God in heaven, the eyes
l had seen glassed In death were look
! Ing at me-
"She was not dead; she had been
witness of the theft. Without a
thought of what I was doing my hands
closed round her throat. 1t was drink,
fright, terror at the look she gave me,
which made me kill her, not my real
self. My real self could have shrieked
when in another instant 1 saw my
| work.
But shrieking would not bring her
back. and it would quite ruin me. Miss
Carmel was somewhere nea l heard
her now at the telephone. In another
minute she would come out and meet
me. l dared not linger.
Tossing back the pillows, I STUN
bled from the place. Why l was moi
heard by my young mistress l do mo-
know. Her ears were deaf, just as my
eyes were half blind. In a half hour
was dancing with the maids, telling
them of the pretty stranger with whom
l had been sitting out an hour of fun
in a quiet corner. They believed me
and not a particle of suspicion has any
man even had of me since.
But others have had to suffer, and
that has made he'll of my nights. l re-
stored the ring to my poor mistress,
but even that brought harm to one l
had no quarrel with. But he has es-
capped conviction. and if l thought Mr..
Ranelagh would also escape l might
have courage to live out my miserable
life and seek to make amends in the
way she would have me.
But l fear for him. l fear for Miss
Carmel. Never could 1 testify in an
other trial which threatened her peace
Of mind. I see that, instead of being
the selfish stealer of her sisters happi-
ness, as l had thought, she is an angel
from whom all future suffering should
be kept.
This is my way of sparing her. Per-
haps it will help her sister to forgive
me when we meet in the world to
which I am now going"
THE END.