Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-08-14

'Perfidy?" interposed Mr.. Wrandall.
His wife's expression changed from
one of bored Indifference to sharp in.
quiry. Leslie paused In the act of
lighting a cigarette.
1T is the mildest term / can com
mand." said Sara. Il shall be as brief
as possible in stating the case. Mr..
Wrandall. You will be surprised to
hear that I have taken 1t upon myself,
as the wife of Challis Wrandall and,
as l regard it, the one most vitality
concerned if not interested in the dis
covery and punishment of the person
who took his life-I say have taken
1t upon myself to shield, protect and
defend the unhappy young woman who
accompanied him to BGrton's inn on
that night in March. She has had my
constant. my personal protection for
more than twenty months"
The Wrandalls leaned forward in
their chairs. The match burned Les
lies fingers. and he dropped it without
appearing to notice the pain.
What is this you are saying" de-
manded Redmond Wrandall.
When left the inn that night, after
seeing my husbands body in the little
upstairs room, ! said to myself that
the one who took his life had unwit-
tingly done me a service He was my
husband; loved him, adored him.
To the end of my days l could have
gone on loving MIN in spite of the
cruel return he gave for my love and
loyalty. l shall not attempt to tell
you of the countless lapses of fidelity
on his part. You would not believe me
But he always came back to me with
the pitiful love he had for me, and
forgave him his transgressions. These
things you know. He confessed many
things to you, Mr.. Wrandall. He
humbled himself to Inc. Perhaps you
will recall that / never complained to
you of him. What rancor l had was
always directed toward you. his fam
lily, who would see no wrong in your
king but looked upon me as dirt be-
meath his feet. There were moments
when l could have slain him with my
own hands, but my heart rebelled
There were times when he said TO me
that ought to kill him for the things
he had done. You may now understand
what mean when ! say that the girl
who went to Buttons inn with him
did me a service. l will not say that
l considered her guiltless at the time.
On the contrary, looked upon her in
quite different way. / had no means
of knowing then that she was as pure
as snow and that he would have de-
spoiled her of everything that was
sweet and sacred to her. She took his
life in order to save that which was
dearer to her than her own life, and
she was on her way to pay for her
deed with her life II necessary when
l came upon her and interviewed"
"You-you know who she is?" said
Mr.. Wrandall. in a low. incredulous
voice.
II have known almost from the be-
ginning. Presently you will hear her
story, from her own lips"
Involuntarily four pairs of eyes shift
ed. They looked blankly at Hetty Cas-
Teton.
Speaking swiftly, Sara depicted the
scenes and sensations experienced dur
ing that memorable motor journey to
New York city.
81 could not believe that she was
vicious creature, even then. Some
thing told me that she was a tender,
gentle thing who had fallen into evil
hands and had struck because she
was unevil. l did not doubt that she
had been my husbands mistress, but
could not destroy the conviction that
somehow. she had been justified in
doing the thing she had done. My
gravest mistake was in refusing to
hear her story in all of it's details.
| only permitted her to acknowledge
that she had killed him, no more.
did not want to hear the thing which
assumed to be true. Therein lies
my deepest fault. For months and
months misjudged her in my heart.
yet secretly loved her. Now l under
stand why | loved her. 1t was because
she was innocent of the only crime
could lay at her feet. Now / come
to the crime of which l stand self.
accused. l must have been mad all
these months. have no other defense
TO oner. You may take 1t as you see
1t for yourselves. do not ask for
pardon. After l deliberately had set
about to shield this unhappy girl-to
cheat the law, il you please-to cheat
you, perhaps conceived the horrible
thought to avenge myself for all the
indignities l had sustained at the
hands of you Wrandalls, and at the
same time to even my account with
the one woman whom could put my
nnger upon as having robbed me of
my husbands love. You see | put it
mildly. l have hated all of you, Mrs.
Wrandall, even as you have hated me.
Today-now-I do not feel as did in
other days toward you. do not love
you, still do not hate you. / do no.
forgive you. and yet l think l have
come to see things from your point
OF view. l can only repeat that ]
do not hate you as l once did"
She paused The Wrandalls we're
too deeply submerged in horror to
speak. They merely stared at her as
II stupefied; as breathless. as motion
less as stones.
There came day when observed
that Leslie was attracted by the guest
in my house. On that day the plan
took root in my brain. /"