The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-07-25


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 brlet
as possible in stating the case. Mr..
Wrandall. You will be surprised to
hear that have taken 1t upon myself,
as the wife of Challis Wrandall and,
as / 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
it upon myself to shield, protect and
defend the unhappy young woman who
accompanied him to BIrton'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, l adored him.
To the end of my days | could have
gone on loving MIN in spite Of the
cruel return he gave for my love and
loyalty | 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 l
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 | 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 | 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 Burton's inn with him
did me a service. | will not say that
/ considered her guiltless at the time.
On the contrary, looked upon her in
quite a 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 if necessary when
came upon her and interviewed"
"You-you know who she is?" said
. Mr. Wrandall, in a low, incredulous
voice.
IL 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.
opcdhiuS o"llliy, odld uCpiSlCu TIC
scenes and sensations experienced dur
ing that memorable motor journey to
New York city.
81 could not believe that she was a
vicious creature, even then. Some
thing told me that she was tender
gentle thing who had fallen into evil
hands and had struck because she
was unevil. | 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 its details
oniy 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 anC
months | misjudged her in my heart
yet secretly loved her. Now | under
stand why loved her. 1t was because
she was innocent of the only crime
could lay at her feet. Now I com,
to the crime of which stand self
accused. I must have been mad al
these months. have no other defens,
to offer. You may take 1t as you SCI
it for yourselves. do not ask TO
pardon. After I deliberately had Sc
about to shield this unhappy grit,
cheat the law, if you please-to chea
you, perhaps-I conceived the horrible
thought to avenge myself for all tn
indignities l had sustained at tn
hands of you Wrandalls, and at tn
same time to even my account witt
the one woman whom could put m
finger upon as having robbed me o
my husbands love. You see put
mildly. have hated all of you, Mrs
Wrandall, even as you Fave hated me
z Today-now-I do net feel as ! did i
other days toward you. | do not low
n you, still | do not hate you. | do n,
d forgive you, and yet l think | hav
y come to see things from your poin
of view. | can only repeat that
e, do not hate you as | once did"
a She paused. The Wrandalls wer
e too deeply submerged in horror I
speak. They merely stared at her a
a if stupefied; as breathless. as motion
q, less as stones
le There came day when | observe
% that Leslie was attracted by the CUES