The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-08-13

Mn the snort time WHICH naQ passed Ne
could not have fled from the point
where heard him last into the ravine
below Ostrander lane. But. IL not he.
who was IL? Or IL II was he. and
some other hand threw his stick
across my path, whose was this hand
and why have we never heard any
thing about it? 1t is a question which
sometimes floats through my mind.
but | did not give IL a thought then.
was within sight Of home and OIL
ver's possible presence; and all other
dread was as nothing in comparison
TO what felt at the prospect OF meet
ing my boys eye. Ny boys eye! my
greatest dread then. and my greatest
dread still! In my terror Of II | walked
as to my doom.
The house. which I had left empty,
found empty; Oliver had not yet re-
turned. The absolute stiffness Of the
rooms seemed appalling. Instructive
ly l looked at the clock. 1t had
stopped. Not at the minute do not
say ii was at the minute-but near,
very near the time when from an
innocent man | became a guilty one.
Appalled, at the discovery, l fed to
the front. Opening the door, looked
out. Not a creature In sight, and not
sound to be heard. The road was
as lonely and seemingly as forsaken
as the house. Had time stopped here,
too? Were the world and its inter
ests at pause In horror Of my deed?
For a moment believed it; then more
natural sensations inte-vened, and. re-
joicing at this lack of disturbance
where disturbance meant discovery,
l stepped inside again, rewound the
clock, and sat down In my own room.
My own room! Was 1t mine any
longer? It's walls looked strange: the
petty objects of my daily handling,
unfamiliar. The change in myself in
fected everything saw. / might have
been in another mans house for all
connection these things seemed to
have with me or my life. Like one
set apart on an unapproachable shore.
| stretched hands In vain toward all
that | had known and all that had
been of value to me.
But as the minutes passed began
to lose this feeling. Hope, which
thought quite dead. slowly revived.
Nothing had happened. and perhaps
nothing would.
Men had been killed before and the
slayer passed unrecognized Why
might ii not be SO In my case? If the
woman continued to remain silent; II
for any reason she had not witnessed
the blow or the striker, who else was
there to connect me with an assault
committed quarter Of a mile away?
No one knew of the quarrel; and II
they did, who could be so daring as
to associate one of my name with an
action so brutal? A Judge slay his
friend! 1t would take evidence Of a
very marked character to make even
my political enemies believe that.
AS the twilight deepened | rose from
my seat and lit the gas | must not
be found skulking in the dark. Then
| began to count the ticks measuring
off the hour. If thirty minutes more
passed without rush from without
might hope. If twenty?-if ten then
1t was five! then 1t was
All. The gate had changed to. They
were coming. could hear steps
voices-a loud ring at the bell. I
moved slowly toward the front. I
feared the betrayal which my ashy
face and trembling hands might make.
Agitation after the news was to be
expected. but not before! So left
the hall dark when opened the door.
And thus decided my future
For in the faces Of the small crowd
which blocked the doorway I detected
nothing but commiseration; and when
voice spoke and | heard divers ac-
grievous than pity, | realized that my
secret was as yet unshared, and. see
ing that no man suspected me. fore
bore to declare my guilt to anyone.
This sudden restoration from sound.
less depths into the pure air of respect
and sympathy confused me; and be
yond the words Killed! Struck down
by the bridget" heard little. TIL
slowly, duly, like the call of bell
issuing from a smothering mist,
caught the sound of a name. II struck
my ear and gradually 1t dawned upon
my consciousness that another man
had been arrested for my crime and
that the safety. the reverence and the
commiseration that were so dear TO
me had besn bought at a price no man
Of honor might pay.
But was no longer a man OF honor.
was a wretched criminal swaying
above a gulf Of infamy in which ] had
seen others swallowed but had never
dreamed of being engulfed myself
never thought OF letting myself GO
not at this crisis-not while my heart
was warm with its resurgence into the
old life.
And so ! let pass this opportunity
for confession. Afterwards IL was too
late-or seemed too late TO my demor.
allied Judgment.
My first real awakening 20 the ex-
traordlnary horrors OF my position
was uhon I roatfzad that cfrcurn.