The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-24
A Mad Woman
By ALAN HINSDALE

When | married Lucy she was the !
personification of modesty. timidity.
shyness. She was equally mercurial
One moment the world to her was a
garden of roses. the next universal
cemetery.
| was clerking on so month when
| married her, and we went to live in
a cottage standing by itself on the out
skirts of the city The nearest house
was half a mile away. OF course we
couldn't afford to keep a servant. so
Lucy was cook and housemaid. Fortu-
nately her mother had taught her how
to prepare viands for an ordinary meal,
and | usually got home from business
in time TO help her with the dinner.
Our only trouble was Lucy's loneli-
ness while | was away, as | was all
day except Sunday. We had not
thought of this when we engaged the
cottage. Indeed, we were too young
and inexperienced to think of most of
our necessities. Every morning when
left my wife she would cling to me
so that it was hard to get away from
her. But in the evening when ! re-
turned the happy smile on her face and
light in her eyes were delicious.
Our cottage wass two stories and
half high. The half story was nothing
more than an open space under the
roof 1t was approached by a rude
staircase and entered by trapdoor in
its floor furnished with bolt under
n
storeroom, which means place for
! family accumulations, but nothing had
as yet accumulated. Indeed, we hadn't
enough to furnish the house.
! One day on returning from business
I | had reached wood through which
usually made short cut to the house
; and was passing through 1t when
I heard a shces which seemed to come
from the direction of my home. ran
through the wood, put before emerg-
| Ing from it heard another shot. fol
| lowed by the sound Of the falling of
| shattered glass. Visions of my little
wife being murdered lent me additional
speed, and. clearing the wood at a
bound, | had view of my house.
Under u window in the garnet stood
my wife with my fowling piece in her
hands, pointing it upward. Her back
was toward me, 50 she did not see me.
"You miserable, contemplate thing
she cried to some invisible object. Il
just wish you'd give me half a chance;
I'd teach you how to break up my
china set that my mother gave me for
wedding present"
"For heavens sake, Lucy" | cried
whom are you talking to-"
She was so angry that either she
didn't see me or wouldn't notice me.
saw the frightened face of man fol
q fraction of a second at the window
in the garnet and heard simultaneous
report from my shotgun, followed by
more falling glass. | sprang to Lucy
and, Selling the gun, wrenched it ou
Of her hands.
what does this all mean?" ! sale
sharply.
THAT miserable thing up there ha'
broken all our best furniture; the din
ner set Aunt Harriet gave me and thu
y ten set mother gave me-"
Wv no is ne w Hal Is ne! w ucl'
does he come from|
"He came into the house pretendin;
he wanted something to eat. but. find
ing me alone. he demanded money.
told him | had none to give him, ant
: he began to break things and threat
ened to kill me with Il long knife if
didn't give him all the cash ther'
| -. Al t,II h.ns1 GtAf
it all hidden under rafter in tn
storeroom. lie went up there. | fo
lowed him and bolted the door afte
him. ran downstairs, expecting t
faint Oh the sofa, but, seeing the wrec
of our things, began to get mad. Th
more ruined pieces found the madde
: got. Seeing your gun standing i'll
corner, took 1t and. going outside, say
= the man at the window. He had mad
a rope of some stuff he'd found in th
garnet and was going to let himsel
down when l shot at him and drov
him back. Just think of that beautifr
tea set that my mother
l had heard enough. | told Lucy
go somewhere and telephone a polio
station. while | relieved her of he
sentry duty. The mans face appeare
at the window again, and she tried
snatch the gun from me to get anothe
- crack Mt him. told her to go at onc'
and she went off. turning once {
D twice to fire an angry look at the VIII
9 dow
After she had gone / spoke to II
: man and told him he might as we
: make no effort to get away. and b
I quiet This he knew without my tel
ing him, and. L. had no trouble vi;
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