Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-22
Continued from Fourth Page.)

the shadow. and was standing now d.
rectly before her), 81 must ask you to
trust implicitly in what / tell you. It
was not necessary for me to pass my
little sons door in order to reach the
room l was making for. but anguish
took me there and held me glued to the
panels for what seemed q long, long
time. When ! finally crept away 1t was
TO go 10 the room I had chosen in the
top OF the house where ! had my hour
OF he'll and faced my desolated future.
Did l hear anything meantime in the
halls below? No. Did l even listen for
the sound of her return? No. ] was
dead TO everything but my own misery.
] did not even heed the approach OF
morning, till suddenly, with a shrill-
ness no ear could ignore. there rose.
tearing through the silence of the
house, that great scream from my
wtfe's room which announced the dis
coyery of her body lying stark and cold
IN her bed.
They said I showed little feeling"
He had moved off again and spoke
from somewhere in tho ehadows. do
you wonder at this after such a mani
fest stroke by a benevolent Providence?
My wife being dead, Roger was saved
to US. 1t was the one song Of my still
undisciplined soul, and had to assume
coldness lest they should see the great
ness OF my Joy. The necessity for
keeping secret SO much OF our dis
graceful story led me to exert myself
TO keep IL out of my own mind. 1t has
only come back to me in all SIS force
since a new horror, a new suspicion.
has driven me to review carefully
every incident OF that awful night.
Il was never man of much logic.
and when they came to me on that
morning OF which I have just spoken
and took In where she lay and
pointed 20 her beautiful cold body
stretched out in seeming peace under
the satin coverlet. and then to the pile
OF dainty clothes lying neatly folded
on chair with just one fairy slipper
on top. / ahuddered at her fate but
asked no questions, not even when one
OF the women of the house mentioned
the circum stances of the single slip
per. and said that search should be
made for its mate. Nor was / as much
impressed as one would naturally ex-
pect by the whisper dropped in my ear
that something was the matter with
her wrists. 1t IS true that l lifted the
lace they had carefully spread over
them and examined the discoloration,
which extended like a ring about each
pearly arm. but having no memories Of
any violence offered her Il had not as
much laid hand upon her In the
grotto). these marks failed to arouse
my interest. But-and now I must leap
a year In my story-there came time
when both of these facts REQUIRED to
my mind with startling distinctness
oE.I tA~siiiS!ei iOE explanation.
y had risen above the shock, and
was striving to live a new life when
accident forced me to re-enter the
grotto where l had never stepped foot
since that night a favorite dog in
chase OF some innocent prey had es-
capped the leash and run into it's dim
recesses and would not come out at
my call AS ! needed him Immediately
for the hunt, I followed him over the
promontory. and swallowing my re-
pugnance. slid into the grotto to get
him. There. in a remote corner. lighted
up by reflection from the sea, I be-
held my setter crouched above an OBJ
1ect which in another moment rec
ognized as my wife's missing slipper
Here! Not IN the waters of the sea or
in the interstices of the rocks outside
but here, Proof that she had never
walked back to the house where she
was found lying quietly in her bed
proof positive. for knew the path too
well and the more than usual tender
ness Of her feet.
How then, did she get there; and by
whose agency? Was che living when
she went. or was she already dead? A
year had passed since that delicate shoe
had borne her from the boat into these
dim recesses: but 1t might have been
enly a. dax SO ximidly did LAH>osar IN