Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12
BY ANNA Katherine Green

take last farewell of my dying w3nq1
without listeners or spectators"
From the distant position they toox$
they saw her arms creep round BE
neck. saw her head fall confidtngly %
his breast, then silence settled upo4
them.
But al last there came a stir. and DAs/
Zabriskie, rising up before them with
the dead body OF his wife held closely /
to his breast. confronted them with .
countenance so rapturous that he look
ed like n man TRANSPORTED.
II will carry her to the boat" an10
he. Not another hand shall touch her.
She was my true wife, my true wife,
II the scene OF their crossing to Jer.
sey was impressive, what shall be SAID
OF the return?
The doctor. as before, sat in the stern.
Against his breast he held the form OF
his dead wife. and now and then Violet
saw him stoop as IL he were listening
for some token of life from her set
lips.
Seated at yiolets side in the seat di.
rectly in front of the doctor. her en-
pIoyer watched with her these simple
tokens Of breaking heart, saying
nothing till they reached rnidstream.
when true to his instincts for all his
awe and compassion. he suddenly bent
toward him and said.
.Dr. Zabriskie. the mystery Of your
crime il no longer a mystery 10 me.
friend of yours had for long time filed
your ears with tales tending TO make
YOU suspicious of your wife and jealous
of certain man whom j will not name
You knew that your friend had grudge
against this man. and 50 for many
months turned deaf ear TO his insinu-
ations. But finally some change which
you detected in your wifes bearing or
conversation reused your own suspicious,
and you began TO doubt her truth and
TO curse your blindness. which in a
measure rendered you helpless The jealous
fever grew and had risen to high point
when one night-a memorable night-l
this friend met you, just as you were
leaving town. and. with cruel craft. whis-
pered in your ear that the man you hated
was even then with your wife and that
IL you would return at once to your home
you would find him in her company.
You answered this false friend by say
ing that you would not return without a
pistol. Whereupon he offered to take you
to his house and give you his You LETT
his house with it in your pocket. and. de-
Ginning companionship. walked home. ar
irving at the Colonnade little before
midnight
Ordinarily you have no difficulty in
recognizing your own doorstep But be-
ing in a heated frame of mind, you walked
faster than usual and 30 passed your
house and stopped at that OF mt.
Hasbrouck. one door beyond. Taking out
your night key. you thrust IL into the lock-
II fitted but II took strength to turn it
so much strength that the key was twisted
and bent by the effort An entrance hen
been effected.
ct was while going up the stairs that
you took out your pistol. 80 that by the
time you arrived al tft lfDHl foofti ooct
you held it already drawn and cooked
in your hands. When. therefore. the UNI
fortunate Mr.. Hasbrouck. reused by this
sudden intrusion. advanced with an ex.
clamation of astonishment. you pulled
the trigger and killed him on the spol
1t must have been immediately upon hts
fall that you recognized that you were
in the wrong house and had killed tne
wrong man, for you cried out in evident
remorse. God, what have ] dones and
fled without approaching your victim
49,. ,s~.- had
the house. closing the front door behind
YOU and regaining your own without
being seen The pistol you flung far
away from you down the pavement from
which, by one of those rare chances,
which sometimes happen In this world.
IL was presently picked up by some iass
passerby of more or less doubtful char
acter The door offered less OF an OBJ,
stacle than you had anticipated: fO
when you turned again you found II, =
/ am not greatly mistaken. ajar left %.
as we have reason to believe. by one
who had gone out Of il but Few min
utes before in a state which left MIN
but little master of his actions.
"Astonished at the coincidence. you
went in and assembled at once into your
Wifes presence: and IL was from her
lips, and not from those of Mrs. Has
brouck that the cry arose which
startled the neighborhood.
But she who uttered the scream knew
Of no tragedy save that which was tax
ing place in her own breast. She had
lust repulsed n dastardly sutton. and
seeing you enter SO unexpectedly In a
state of unaccountable horror and
agitation. was naturally stricken with
dismay: while you. having failed to kill
man You sought and having killed
a man you esteemed. let no surprise on
her part lure you into any dangerous
self-betrayal
Am | not correct in my surmises. Df.
Zabriskie. and is not this the true ex-
PLANTATION of your crims?'
With a strange look. he lifted up his
face.
Hush" said he: you will waken her.
See how peacefully she sleeps, ! should
not like to have her Weakened now. she
is so tired. and IL have not watched
over her | should
Then there came a quick uprising. the
swaying of something dark and tall and
@ threatening. and before Violet could
speak or move the seat before her was
empty and darkness had filled the place
where but an instant previous he had
sat. fearsome figure, erect and rigid
as sphinx.
What little moonlight there was only
served 10 show a few rising bubbles,
marking the spot where the unfortu-
nate man had sunk with his much
loved burden. terminating one OF earth's
saddest tragedies.