The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-13

| ~ "do CloSe anu Sullry nlgnt early
in August. and I. Walter Hartright,
master of drawing, aged %, was walk.
ing from Hampstead to London. In
one moment every drop Of blood in my
oody was brought to stop by a touch
OF hand laid gently on my shoulder
There, in the middle of the highroad,
STOOD woman dressed from head to
loot IN white garments. She asked
| me the Nay to London. ! told her;
/ and we parted.
len minutes later carriage passed
me and few yards beyond stopped a
policeman. man put his head from
the window and asked: Have you
! seen a woman pass this way-a wo-
! man in white? She has escaped from
my asylum At a shake of the po-
liceman's head, the carriage drove
rapidly on.
The next day I was at Limmeridge
house, Cumberland, in the service Of
| Frederick Fairlie, ESQUIRE. was
| there to instruct his two young nieces
IN the art Of painting. l found Marian
Halcombe to be dark and ugly, but in.
telllgent. Laura Fairlie, her half-sis-
ter, was light. pretty and dependent
Ihey were devoted to each other, and
| before my engagement was up, ad-
| mlred the one and loved the other
MY feelings were the cause of my
leaving Limmeridge House Marian
Halcombe brought me to a realization
OF my own heart. You must leave"
she SAID. mot because you are only a
teacher Of drawing, but because Laura
talrlle is engaged to be married."
A few days before l left Cumber-
land, While walking alone in the even
ing. was confronted by the same face
which had first looked into mine on
the London highroad by night. But
was startled less by its sudden reap
pearance than by my immediate recog-
milton OF an ominous likeness between
this fugitive from the asylum and my
fair pupil a Limmeridge House. Still
greater was my CONSERVATION when
the woman admitted having come to
the neighborhood for the sole purpose
or thWarting the proposed marriage of
Laura Fairlie.
| l left Limmeridge House, and soon
after embarked on an expedition to
Central America. The same year.
Laura Fairlie became the bride of Sir
PerclVal Clyde, Bart, and with her
sister went to live at Blackwater Park,
her husbands country estate. Count
! tOSco, an audaciouS and domineering
| ltallan, and his wife were guests of
| the household But all was not as
harmonious as an English country
party should be. Lady Clyde and her
! sister, as in5eparable and confiding as
ever. felt perCeptible GOODNESS ris-
ing between them and the two gentle
men. Goodness turned to suspicion and
soon to fear.
Then 1t was that Lady CLYDE met
the Woman in White. The mysteri-
Gus person stole noiselessly UP to her
IN the twilight one evening and wills.
pered: IF you knew your husbands
secret, he would be afraid of you He
would not dare use you as he has used
me. | ought to have saved you before
it was too late" But before the Sc
cret was told there were footsteps in
the distance and the woman moved
stealthily away.
Sir Percival learned of the brief in.
terview, and was afraid of his wife.
lie demanded, begged, threatened her
to tell him all she knew. What had
been battle of wits between the two
sisters and the two men became a
struggle of strategy, and the women
lost the fight. Lady Clyde was de-
coyed into leaving Blackwater Park
for Count Fosco's London home. Less
than two weeks later a tombstone in
Cumberland bore this inscription:
Sacred TO the memory of Laura, Lady
Clyde"
On my return from Central America
the same year, l heard of the DEATH
and Immediately visited the grave AS
l approached it. two women came
towards me. One was. Marian Hal
combe; the other was yelled, but
when she raised the covering from her
face. there, loking at me, was Laura
Lady Clyde. She was pale nervous,
and depresSed-more perfect than
ever in her resemblance to the Woman
III White.
Marian Halcombe told me what she
knew. She had found her sister in an
asylum, and in the grave at our feet
was her mysterious double. Sir Per.
cival's boldness and Count Fosco's