Year: 1877

Kindness, the girl then thought, renamed ID
the room with her, and was all attention.


Tea had been brought up; a cup of it had
stood by the bedside. ....-....


"Give me some tea, Carl. I am dying Of
thirst" said the lady. ...


The husband lifted the cup to her lips. She
emptied it, save the dregs. ......


''How kind he is" she said. "He has been
giving me those refreshing drinks all night.


Monsieur thereupon whispered to Lucille,
in low tone: ...... ....


"I fear my wife is wandering in her mind
I have not given her anything to drink be-
fore. A doctor must be sent for"


Soon after he went out to call one, and the
lady begged to be left alone that she might
sleep. An hour afterward the doctor came.
Lucille conducted him to her lady's room.
There sight met his eyes that horri6ed them
both. Half and half out of the low French
bed lay the dead body of Madame Garbetta,
who had evidently expired in awful agony.
On the floor near her was crumpled piece
of paper, and pencil


These the doctor did not see, but Lucille
did. Even at this terrible moment, her in
tense natural love of order, cultivated during
fifteen years of waiting maid life, prompted
her to pick them up and put them in her
pocket. Also, while the doctor bent over the
rigid form, which he replaced in bed, she put
the empty cup, which yet stood upon chair,
into little cupboard. These actions were
quite mechanical.


"She is dead" said the doctor, "and her
death does not seem to me to have been a
natural one. I should say that it was death
by poison. We must investigate the matter.
Call Monsieur Garbetta.


Monster Garbetta was summoned. At the
terrible news that met him he swooned away.


Lucille remembered very we'll the screams
she had heard, and the black mark upon her
lady's neck, also the story of the woman he
had met at the corner of the square. At the
inquest she told all this. The tea-cup was
produced and in the dregs was found arsenic
enough to kill man.


A post. t.mortem examination was made, and
the medical men decided that Madame Gar
beta had come to her death by arsenical poi
soning. Mr.. Garbetta was at once arrested,
and on his trial an apothecary was called
who attested that the prisoner, who was we'll
known to him by sight as we'll as by name,
had, only few days before, purchased of him
packet of arsenic to kill mice with.


Monsieur Garbetta acknowledged the un-
pleasant scenes which had occurred, but de-
clared they were altogether his wife's fault.
That he had endeavored to soothe her. That
she tried to choke herself with her handker-
chief. He had given her tea from cup like
the one produced, but the tea was brought
from the kitchen, and he knew nothing of its
composition. There had been none in the
room at night


He had bought the arsenic because his wife
had found mice in the drawer which held her
finest laces, and at her request.


But who believes the story of one accused ?
The trial brought forth what seemed positive
proof of Monsieur Garbetta's guilt, and ne
was condemned to death.


Lucille, who had loved her mistress, actu.
ally rejoiced over the fact. She had done all
she could to bring him to justice; she was
glad that she had done so. AS the days of
his imprisonment flew on she felt no pity for
him. AS that dawned on which he was to
die, she resolved, if possible, to see him hung.
She had friend within the prison, and easily
obtained permission to crafty her terrible
wish.


"One who could kill my dear mistress is
but dog" she said II shall be happy to see
him meet dogs DEATH


So she passed on to the spot where the
black gallows could be seen. She wore the
cap of her class, a skirt shorter than ladys
would have been, and dainty polonaise.
This skirt was black silk one she had worn
on the morning of madames death. She had
put it OIL because the handsome young doctor
was expected, if the truth must be told. In
its pocket was a handkerchief edged with
lace.


The unhappy man was led out.


81 am glad to see him" she whispered to a
neighbor. 81 lived with Madame Garbetta.
know how he used her."


The wretched gentleman, standing before
those who had come to see him die, swore that
he was guiltless of his wife's death.


She murmured Liar" Then the last act
came Lucille looked at it as a scene Of some
merry play.


Good" she said. "Justice is sometimes
DONE"


And as she spoke she thrust her hand into
her pocket, and pulled out her handkerchief.
With it emerged two things more-a piece of
paper and lead pencil.


Since she picked them up from the floor OF
Madame Garbetta's room, Lucille had not
remembered them. Now the incident flashed
upon her mind. She saw her mistresss hand
writing. and spread the paper open before her
eyes. There we're a crowd of words written
upon it. They were these:


"I find that am too weak to rise. I cannot
call loud enough to be heard. shall die before
anv one comes God spare me to write this.
cannot 60 before Him liar.


81 have poisoned myself Ny husband was
unfaithful to me. I did not care to live; and, in
my rage, revenged myself by casting suspicion
upon him. have planned SO well that he must
God grant it is not too late May He forgive me.
swear before Him this is the truth.


Ros1NE GARBETTA."


Lucille uttered scream and flew away
into the prison. 1t was long before she found
one to whom to tell her tale, and then it was
quite useless. Monsieur Garbetta had gone
to meet his wife-only his senseless body lay
in its coffin, its reproachful eyes glaring blind
ly at the sky.


For years after poor, demented creature
wandered about the town-a woman who had
been pretty once, and was not yet old. She
was quite harmless, but she often terrified
strangers by stopping them in the street and
saying, in fierce whisper:


II tell you Monsieur must not be hung.
Monsieur is innocent. Madame declares it. -


1t is Lucille, Madame Garbetta's waiting
maid.


THE NATIONAL CAPIToL.-The corner
stone Of the capitol was laid by Washington,
on the 18th day of September, 1893. The