Year: 1878

LilldH was awakened Dv step IN the


room next her own. She opened her eyes
and lay still listening. Then she heard
| the knob of her door softly turned. and to


her horror great, burly man entered the
| room, carrying dark lantern.


With heart that seemed to her to have
| stopped beating from terror. Lillian lay
| still. her eyes closed. She heard him
| cross the room, and open the bureau


drawers one after the other She heard
the well known click of her Jewel cases


and knew that the robber was riding them


of their contents Then she heard him
| cross the room again and stand at her bed
side. So great was her terror that she lay


AS one dead. her child pressed closely to
her bosom. The ruffian raised the lantern
| and threw the light full on her face.
| ASLEEP, he muttered. Then he put his
hand beneath her pillow and drew forth


her watch, for she kept it there at night
over her neck his great coarse fingers


went wandering, as if in search of chain.
but she wore none. He then to her great
relief went softly out of the room, closing


the door after him.


AS the man left the room. Lilian's nerves
which had been under such terrible tension
| gave way. She fell back on her pillow faint
ing. How long she Law there she never


knew. She was reused by the noise of
struggle going on in the hall below. She
| raised herself on her arm and tried to list
en- There seemed to be a heavy fall, a
deep, prolonged groan, and then all was
still.


Lillian rose feebly from her bed. hold.
| ing the sleeping babe still clasped TO her
bosom. 1t did not occur to her to leave it
| in her room, aud if it had, doubt if she
would have done so. Her night lamp was
out, for the oil had not been sufficient to
keep burning more than few hours. So
Lillian groped for her bedroom candle and
lighted it. She left her room and began
to descend the stairs. As she did so she
felt a cold rush of wind coming up the
staircase and knew that the hall door of


the front entrance TO the house must have
been left open by the robber. But all at


once a sudden gust blew out her candle.


She went on in the thick darkness. how


ever, for she knew that there were plenty
ot matches on the mantle in the parlor.


The floor of the hall was laid with expen-


sve marbles which had been Julian's


pride, and the only furniture in the whole
hall was a marble table of antique design
and workmanship.


The marble felt cold to Lilian's bare
feet as she stepped upon it, but she


crossed the hall holding the candle in one
hand and clasping with one arm her
sleeping child to her breast. All OF sud-
den she stopped short, her feet had trod-
den in some liquid hich was flowing over
the hall floor. Lillian started back, but as
she did SO stumbled over some large body
lying on the floor A terrible fright took
possession of her, and she stood there
,,,,1, 81. 81,
scarcely knowing what she was doing,
she stopped down and touched the some
thing with her hand. II aCds the face of q


human being Vhich came IN contact tcuh
her haHd. | think no one can estimate
| the horror which entered the soul of Lii


ian Gaylord. She staggered past the


body, gained the parlor and reighted her
| candle. Then holding it above her head


she retraced her steps What sight met
her gaze There on the marble floor lay
| the body of a man, the life blood flowing
from his heart. which had evidently been
pierced with large, foreign dagger
which lay near him. On Lilan's feet his
blood was lying, her night dress was dyed
with the same dark hue. Like one in
dream the girl came nearer to the pros
| trate man, and held the candle so that the
light shone full on his upturned face.
Then a wild shril shrek rang through


the house, and she fell heavily on the
floor, throwing the helpless child from her
arms against the marble table. The
little creature struck heavily and then fell


on Tie marble paving. the blood flowing
from ghastly wound in its head and dy-
ing the garments of its father For it


was Julian Gaylord who lay dead on the
floor of his own hall, his golden head ly-
ing in a pool of his hearts blood, his
blue, smiling eyes closed forever to all
the pleasures and miseries of this world.
No wonder his desolate wiies shrek rang
through the house.


She lay across her husbands body COM
pletely covered with his blood and that of
her infant. The shrek reused me from
my slumber and ran to whence it came.
The servants, also reused, rushed after


me, and there we found the lovely Lillian
| beside the bodies of her best beloved
We roused her from the dead faint into
| which she had fallen. and as she rose to
her feet she saw her child, the little being
whose existence had been such delighttO


her, the darling of her heart, lying dead
beside its father. Into Lillian Gavlord's


face there then came the cold, frozen ex
preston which she wears now, into her
eyes that stare OF horror which is in them


to this day. Then with wild. long cry


of agony she fell again at our feet.


Julian GAYLORD had found that he need
not prolong his stay at the town to which
he had been summoned, and he had re-


turned at once to his home, and entered


the house with his latch key, encountering


the robber in the hall. Without weapons


he was lily matched with the villain who


mad dealt him his death blow with the long


dagger we found dyed with blood. The


infant had struck It's temple on the sharp


corner of the table, and died almost in-


stantly. For many weeks Lillian hovered


on the borders of the grave, and when she


recovered her eyes still had in them the
look they wore when she first saw her


dead child. Her fixed purpose is TO find


the villain who deprived her of all she
| found worth living for. and she has pre-


sentiment that she will meet him some