Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 November 1900 — 'Twixt Life and Death [ARTICLE]

'Twixt Life and Death

BY FRANK BARRETT

CHAPTER XXVIr. Noses wii sijttihg by the, window, opposite her husband, when Cummings sud Ini; exclaimed, “Hexham!” At the sound of that name, Mrs. Redmond, who MS speaking to her, stopped abruptly, turned her head sharply toward the wicket, and the next moment hurried sway in the opposite direction with Cumnaings. Am Hexham rushed up to the door, her husband flew to the other end of the com•artment with the bag in his hand. There ■a stood for a moment, looking at Hexham, as if in the last extremity of fear; ttea seizing the one opportunity offered by the delay in unfastening the door, he tore open the bag and snatched at the rasor lying inside. Under the impression that he intended to commit suicide, Nesaa, with a scream, sprang to her feet and Carted forward to arrest his hand. He grasped her by the shoulder with his left sand, and, putting the razor to his month, tpeaed the blade with bis teeth, and she saw by the rand fury in his eyes that it waa her life and not his own that he intended to take. But before be could use tire hideous thing, Hexham was upon him, and he was thrown back in the gadded corner of the carriage, his arms tightly pinned to his side, nod the razor Ml from his unnerved fingers. So much was impressed distinctly on her mind; what followed was vague and Creamlike until, recovering from the ahock, ahe found herself on the platform, aupported by a couple of railway offldaW, surrounded by a few curious spectators, and saw the train, which was to ba ve taken her, gliding away in the distance. There was no one on the platform beyond the gapiug group about her. Where were her husband and Hexham, and Mrs. Redmond and Cummings? The two latter bad made their escape in the outgoing train; Hexham, intent only on avoiding unpleasant consequences of his ratlent’s murderous attack, had whisked la man off the platform, bundled him lota the first hansom available, nnd was uow clear of the station. He had hardly eaat a glance on Nessa; certainly he had uot recognized her. In reply to her faltering questions, the officials, after looktog about, could tell her no more than waa patent to her own observation, and (hat was summed up in the policeman’s brief announcement—“the parties are all ] gone, seemingly.” The poor girl was utterly bewildered, and when asked if she would take a cab. ahe accepted the suggestion eagerly, with uuthing but the vague idea of finding her husband, by whose side it was now her duty to stand. There whs no doubt hi her mind at>out that. She bad known, from the very beginning, that his miud waa unsound, nnd it wns the consideration that, by devoting her life to making hla a little happier nnd better than she found.it, which had finally decided her upon becoming his wife. She said, unsparingly to herself, that she had married him for her own selfish ends to escape the temptation of yielding, as she •aeritahl v must, /to the influence of Cweya Meredith—to pscape deutitution, to provide herself luxuries, which aanaed essential to happiness, sud ahe was bound by her bargain to fulfill the iatlea of her position. And she reasoned —it a young, unworldly girl in such a desperate P9sition can be said to reason that bej- duty wan not lessened by the fact that his condition was worse than triie had been led to believe it, but the aaoee Imperative because he stood in greater need of love aud tender eare. But how wns she to find him? That guewtion was brought home to her by the cabasan touching bis hat, aud asking, -Where to, mlsa?” Bhe was completely Igaoraut ns to her husband's address. It aceurred to her, however, that Mrs. Redasond might know, and so she told the asaa to take her to Mabel Grove. “How much? 1 ' she asked, when she got sot at Fulham. “Three shillings, miss, is my fare.” Keans, looking in her purse, found that she had no more than two shillings and Hxpeuce. and this the obliging cabman eoosented to take.

Mr*. Redmond bad not returned; Nexsn derided to wait until she oame in. wondering what bad detained her, perplexed •tilt more b.r the recollection of her •trange behavior, Doubtless she would explain ail when the; met. In the meantime Nessa saw that ahe must try to be Client and reuaonahle, and think out r poaition clearly.'- There waa no alternative but to wait; ahe had no money to pay for a room at a hotel. She walk «d about the room, trying to overcome a •rawing suspicion of foul play and treachery that hud sprung up in her mind, until the lengthening hour* increasing the tojatery of Mra. Kedmond'a absence, she Mad down on a couch, aud, from sheer aafcaaaiioa. fell asleep. The woman of fee fcause brought her some breakfast iu Mw morning. Nessa waited until ten «f«tock, and then, leaving word that she araaU return in the course of the morning, she went out to hud the registry ofSee where she had been married the day hafert. The registrar recognixed her at once, •ad, seeing the trouble in her face, led lar Into ,fcis inner office aud gave her a to air before inquiring what business bad hreaght her there. “Will you tell ihe if you know where Lard Carickbalrn Uvea?" Nesna asked. “Toar husband?" “Tea.** “Tto address he gave Is 2t) Eaton Pf W “la that near here?" *'Qalte close—the second turning ou the Wt.” “Tbaak yon very much." “Bat.” said the isgstrar. as Nessa was did ta riae. “he does not live there." I%e disappointment that suddenly foltowed the expression of satisfaction in toe young wife's face lold'h talc,-and be cdhtiaaed: “Barnething uunuaual in the look of yaar has hand and yonr friends led me to rail at Hktnn street this morning, mid I Varaed there that the apartments were

let to a gentleman who, T presume, la Mr. Cummings, for a month, and the rent paid In advance, but that since that day neither he nor anyone else had taken possession of them. t tried to discover where the gentleman lived, but the people of the house knew nothing whatever about him; they had neglected to ask his name. It Is probable that the rooms were taken only to comply withjhe regulations of the Marriage Act.” "And—and that Is all,” faltered Nessa. “Well ” The registrar hesitated. "IMense tell me all you know—anything,” Nessa pleaded. “It Is rather a delicate question; but may I ask, Mrs .Anderson, if you are aware that ‘Lord Carickbairn’ is an assumed title?” Nessa shook her head deprived of speech by the dread of some terrible revelation. "It is. I have examined the Directory and the Peerage-, there is no such name ns Richard Anderson, Lord Carickbairn, in either.” Nessa was stupefied. “What am I to do?” she murmured, “With a view to helping you if I can, may I ask what has happened?” “They are gone—gone!” she replied, wildly. “And you want to know how to find them. Well, we can, perhaps, find one. Maud Raymond,” he said, opening the register, “lives in Mabel Grove. John Cummings gives the same address as your husband-” “She is not there -she has not returned. I have been at her house all night.” ”1 am afraid I can give you no further information. But if, as lam led to suppose by your youth and these grave circumstances, you have contracted this marriage without the sanction of your friends, and have now reason to suspect the good faith of those who induced you to marry—if I am right in those suppositions, I think I may venture to offer you advice.” “Oh, pray do. I am quite helpless—quite unable to guide myself,” “Then let your friends guide you. Go hack to them.” “My friends?” she said, in a tone of despair that told him she had no hope in that direction. “If ttiat is out of tlic question, there is still one other resource—consult a solicitor.” “What can he do? Will he find my husband?'' “Ah, that may be a matter for the police to take up. I cannot say. Rut yon may rely on this—that if you put your case in the hands of a first-class solicitor he will take whatever steps are advisable to secure your interests.” “Would It he very expensive?” Nessa asked, timidly. “That depends on the nature of the case. If it involved a lawsuit, it might be more expensive. Of course, you can do nothing without some outlay—l may say, considerable outlay.” “I am penniless—l can do nothing,” Nessa said to herself, rising in despair, with the feeling that it was useless to continue the discussion. The registrar rose also. “I think I may say, with certainty,” he said, going toward the door, “that you ought to do nothing without legal advice. I mean that you ought to take the opinion of a competent adviser before you put. yourself again in communication with your husband and the persons who have led you to marry him.” "Oh, surely, my first duty is to find my husband,” said Nessa, with conviction in her tone. "I nra not sure of that.” He stopped, with his hand on the door, and, facing her, repeated gravely: “I nm not sure of that. Your solicitor may find that you have been led into this marriage by unscrupulous persons with some view to their own advantage. You mistrust no one concerned —you do not see how this marriage may tend to their advantage at present uuseen by you. That is because you are ignorant of evil. I can imagine a case in which a marriage and desertion would affect a wife’s fortune. Suppose, for example, the wife's estate were entailed, the succession would be naturally diverted by her dying without family, aud this could be effected by the husband abandoning her on the day of her marriage. Ido uot say that this is your case; 1 only suggest it ns one example of a hundred combinations that might be devised with the same motive. Certain fact* lead me to suspect that you are the victim of some combination, nnd I have spoken, perhaps unwisely, because I feel it would be ungenerous to he silent. I can see that you nre a lady by birth and education: your dress leads me to believe that you have wealth. Your husband is already proved to Ik- an imposter. You were deeply agitated when you came here yesterday, and you signed your name binding you to that mnn with evident reluctnuce. The woman who came with you was ill-bred aud coarse; the man Cummiugs looked ns if he were staking his fortune on the cast of n die—they were both eager to get the business done, and when it is done all three disappear in a manner which seems to me you cannot explain.”

"No, it is all a mystery to me.” "Weil, l think I have shown you where you may look for a clew to the mystery, at least I have tried to. show that it is not your first duty to find your husband. Tt Is, on the contrary—for a certain reason which a solicitor would have less diffidence-in pointing out than I find—your duty to avoid correspondence or communication of any kind with him until you are assured that this marriage has not been contracted-with a sinister purpose. You have asked m.v advice," he added, turning the handle of the door; •it is summed up in a dozen words: Be •ore you find your bnshnnd or his friends, ir they find you, see a solicitor.” Hg opened the door and bowed, and Nessa, axpressing her gratitude in • few incoherent and confused phrases, went out. For the next few weeks Nessa’s lot waa a very sad one. ’She had to ael)

what little trinket* ahe had for bread, and In her search for employment met nothing but refusals everywhere. Finally, when almost despairing, she saw an advertisement- in the papers of'a Mr. Mulloch, who kept an art pottery shop in Oxford street, and presenting herself to .him was engaged to take charge of an art show in one of the conrts of the Crystal Palace at a salary of one pound a week. After the novelty of her new position position had worn off N'essa’s life became one of unvarying regularity, and, except that she gave up the lodgings she had taken in Lambeth and took a couple of rooms near the palace, no event occurred for two months worth writing, about. Then something happened which was to be written on her mind and never after effaced. One evening, when ’she turned from locking the door of her court, she found a man standing before her, and that man was Sweyn Meredith. She stopped with a faint exclamation that tneant joy—pain —hope, fear—anything, everything! He took her hand without a word; only when he had led her on a few steps in the leafy shade of the deserted colonnade, he mrmured: “Found at last, my love!” She was trembling and weak from this sudden shock, but she found strength to stop and draw her hand from his on hearing these words. “Oh, you must not speak to me like that,” she faltered; “we jnust not be together.” “Must not be together!" he exclaimed, passionately; “do you think I have hunted for you day and night for three months to give you up now that you are found?” He laughed derisively, but suddenly checked himself, as if confronted by a terrible doubt, he said: “One moment. Look me in the face, Nessa.” He spoke sternly. His command was not to be disobeyed. Nessa looked up into his face, which was absolutely fierce with this sudden suspicion that she had given her heart to another. But it did not terrify her; its manly strength was admirable in her eyes; the haggard cheek, the sunken eye, the line that told of weary anxiety moved her heart with pity. And as she still looked up to this, her lord, the hard lines melted away from his face, the brows unbent, and the firm lips quivered. “You love me still, darling,” he murmured; “You love me as you did the morbing that we parted, and nothing in the world shall keep us asunder.” “Grace! Grace!” was all that Nessa could say in remonstrance. “No, that name shall not bar me. Nor shall that name be your plea again for leaving me. You nre mine now—inevitably mine!” He took her hand and pressed it fervently between his big palms as he led her onward. "Sweyn oh, my friend,” she pleaded, striving to free herself from the meshes of this love that seemed to tangle all her faculties. “Grace sent me here to find you; Grace, whose heart you think clings to the man who loves you as he never did and never could love her!" “How did she know I was here?” “She was here yesterday. You passed her in the evening. There was a fete, the Palace wns crowded, nnd before she could overtake you, you were lost. She imagined you had some occupation in the building by your manner; you walked qußsy; you were alone, and took no notice of the things and people about you. More than that; she believed by your expression that you were not happy —that you had not forgotten me. She came this morning to tell me—herself suggesting that if you had an engagement here, I, too, might find you. But without that probability T should have come. I have looked for you all over I/ondon. I heard that you had been seen in Kensington, and for a month I have hunted the streets about there.” “Oh, she is generous!” said Nessa, feeling that she could not have done so much. (To be continued.)