Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 November 1900 — 'Twixt Life and Death [ARTICLE]

'Twixt Life and Death

BY FRANK BARRETT

CHAPTER XXVll.—(Continued.) “She knows me—she knows that I could never love anyone but you, and gave me credit for more steadfastness .than you would allow me, though she has had less proof of my love than I have given you. You thought I could forget you, and ran away in the belief that afjter a little while I should cense to think iof you. ft is strange,” he added, after |i pause, ‘“that after thinking of you With such yearning tenderness all these past weary days, I should, tell you of 1 your faults when wo meet, I am like a mother recovering her lost child—the first instinct is to scold it for the pain It has given ” ‘T am glad to be scolded. I deserve punishment—scold me!”— ■ “I have done—that is the first impulse; the next,” he added; tenderly, ‘‘in to hag you to my breast and make you feel how 1 do love you.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it fervently. They were alone on the steps loading down into tlie garden. Nessa, at the touch of hist lips, felt that nidhing in the fworld was worth a thought beside such Hove as his, nnd, with that impulsive selfabandonment which was characteristic of her nature, impatient of self-restraint, (turned to him with a coo of delight, and, laying her cheek against his breast, looked up into his face as she murmured: “My own dear love! I, too, will keep before nil others that law which binds us Jieart to heart, nnd I will never, never leave you again!" That night Nessa burned her certificate carriage with fti 'hard Jchderwertr. as Ishe looked at the piece of paper before [putting it in the flames, she said to herpelf that virtually she was still free to (marry Sweyn—that the mere signing of her name could not make her the wife of that other man; and, to silence the objections of her whispering conscience, she repeated again and again Sweyn’s unconsidered words, “Which is wrong—to break man’s law or heaven’s?” And thus they were married a few days later, nnd ns a wedding present Robert Meredith, the groom’s brother, put into Nessa's hand a receipt from the trustees ■of a late eminent physician in Ormond gtreet for a check paid by him for the transfer to his brother Sweyn of the practice, together with the fine house and splendid furniture in Ormond street. CHAPTER XXVIII. One morning Johnson, the man servant, came to Nessa and said: "If.you please, mum, there’s a pusson svnnts to see you a female.” “What does she want?" asked Nessa, ever ready to take alarm, despite her resolution. “She says it’s private affairs, mum.” “Where is she?” “Well, mum, site's on the doorstep at present. Sue looks such a very shady pusson—if you’ll excuse me—that I didn’t think it safe to leave her in the hall with the humhorellas.” “Did she give any name?” “Redman—Mrs. Redman, I believe she tailed herself, mum.” Nessa had purposely turned to the table on which she was arranging flowers as she put the question, and it was well she did so, for her face Os she heard the reply would have furnished gossip for the kitchen had Johnson seen it. “Not at home, mum," the man suggested, as Nessa stood silently fingering the flower before her. With an effort Nessa forced herself to answer in a steady voice: “I will come down,” she said; "show her into the morning room." As the door closed behind the man, Nessa turned from the table, the flowers slipping from her fingers nnd scattering on the floor unnoticed by her. "At last— at last!" she gasped. “Oh, heaven, give me strength and guide me, for T am weak, and know not what to do!” The woman was inconceivably altered. Her dress, nnd the remnants of flashy finery upon her, were frayed, mud-stain ed, faded, and puckered with exposure to rain; her hair had returned to its natural hue and texture of dull tow; she had made no attempt to "make up” n face that bore a vindictive, sinister expression. "What do you want?" Nosua asked, with horror in her hushed voice. “I’ll tell you what I want directly. Give me your hand.” “No; keep away from me. You are my enemy; I know it. If yon come near me I will —” "You will have me put out of doors. That's what you meant to say, only you thought better of it. Yon daren’t do It. You’re afraid of ine, or you wouldn’t have let me In to your fine house. You could come to me fast enough when you needed help, but when I not'd a lift you can think about turning me out in the «treet. That’s your gratitude for all I’ve done. Look at me! T came out of the hospital yesterday. I’ve spent the night In the streets, and my last coppers went for a bite to keep body and soul together this morning. Don’t imngine I want your pity. I’d soouer be carried to the workhouse than ask you for charity. I come here to take what you owe me.” “What I owe you?" "That’s it. When I gave up my house and everything to help you. I gate you half I had. I saved your life. I saved you from beggary. I put you into the International, and was a willing atepping •tone to your present position. We sgreed to share whatever fortune came to ns. L have kept my part of the agreement; now you’ve got to keep yours." “Yon shall have half of my fortune whea it ia mine to give.” “Oh, that game’s up. I’ve been fool enough to play for those stakes while I thought I could play the game out, ljj| I'm not such a fool as to go on at it now. I shall be dead in six months. They me leas than that at the hoapital; I’ll lire six months with care sad fee aoaajr to buy what I kaaw wiU kaa»

me alive. If you were to offer me the whole of ypur fortune —when you get it, and signed a paper to bind you to it, which is more—l wouldn’t change it for what T mean to get out of you now.” “I have nothing,” Nessa said, extending her hands in despair. “Nothing!” croaked the woman, choking with fury, for she had actually worked herself up to believe in her own false representations. "Nothing! You dare tell me that, with those rings on your fingers. Understand me —I’m not a fool, and hot to be cheated. You’ve caught this swell doctor, and I'm going to have my share of the plunder. We go halves —do you hear? halves! And now, we’ll begin the division. Give me one of those gem rings and that wedding-ring. You can replace that witli the other oue---yoit don't want two.’l Nessa shook her head in speechless dismay, clasping the rings Sweyn had given her, and which she would not part with for all the world. “Whnt! you stick at a trifle like that,” pursued Mrs. Redmond. “You must be pretty dense if you don’t understand me, for I speak plain enough. I tell you I’ll have half of everything you have. For convenience, I’ll take it in installments, but I won't leave this house till I've got stuff to make up for the weeks and months of misery I've been brought to through you.” Nessa saw no possibility of escape; she turned to the door in silence. Something in the look of her eyes alarmed Mrs. Redmond. “What are you going to do?” she asked, stepping forward bastil y And set Li uglier foot against the door. “I am not going to do„ what yon want me to do,” Nessa replied, without faltering; “that is impossible. What 1’ shall do,” she added with dreamy wonder—“what I shall do I know no more than you. But I shall know when Dr. Meredith returns.” “What! does'he know you’re Anderson’s wife?” asked the woman, in her turn dismayed. Nessa looked at her in silent scorn. "What do you mean?” asked Mrs. Redmond, impatiently. “I shall tell him all." Mrs. Redmond looked vexed. Delicate sensibilities were quite beyond her comprehension; but she had the sense to see that she had gone too far in her furious determination to extort blackmail, and that if she did not restore hope and confidence to Nessa, her own gain would be of an unpleasant kind. She had a pretty sound conception that Dr. Meredith would not content himself with merely turning her out of his house; he would more likely detain her until the police took her in charge for further examination.

“Come, come,” whined the woman, setting her head aside with abject entreaty in her unhealthy face, “don’t look at me like that. I know I’ye gone too far, and said things I didn’t mean; but you must make some allowance for my misery and need. You see what a poor, miserable wretch I am,” she pleaded, catching at the pity that dawned in the girl’s face. “Heaven knows I don’t want to upset you, and part you from this nice, kind doctor—why should I? My only hope of escaping from the workhouse and living a few months depends on my getting a little help from you. Why, I hung about the corner of the street over an hour, not to call on you till 1 saw the dqetor was well out of the way in his carriage. Look here, don’t you think of telling him, if it’s to put an end to yonr happiness and bring you to shame. Why should you? You were oftly half married to Anderson, nnd that half can’t be legal, as he was out of his miud. I take my oath I didn't know it then. Look at me—it's such misery as mine you plunge yourself into by giving way to this foolish impulse. You always were impulsive—you know you were—and repented It afterward. And if you are really fond of this doctor, you may think that it won’t be a very pleasant thing for him ” “I am thinking of him,” Nessa said. “Well, look how it would damage him in his profession—a scandal of this sort!” Nessa assented, but she was not think* ing -of the scundal or professional position, but of how he would sit alone In his room at night, and the grief that would wring his heart. Nessa received money for housekeeping; more than she needed. With pride she had shown Sweyn the surplus left after paying the week’s bills, and he had told her to put it by for a rainy day. Well, surely, she thought, he could not object, if he knew it, to her giving what she had to supply the needs of this woman. She put her hand In her pocket nnd produced the purse in'whicb she kept this surplus. “I think I may give you this; it is all I have.” Mrs. Redmond snatched it hastily. “At present—but you’ll have some more for me, won’t you?” she said, opening the purse. There was gold inside. "Don’t look frightened. 1 shan’t come again for n long lime, not till this is nil gone. And I shall take precious good care to come when It’s quite safe. That reminds mo that I’d better go before tho servants get curious. Yon can tell your husband in their hearing that I’m an old servant of yours. Now I'll be off.” And ns she opened the door, she croaked loud enough to tie heard by any listening servant, and with a wink at Nessa, “I’m deeply grateful for your kindness, Mrs. Meredith, ma’am. And if ever you should want anyone to help in the house, I shall be •nly too glad to come; you know I waa never above a bit of houest, hard work.” Round the corner of the street she Joined Cummings. He stood there waiting for her, seedy and down at heel, with his hands in his pockets and a hang dog look in his face. “Well, how did you get on—what have you got out of her?" he asked, falling In with her quick pace. “Four or five shillings—that’s all," she answered, gloomily.

"Welt, what’s to Ik- done? I’ve ruined myself through this wretched affair.” “I’ll tell yon what must be done.' 1 We must go for the big stakes. Yon know—we must do what we were talking abont last night. Have you been round to the mansions?” “Yes:” “Weil?” “Hexham’s still thcrc.^ “And the madman?" “Yes.” “Then we must do it!" CHAPTER XXIX. When Sweyn returned from his round that afternoon Nessa met h!m in the hall, and leading him into his own room, said: “I want to tell you at once, love, something that has happened while you were away. The woman I lived with at the time of my accident ” “Mrs. ijerrivaie?” “Yes; she called upon me. She is very ill, very poor, and she has no friends or occupation. She wanted money, and I gave her all I had.” “And so you need some more to go on with, eh?” he suggested, cheerfully. “Oh, no, no, no! The money you let me have for the week is upstairs. I only had my purse with the savings T have made in my pocket. I gave her that.” “Well?” lie said, interrogatively. “That is all I can tell yon, love,” she answered, nervously, stroking his hand as she looked into his face with sad, serious ?yes. Ho laughed nnd hugged her to his side. "Why, you dear, mysterious little soul, that’s nothing. I thought yon had something terrible to relate; that solemn, grave, beautiful face tilled nte with all sorts of apprehensions. You don’t regret giving your savings, do you?” “No; but I felt that I must tell you all — all that I could tell you.” “Believe me, I want to know no more than that, dear wife. But we will not dismiss this subject without another word. I should think Mrs. Merrivale would call on you again. It’s natural she should, you know.” His eyg twinkled. “That sort of thing is liable to become tedious to you, and it must be uncomfortable to her whenever she calls to accept gifts. Now, don’t you think it would be more pleasant for all parties if we lent her a certain sum to invest in a small business.that, would give her occupation and restore a feeling of independence?” “Sweyn, Sweyn—dear, dear, generous Sweyn!” she sobbed, winding her arms round his neck, and with closed eyes drawing his face down to hers. She was exuberantly gay after this little scene. It seemed as if forgiving heaven were smiling upon her, and all the clouds rolling away over the horizon. Anderson, Hexham and Cummings all gone; Mrs. Itedmond settled and content as she must be with the liberal provision promised by Sweyn—what was there to fear? Nothing could trouble her peace; no shadow fall upon this happy future. Unfortunately, Mrs. Redmond did not know of the good fortune awaiting her. By ignoring the good policy of truth and candor she could not foresee the happy turn taken through Nessa’s departure from her counsel. Nessa was anxious to impart the good news to her—to make known her dear Sweyn’s generosity. A fortnight passed; Mrs. Redmond made no sign. Nessa took that ns a sign of the woman’s moderation and became more and more convinced that her peril was past—poor fool! She had a room of her own, but she preferred Sweyn’s study when she was not puzzling very hard over some self-impos-ed task. She was now forever striving to “improve” herself. l’n her husband’s study she eould feast her eyes on the evidence of his prodigious acquirements in the rows of scientific books he understood, and the curious eases of instruments on the shelf which at one time she shuddered to look at. She was seated in his chair one afternoon when Johnson came in by the door from the passage. “If you please, mum, there are two pnssons to see the doctor—males; and they wish to knotv how long it will be before he’s in.” (To be continued.)