eckless indulgence
in the bottle had made him so. He was as dangerous at this moment as a
wild beast from the jungle.

Lovelace Ellsworth rushed into the room, and, without seeing Ela Craye
at all, paused directly at the young girl's side, and began to speak.

To the jealous hearts of Olive and Vernon Ashley, the act had but one
interpretation.

His choice had fallen on Ela, and he was about to announce it publicly
to his friends.

A pang of the bitterest pain and jealousy tore like a red-hot needle
through the heart of Olive, and involuntarily, she looked again at the
window for the lowering face of Ela's rejected lover, wondering how he
would bear the strain of the moment.

The sight of his face made her shudder with alarm, for it had grown dark
and demoniac in its fury; and while she gazed, she saw his hand lifted,
and the shining point of a pistol directed full at the head of Lovelace
Ellsworth.

Simultaneously with the first words of Lovelace, a loud, warning shriek
burst from Olive's lips; but both were silenced together by the loud
report of the pistol whose contents had entered the victim's head.

With a moan of pain, Ellsworth sank to the floor, and a scene of instant
confusion ensued, some rushing to the young man's aid, others pursuing
the murderer; for Olive was not the only one who had witnessed the fatal
shot.

Several persons had observed the dark face of the stranger peering in at
the window, and two persons besides Olive had seen him fire the fatal
shot. He was instantly pursued and overtaken, and from his furious
ravings he was at first supposed to be an escaped lunatic.

But a guest from the station quickly recognized him as Vernon Ashley, a
young man who had visited in the neighborhood some weeks before, and had
caused some sensation by declaring he was engaged to Miss Craye, and
betraying a furious jealousy of Lovelace Ellsworth.

Ashley was taken away to prison, despite his entreaties to see Miss
Craye, who had gone into hysterics, it was said, on hearing who it was
that had shot Ellsworth.

When she learned that Ashley was begging to see her, she refused his
request with a shudder of fear, and he sent back an angry message:

"Tell her I have carried out my threat!"

They bore him away to prison, shuddering at his insane rejoicings that
he had killed his rival, and the house of joy and feasting was turned
into one of gloom and sorrow.

But Lovelace Ellsworth was not dead yet, thou