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<v Speaker 1>The devil takes a hand by ward, Stirling Tenant stopped

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<v Speaker 1>outside the door of his wife's room and went over

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<v Speaker 1>the details of his plan for the last time. The

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<v Speaker 1>thing was so absurdly simple, he wondered why he had

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<v Speaker 1>not thought of it months before. There was not the

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<v Speaker 1>least chance of a failure. He had only to plant

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<v Speaker 1>the idea in her diseased brain, and she, with cunning

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<v Speaker 1>that all maniacs possess, would do the rest. Every one

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<v Speaker 1>knew her suicidal mania. It had been brought out at

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<v Speaker 1>the time of the hearing. No blame could possibly be

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<v Speaker 1>attached to him for her death, had not the nurse

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<v Speaker 1>frustrated her in a half a dozen attempts. Damn that

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<v Speaker 1>fool nurse. Anyway, she had too exalted an idea of

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<v Speaker 1>the importance of her position. But after all, it was

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<v Speaker 1>possibly a good thing that she had been so vigilant.

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<v Speaker 1>People couldn't say that it was carelessness. Then, he smiled

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<v Speaker 1>to himself as he recalled the kind of things their

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<v Speaker 1>friends had said when he refused to send his wife

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<v Speaker 1>to an asylum after the court had pronounced her insane.

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<v Speaker 1>They imagined that it was his great love that made

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<v Speaker 1>him keep her with him. It was laughable how easily

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<v Speaker 1>people could be fooled. How were they to know that

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<v Speaker 1>he had made a careful investigation and found that too

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<v Speaker 1>close a watch was kept on inmates of such institutions.

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<v Speaker 1>There was a better chance of her making a successful

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<v Speaker 1>attempt right here at home. Accidents are always liable to

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<v Speaker 1>happen in private homes. In public institutions, people are paid

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<v Speaker 1>to guard against such things. Curse the fool law that

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<v Speaker 1>prohibited a man from getting a divorce from an insane wife.

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<v Speaker 1>Such laws made a criminal of a person. Otherwise he

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<v Speaker 1>could have married Helen a year ago. He must guard

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<v Speaker 1>against him love for her being found out, It might

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<v Speaker 1>cause someone to cast suspicion his way. Of course, they

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<v Speaker 1>would never be able to confirm their conjectures. But his

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<v Speaker 1>position in the community was too high to have even

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<v Speaker 1>a finger of scorn pointed in his direction. It would

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<v Speaker 1>never do for a deacon of the church and a

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<v Speaker 1>prominent professional man to let people know that he was

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<v Speaker 1>guilty of evil, even in thought. No, he must keep

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<v Speaker 1>away from Helen until he had shown the proper amount

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<v Speaker 1>of respect for his deceased wife, For he had begun

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<v Speaker 1>to think of her as already dead. After a period

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<v Speaker 1>of hypocritical mourning, they could be quietly married, and he

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<v Speaker 1>would still retain the love and respect of his fellow townsmen.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, it met several months waiting. It would be hard,

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<v Speaker 1>but they would have the rest of their lives together.

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<v Speaker 1>And both of them were young, and there was a

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<v Speaker 1>matter of Grace's inheritance to be considered too good thing.

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<v Speaker 1>They had never had a child. It would be all

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<v Speaker 1>his now, that is, after the proper formalities had been

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<v Speaker 1>gone through. Naturally, he would erect an expensive headstone in

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<v Speaker 1>her memory and give her an elaborate funeral. Some people

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<v Speaker 1>measured a man's love for his wife by the amount

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<v Speaker 1>of money he spent on her funeral. Yes, the scheme

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<v Speaker 1>was simple, machiavellian in its magnitude, and with the requisite

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<v Speaker 1>amount of attention paid to the details, there was not

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<v Speaker 1>the least bit of danger. He turned the knob and

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<v Speaker 1>entered the room with a tender kiss for the woman

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<v Speaker 1>with lustless eyes, who sat mumbling to herself in a

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<v Speaker 1>low wicker chair, nervously picking at the folds of her dress.

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<v Speaker 1>He turned to the middle aged woman in the nurse's garb,

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<v Speaker 1>who sat in the window near by. Take an hour's walk,

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<v Speaker 1>miss Gorman, he said, kindly, you look tagged out. I'll

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<v Speaker 1>look after missus Tenant until you return. The nurse rose wearily.

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<v Speaker 1>It's awfully kind of you, mister Tenant. I am tired.

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<v Speaker 1>She's been bad to day, she ended significantly. Tenant's face

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<v Speaker 1>took on a worried look. She'll probably settle down after

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<v Speaker 1>an hour or so, he responded. I've a little work

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<v Speaker 1>to do. I can do it just as well in

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<v Speaker 1>the other room and still keep an eye on my

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<v Speaker 1>poor little girl. There's nothing around that she can get

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<v Speaker 1>hold of, is there. He settled himself in the chair

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<v Speaker 1>beside his wife and patted her white hand affectionately, with

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<v Speaker 1>a tear in her kindly irish eyes. For the little,

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<v Speaker 1>unobstantious display of love. Miss Gorman left the room, and

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<v Speaker 1>a minute later Tenant, from his place in the window,

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<v Speaker 1>saw her swinging down the street. The time was at

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<v Speaker 1>hand you. Pressing his wife's hand tightly between his own,

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<v Speaker 1>Tenant addressed her in the tone one uses to talk

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<v Speaker 1>to a little child. I've often wondered, he said, quietly,

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<v Speaker 1>why you didn't commit suicide? Grace? Of course, I know

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<v Speaker 1>that you've tried it, but your methods have been all wrong.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you understand what I am getting at? I want

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<v Speaker 1>to help you. He looked at the woman keenly. He

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<v Speaker 1>imagined that her dull eyes took on an added brightness

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<v Speaker 1>that she was not plucking at the hem of her dress.

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<v Speaker 1>So nervously, he hurried on, Now, I'm going to show

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<v Speaker 1>you how to do it, sweetheart. Then when the nurse

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<v Speaker 1>is out of the room some day for a few minutes,

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<v Speaker 1>you can put one over on her. It'll be a

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<v Speaker 1>good joke on her, won't it. Come on, I'll show

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<v Speaker 1>you how to do it. Apathetically, she rose and followed

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<v Speaker 1>him across the room to where the big, old fashioned

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<v Speaker 1>bed stood in the distant corner. Now watch me, dearie,

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<v Speaker 1>and see how I do it, he continued. The nurse

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<v Speaker 1>thinks she's got you cheated by removing everything that you

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<v Speaker 1>might use. But we'll show her, won't we. He removed

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<v Speaker 1>the light counterpane from the bed and twisted it into

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<v Speaker 1>a rope. See, girlie, how it's done. Just the right

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<v Speaker 1>size to hang one's self with, isn't it. Now? Then

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<v Speaker 1>we carry this chair across the room and put it

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<v Speaker 1>under this chandelier. Get the idea. The demented woman made

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<v Speaker 1>no answer, but Tenant knew that her suicidal mind was

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<v Speaker 1>attracted by the scheme, that the seed planted in her

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<v Speaker 1>brain was already sprouting. She followed close behind him, her dull,

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<v Speaker 1>impassive eyes watching his every move. He stepped upon the

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<v Speaker 1>chair and attached the improvised rope to the chandelier. See

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<v Speaker 1>how easy it is, dear, he went on. Now, next,

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<v Speaker 1>we make a noose in the rope like this. See

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<v Speaker 1>is just as easy as rolling off a log. Then

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<v Speaker 1>we put the noose over our head and pull it

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<v Speaker 1>up tightly about our neck. Understand Now, all that's left

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<v Speaker 1>is to kick the chair out from underneath, and the

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<v Speaker 1>devil and all couldn't keep a person from choking to death,

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<v Speaker 1>could he? From his height the top of the chair,

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<v Speaker 1>he looked down upon the woman. She was gazing up

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<v Speaker 1>at him, fascinated, her eyes burning brightly. Now the idea

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<v Speaker 1>pleases you, doesn't it, sweetheart? He smiled. She nodded understandingly.

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<v Speaker 1>Then suddenly she made a leap for the chair and

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<v Speaker 1>tore it from beneath his feet with a frightened yell.

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<v Speaker 1>The man dropped to the end of the rope, his

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<v Speaker 1>toes almost but not quite touching the floor. The maniac

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<v Speaker 1>stepped back with a shrill, little cry of delight, and

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<v Speaker 1>watched him gyrate and whirl as the improvised rope twisted

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<v Speaker 1>and untwisted itself. His mouth was open, his eyes bulged

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<v Speaker 1>from their sockets, his tongue stuck out oddly. His breath

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<v Speaker 1>came gurglingly, sobbingly, gaspingly. His face grew black and mottled.

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<v Speaker 1>His arms and legs danced about curiously, twitchingly. His peculiar

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<v Speaker 1>antics filled her with delight. She forgot her depression in

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<v Speaker 1>her new found happiness. He was teaching her some new game.

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<v Speaker 1>She clapped her hands together and shouted for more, And

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<v Speaker 1>when he hung quietly, she seized him by the legs

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<v Speaker 1>and swung him to and fro yelling joyously. And thus

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<v Speaker 1>the nurse found them the living and the dead. An

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<v Speaker 1>hour later, when she returned from her walk, The end

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<v Speaker 1>of the Devil takes a hand