"Right from the first I had Two minds, two hearts concerning her, and one Was confidence, and one was doubt, one love, One hatred. And one purpose was to serve her, Guard her and care for her, one said destroy, Ruin or kill her. Sitting by her side, Except as I shall say I loved her, trusted her, Away from her, I doubted her and hated her. But at the dances when I saw her smile Up at another man, the storming blood Roared in my brain for wondering about The words they said. He might be holding her Too close to him; or as I watched I saw His knee indent her skirt between her knees, That might be when she smiled. Then going home I'd ask her what he said. She'd only smile And keep a silence that I could not open With any pry of questions." "Well, we quarreled, About this boy she danced with. So I said: I'll leave her, never see her, I'll go find Another girl, forget her. Sunday next I saw her driving with this fellow. I Was walking in the road, they passed me laughing, She turned about and waved her hand at me. That night I lay awake and tossed and thought: Where are they now? What are they doing now? He's kissing her upon the lips I've kissed, Or worse, perhaps, I have been fooled, she lies Within his arms and gives him what for love I never asked her, never dared to ask." This brought Fred Taylor's story to the murder, In point of madness, anyway. Some business Broke in our visit here. Another time I sat with him and questioned him again About the night he killed her. "Well," he said, "I told you that we quarreled. So I fought To free myself of thought of her--no use. I tried another girl, it wouldn't work. For at the dance I took this girl to, I Saw Gertrude with this fellow, and the madness Came over me in blackness, hurricanes, Until I found myself in front of her, Where she was seated, asking for a dance. She smiled and rose and danced with me. And then As the dance ended, May I come to see you, I'm sorry for my words, came from my tongue, In spite of will. She laughed and said to me: 'If you'll behave yourself.'" "I went to see her, But came away more wretched than I went. She seemed to have sweet secrets, in her silence And eyes too calm the secrets hid themselves. At first I could not summon up the strength To ask her questions, but at last I did. And then she only shook her head and laughed, And spoke of something else. She had a way Of mixing up the subjects, till my mind Forgot the very thing I wished to know, Or dulled its edges so, if I remembered I could not ask it so to bring the answer I wished from her. I came away so weak I scarce could walk, fell into sleep at once, But woke at three o'clock, and could not sleep."