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“No; Ihave not been at home mys: self.””
“Not since you went up to the squire’s with me
at nine o’clo cer,
10, mo!
“ Why, ee have you been, for goodness’
ik
my Walking, and I’m dog- tired and hungry, Let
us go get some breakfast.’
well TOLail wavt to hear more about all that
mgt,
IS
by-and-by, and I have s: something to tell you. We
tol Winton,
ar ent’ “ ‘into, ‘ other!” exclaimed Jack,
aloud, while in nis heart he oried, ‘‘ Leave Georgie!
Never, never!”
. Yes, Jack and it is tame now that I should
ive you a—a—somethi’
that have saved until you should be old enous!
— Who are those men coming in at the
Bnitsie, Slingsbs, and Jonas Fartingdon and his
father. What can they » rant t here
‘Unlock the door, and be ‘making the fire,
Jack, while I speak to them, “Is about your
arashiog Chase Molynenx, most likely, and Tll
explain——”
afterall; so let me answer
it all up out of band. It's about little Moly neus,
like enough?” :
The three men looked at each other in horror
and amazement at what seemed such shameless
audacity, and Mr. Shingsby, the village constable,
said cold
You Sad better, not talk in fat way, Mrs,
You have already two’ most
yous sou was ost
@ wanted on account of Chai
are wise you will neither ‘of you speak again until
you have to.’
“Have to? What do you mean, if you please,
Mr. Slingsby?” demacdea Jack, breaking awa:
other's detaining hand, advancing
toward the ¢ constables, his manly iar and hand-
6 clear morning
1s he Gurveres
3 80 fearlessly betore bi whys
to arrest you tor the murder of Charles Moly-
neux.” Aod laying a hand upos bis shoulder, he
added, ‘Yon are my prisoner, lad, and if you will
go _guietly slong with us we e will’ spare you the
ut gO
"ie ail 2 istake, 3 Mr. Slingsby,” sagerly ex-
plained the bor, turning very
showing ptom of craven “1 did
not even know that Charhe was dead rand ikill
bim! Why yam I suspected?”
interposed
“Nobody 's to speak to the srisoner, or answer
any of his questions, while he’s under my charge.
Yoo will have all the information you want, Jack,
before the court; but till then
your misest course is to hold your tongue,”
* But t hold mine, Air. Slingsby!’ ex-
claimed mother, until o
8
4 “ Here arrant, signed by Jastice Moly
neux,”” rey cousiabe, patiently ;
ing the paper from bis poc! t be held it ators
the eyes of the angry eos made a su
h the evident Tpteotion | of destroy’ ing,
er! it's ove of her bad turns,
st what todo for ber |”? exclaimed
himself generally slept.
‘Jonas, you run down to the Briggs, and get
fome $. the womentolks, to come up ‘and see to
her, We can’t wait, really, for the squire is look-
in on us. Ti ‘ht back,’ ™ nid Mr. Slingsby, asi aside,
ie Jack hastily administered such remedies
rience had n were best adapted to
rellevs the “bad turns”’ which for some years bad
impaired his mother’s vigorous heal
moments the Briggs womea appeared,
in the little confusion of their arrival, Mr,
Slingsby quietly led away b
out further delay, presented him at
office, where several of the town officials were
collected awaiting bim, and helping the squire to
bold an extempore justice-court,
amination ensued, it: al point con-
sisting of the following questions snd answers:
here did you spend last ight?
Sey
2
3
Prison Out-doors.”
é Justice" How were you employed
risoner—'* Not at all—that is, 1 ‘ras walking
most of the time,”
ustice—‘* C rove your employment of
the hours betweco nine and t
Priso “Lam bound 1 wy ‘suswer unless I
lke, am I?’
Justice—* You are not oblized to criminste
to give you an opportunity to clear yourself by
proving an alibi if possible. If you can show that
not in Deering Woods, or that you
any person who will
swear to pocent occupation
specified, it will establish your innocence of the
mur een the time tbe de-
cent was last seen ‘tive and the discovery of
his body.”
Prisoner—“ Well, sir, J I cannot re it, and T
have nothin, say, ©: t that fam as
Paroceot of Charlie So Molyneus’s s death as you are,
.T felt mad last night at whi vat he did and suid ; ‘but
‘J never thought ot- it- ag ull Jonas Farringdon
spoke of it this mornii
. Py ustice—" That will ma Stand aside, prisoner,
en
rt Mr. Charieconrt will | give bis testimony.”
f the hours! mu
Ope,
SEE
6, bridge to t! 3° roods. just before finding the
handkerchief and t!
Complying with “ine se quest, Mr. Charlecourt
for the first time looked full in, the face of the
boy, who in turn stared defiantly at bim.
confronted, the face of the elder man gradually
assui of anxious scrutiny that might
have arisen ftom the effort to determing the ques-
tion asked of him, and might have been the result
of some aca suggested by the face upon which he
fazed.
The look, “whatever its cause, was so peculiar,
and so absorbin: , that every one who witnessed re-
marke d Jack Coventry flushed angrily, and
muttered ; -
“Swear away my life if you're going to, but
don’ t be so jong about it ;” and Justice olyneux
“Good-morning, Mrs. Coventry. A fine morn-| your belief. A question of identity is always
ord to say to you.” pen one under such circumstances.
gsby, by your leave I’d-rather| “Ido ok this was the person. I cannot
’ ed the mother, ish. possibly tell. I did not see his face, and—I
ck with one hand into the open door, | should rather not try to decide. It was night, and
and planting berself upon the threshold. ‘The | I canno
do an all-night tramp, an: nd Staninering out these broken sentences,
Mr, Charlecourt averted bis eyes from the pri-
soner's face, and wiped the sudden dampness trom
his own.
ut aside from the eet of identity, there
was much for Mr. Charl lecourt to relate upon oath
of his cbare in the ev. he previous night,
god although his sudden 8 Slot and agitation were
marked as very strange, 0} otbers at-
tributed them to heat, and others to the natural
reluctance of a kin: merous man to give
testimony thus obviously damaging to so young
and helpless a culprit.
¢ handkercbiet was produced, and owned by
Coventry as his own; -but as to where or: how it
was lost he wisely declined to confess, and was
not urged.
A medical man testified to the condition of ‘the
body when examined, and gave it as bis decision
that the’ deceas ed bad been murdered by blows
upop ead and face from some heavy blunt
intrumeat, ‘such as a bludgeon, or the stock of a
“Jonas 3 Farringdon was next swo: orn and produced
the half of a heavy hickory. walking-stick, its
upper extremity burred of, oa testified ‘that
when he and bis father eatered the cottage follow-
ing Jack, who carried his mother in, they found a
tre fust lighted upon the hearth, and this stick,
he could swear to as one that be and the
prisoner had cut together nearly a year previous,
aod which prisoner had often used since as
walking-stick, lying across the fire, with the bead,
which was carved from “ beary not in the wood,
consumed, ng it a pity that it
should be tost, he had snatched it out, and, to be
sure, Jack ha often said that it was as heavy enough
‘nock a man’s brains ou
- And I wish Pd knocked yours~ scout long azo,
0 n sneak!”” roared the prisoner.’ “I put
the stick on the fire because I was in a hurry, and
there was no wood han y, and Iwanted to get a
fire for my mother be ple
“Twas before she was sick,” * retorted Jonas,
hotly, and the prisoner as hotly. gave back:
She came home from the:squire’s sick,
suppose they scared her into ms fit up there to start
But h re the exertions of the court .enforced
quiet and rilences and shortly alter John. Cov
try was oly comm itted to the county jail to await
his trial for, the murder of Charles -Molrneux;
but as it wes’ how high noo!
consented that Mr. Sin ‘sby and his special con-
stables should eae, Sr yo fi
beast had ai ned
toward its
he Tanoner was meantime committed for safe-
coping te @ strong room in thi
and su ee witb food,
tende?-hearted rs, Molyneux’s tears and lament-
ions, while Georgie, with a white and stony
countenance, altogether unlike ber own, listened
er, and watched her Preparations for
this melancholy feast pith agree a word,
wag ready, and then she u
“ Let me carry it up—I ‘must, mother! ”
CHAPTER V1Il.—WHAT BECAME OF rare? ~
Ananity pacing the narrow limits of his tem-
porary prison, Joho Coventry beard the door un-
locked and opened, and turned to see ola Rachel
entering with a tray of refreahments, followed by
‘a drooj pine, figure, with covered fac:
gpuld ardiy recognize merry, careless Georgie
neux.
e old nurse set down the tray with no more
than a melancholy shake of the ‘bead, and with-
drew, locking the door behind her, but’ remaining
just outside, thus compromising between the or-
r3 of her mistress to remain in the room and
the entreaties of ber adoied parsiing that
should withdraw.
“You here, Geo
ing the two cold little hands from over the wet
face, and kissing them tenderly. ‘You do not,
then) believe me gpl 4
«
you could, oat | ay, one to say hee you were
twelve o ’ cloc
“ Hush, Georgie! Who told you of that? But,
bo matter 5 I cannot—I never can prove where
re at twelve -o "clock, or with whom—never,
Bat I can, Jack, and I wil it vr
dear, if 1 bey and beseech you
; you won't if you really care for me, because
could not do anything that would hurt me so
’
you's
* iturt you, Jack?”
“Yes, Georgio; but I don't want even to > apenk
of such a thing. What I want most of all is to
t
; at any rate, she c:
ma have met Chariie mrben we both were angry,
h, I wish that Io: er {7
Apd dropping | Georgi’ 8. nodes | the bar began
6 up ‘aad 1@ little -room,-in: the fury
thet st besets men * P animal who, for the firs! t.time,
finds bimself a prisoner.
_ THE CHIMNEY CORNER,
seasoned with | it
in whom he | gested
Cafe
then turned a little paler, and
“Whe: nock,
Neither she nor I eoald fold yor
ain, child! D.
my stea I can escape by m:
‘And again the impatient
ii run away,
think that I was guilty and atraid.”
em an
oH you wouldn’t.
m State Prison, I won't set
round the world,” sai ack,
n | Georgie smiled through
rave sentiment, bat still replic
to let me, Jac!
“Never, -either one, Georgie!
what I may do. T can
da-posts outside ;
myself” up, or go over to t
wont "send you
eagerly,
mornin
with a smile—“ w!
n the squire may iro!
and throw it in their eyes when y:
checked her, with @ sa
“That
fight with their fists, not with pe;
if ovl
they’
§ tbat’ shut
per at ever grew in Sumatra could.
“Oh, Jack, dear, dov’t!””
“Don’t give it to Jonas 2”.
stip in the eye,
like me atl, Miss
* Mis: lyneux, Jack
Come this instant minute, deari
“Yes, £0, Georgie, darling,
temper. Will y
You never would ‘yet, you know.”
lips, at which ber boy-lovel
pe longing, and he pressed upon
kiss other t al
ever known.
away just in
Jack sat down
arpeared, and bad
in halt ap ho
of villagers, who had
stare, with the
Ticed i beh
tw woo i of town Jack
plain of headache, and then
the hea
ou was brok
nights iaybe roke of yo
night over to Auburn
stable, sternly. “And
you can set right
can’t you? We
as he spoke, and seating bimse!
in
3
g
tl
who might hav
stract trom his pocket,
from the handcuffs, aud then mo:
the seat, and as Mr. Slingsby mo
ward the other side to
adden! leaped. over the side
bounded like a
thick wood trough which
stables had succeeded ii
reaching the ground,
“The youn
way, and we treating bien 80 accommodating gainst the wind
the ‘time. nA azy hound! | mur of the svollen ‘sno asa ur
Yer ken Hotel ‘him it. ‘Yer, ry, ‘hous Slingsby | sweetbrier upon the casemen ¢ Haring lights
and me cou and ever changing shidows, ihe feathle nck
+ &Gim themtHexelatnred- Jonas face of the sick womin, and het “ipa inched 7
exci x ari ad ketch his, “cont old tain moans, the black’ a aie anes nBees
onto him without I wounded bim some.” kitchen beyond the /open agknes “all, all “oft mpty ~
y own ac’
lad dropped th
he held, and strode toward the barred window.
r telling Mr, Slingsby to put
he get awa)
‘ools as casi! a I could ‘climb down’ "these veran-
m me U)
send me over to Auburn as soon as
d, Jack, here is pepper in this caster; why
dou" ¢ Wee take some a and have itm your pocket,
a jum
a corgie eagerly took. the caster trom, its
frame, and was pulling off the cover, when Jack
50, drat rate,” replied the prisoner,
as if in pain from his head, Jack scra
ake room
uu, if—”
y from thos
jail—”
likes.”
d forgive my ill.
ua kiss.me just, once, Georgie?
u lool
hem tbe tinst | 82
2 those bf ebildheod that they bad
have ni
began to com-
of drowsiness, from
the sun, or, as Jonas Farringdon, sug-
Georgie raised her pale face and Jooked at him,
8
hel will open tt the door,
jo you think I will ever get
myself out of a scrape by leaving you to suffer i in
e hand
and je~p rom
the wagon, and then hide till nig it
ear, they will always
you prove your innocence, if you let
youth, is, in avy way but what you
can’t, I rll let them hang me, or shut me
tout in life with
the vepution of a murderer always cbasing me
sloomily, and
her tears approval of the
bh, don t refuse ‘0 prove your innocence, or
But I will tell
and I will go and see
mother, ana then I will come back here and give
no: come back heres and perbaps father | him, give a warning firs
¢ id Georgie, 1
“ Come back here very early to-morrow
Well Pil promise you to doo,” replied Jack,
at they call in the army, give
my parole that I will come back at the set tim
tighter, an
ake the chance to lend him a clip in
it up longer than all the pep-
“No 3, dov’t speuk in that way about—about—a
tie boy colored furiously, and started from the \
ignorant people
low rap at the door chimed with the last
Without reply, the girl held up the sweet, full know,
rhad so 0) tel
Then, while the old nurse burried ber charge
time to escay pe her father’s eyes,
& pretense of: eatin;
busily, smiling to bimself'as be sbook pepper over
food that never was associated with: that’ condi-
ment before, and managing to swallow something,
with a boy’s ready nppetite, before his warders
é him be ready for his. journey
“Tdido't ateal the pepper, but I'll help myself
hi
rapidly away, amid ine éxcitement of a little knot
‘aited ‘tor several boars to
ont cage T curiosity, at a bo;
m ye: Sterday not one of them would
“Shut up with’ your pistoling, you bloody-
minded cud, and pat for the prisoner the best you
Know Jb ow !” shouted Slingsby, already, within
e edge of the wood. “It there’s going to be
your horse, and follow a
y loves to irst-rate,”
flying figure, still
limpses, through the wood.
“Wisht I had the’ bullpup along,” panted
if | Jonas, while Slingsby balted to shou!
“Say, Jack !- i, Shoot, sure as Sou re born, if
you don’t hold up l”
lerisive laugh ‘was the only ney ly to this
threat, and at the same moment the e for
the fugitive disappeared orer ale mil, i, beyond
which no trace or him could be
After questing about tor a few mor ents, like
hounds t fau! 1e the three pursuers halted? and
held * counell of war while they recovered ‘their
oar we hold up to the left.” suggested Slingsby,
we head him off towar road, tor this piece
of woods don’t run far, before you get toa
that a woodchuck
3
ate, if
; 50, Farringdon, you get back to the road,
drive her t along till you reach the end of the
wood, an d Jonas we'll keep up this way,
and bunt him out, You've got a weapon, as well
as me, and if he don’t bold itp when ra you boiler to
st, and then—why,
i
g
had;"and Charlie was pretty—— Well, there
e, | ain’t no time to talk ; come, Jonas!”
d a e, three men separated, each pursuing ‘the
eed course, but in about fifteen minutes,
Siinesby and Vohes were rejoined by the elder
Farringdon, m uel heated, “and excited, who
brengilessiy gasped
liguy cuss! tes took the hoss and the
wagon and ‘oat and all, and drove off.
Wonid dhe rattle of the wheels fore T cowl Sos the
1s a woman’s notion, Georgi, dear, Men|road; and when I got ther
und bis picter! I jest w
Tid get ebaace at hie with my shoot'n’-iron—
CHAPTER IX.—-MRS, -COVENTRY’S WATCHERS,
igbt succeeding the events narrated in the
was a dark and
one of the nervous headache
subject, retired to ber own room, and stood
ing impatiently from the oper
was Joined | by ol old Rachel, » shawled and hooded,
and with asket in- and, Mysteriously
BarES and Rashes vole whispered Tous, a eae he door and coming’ lois 10° ber nurs.
Our pa is coming upstairs, Miss Georgie! ling, she mblepered: up here just nom to tell me
down, a at bern
about breakfast ; fod Tye} just tok a Tittle of that
’mange we supper, anda dust of tea
and sugar, and a vial of wine, and—— Lor
sake, child’! what be: Sou a-doin| :
toa little of the butter,” thought Jack, contieu- “Pu tting on hand boots, wursey. going,
g his dinner, and easily managed t rete a too," replied ' Georgie, compos edly, and, in
bit, placed between two pieces ot. bre: spite all Racbel 8 reulonstranees, persisted in
n dui the wagon was e door, her pui urpos
the manacles were duly locked ‘around ‘ihe pris-| . “*L told them this morning that, maybe, I'd gi
pper’s w rists, he was led down, placed upon the ang stay with Aunt Molyneux to-1 ight," said ate
ack seat; beside Mr. Slingsby, . e two Farring- Se ii v misses me, he'll think I’m ther
fons mounte nt, and the vehicle drove | and Poor mamma wil aot ac fora ny body or a
thing before to- morrow morning, if she is not dis.
turbed ; an: shall come bome, or go to aunt’s
at daglight So come along, Rachel; I'm
&
O- | ren
Well, you always did have your own way,
child, and 1 suppose you always will; bat my |
wouldn’t the squire be mad, if he knew .
woman chuckled witb the seared
delight which serrants always experience in de-
last | ceiving s striot master.
‘ou let him alone, Jonas,” retorted the ¢
dif you feel 80 sleepy, Jack,
bottom of the
«head on the seat
suc
but you'll get a good 4 ques’ ume to- | * Shelte:
fo keep you safe.’’ | with
d like to sit down
slipping down
@ manner The
wal
he have seen his occupation of rubbing them and
his wrists with the butter he bad managed to ab-
bis dove, a few heroic efforts set them free
aning uneasily,
by waterproofs and umbrellas, the
two women made their way, not without dificult,
along the fark pad ory F ‘oad, and reached t the
cottage where k Coventry” 's unbappy mother
lay quite alone and unattended, Jeminva Briges
not having been able to resist the persuasive
whistle ot her lover, comforting herselt’ an
wie ree ction that ‘‘old Rachel would be
right al Miss Coventry didn’t a seem to
a
2
3
n lay dozing, and even. when
snd’ geomed: to recoynize her new at-
feed and thay, alter doing what they could
for her co mfort, seated themselves one at eac!
mit the narrow bed, and began their dreary
Old Rachel, her pss blunted by age and
easton, erat to ld ii r knitiing-work i
ynbled up i her hands, and hh (bxea upon the tallow
ve oe te to iow pend set into ee , whose flaring yel-
pm for him be low light threw fantaetic ‘shadows on the whole
oung deer inte. the depths of a
\d was carried,
3 Inst to sight before the ben ildered con-
n checking the Lorse and
varmint!” exclaimed Farringdon,
the elder; ‘‘to thiok of his going back on us this
But G Georgie Molyneux,
young ‘and impressible
as any wartn-heariid delicately and impress will
be) or per fo nd it imPhssible to to restrain a feelin;
r, tha
overcome her ate eget momentarily threatened to
The beating and w
i
the frail roo! and walls Msiling of the’ storm upon
4 of the cottage, the lashing
bese
ody to: kin
sick wowan, and I told Miss Briggs I uesced Yd.
ae
q i
‘
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