The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-08-20 00:00:00

killed Mtn. lam very much afraia It was the
latter,'

I don't think Ragged Jack would keep such a
thing secret,' Helen said- reflectively. Poor Frank
always liked him and was kind to liim.- Ala, who
was he not kind to?' she added, with a burst of
natural tears. Everybody loved him, everybody
respected him. What fiend could have wanted to
compass his death?'
Many a motive leads to murder,' Mr. Jarvis
replied, gravely. I have wondered sometimes whether
the money that Frank was to receive has had anything

_
to do with his loss.!
But lie did not receive it.' •
• I know that; but he talked about it as he did
about everything that concerned him, or anyone
belonging to him, and it is pogsible that some one may
have fancied he had it about him, and so followed and
made away with him. It is a vague theory, but there
may be something in it.'
'lt must have been a plan, and well arranged,'
ilelen said, quietly and calmly, as if she had thought
. .

out the factsa in all their bearings. Whoever did- it
must have spent some time and skill in providing a
dress exactly like Barney's; and it must have been

exact for people to swear to it as they do.'
You have thought much over it. Helen.'
' I have thought till I feel quite stupid,' Helen

replied. I have gone over every little thing in my
intercourse with Frank, to find some light, and it is

all dark, all black as night. He had no enemies, poor
fellow! There was not a soul that knew him but

lOved him. I seem cold and hard, I know. There's

poor Madge can cry and weep away her heartache,
and talk about Frank by the hour, if anyone will
listen to her. I loved him as well as the does, every

bit, though in a different way. He was my dear
brother, and I feeras if I were turning to stone when
I think of him, instead of crying.'
You are too much alone, my dear. Where is Mrs.
Churchill?'

Gone to see Mr. Gayford. Is he really as ill as they

_
say?'
'He is very ill indeed. balled at his lodgings, and

the good woman gave me but a very poor account.
His anxiety on his cousin's account lead been quite
pitiable; indeed, when I met him yesterday, just
before he had the fit—or whatever it was—he hardly
seemed to know what he was doing. I think he had
been walking about all night.'
'lf it were not wicked, I should say I was glad he
was i'l now,' Helen said with a dreamy look on her
face.

_
My dear child! Why?'
Because it frees me from him, Guardy. I dread
him more than I can tell you. I could not make any-
one understand why—l hardly know why myself.
If I were superstitious I should say it was witchcraft!
He is not a good man, clergyman though he is.'
I am afraid there is a great many clergymen who
are not good men,' Mr. Jarvis said, caressing the
bright head that was bent :on Helen's hands. 'You
are worn out child, and morbid, I can see it; but I
am not sure you are mistaken in your estimate of this
gentleman. He is no favourite of mine, but I think
he was fond of Frank.'
Perhaps ! But he always managed to disparage
him to me, and make my chains rattle," as poor
Frank used to say—he used to say I made his chains
rattle when I was snappish to him.'
'As you very seldom were.'
I don't know. Now that he is gone it seems to me
that I hardly ever spoke a kind word to him; I can
recall every little unkindness, and they sting like
wasps'
She bent her head again and cried unrestraim,ely.
She was more overwrought and weary than she had
any idea of, and she had to play the comforter to
everyone else. All the house seemed to take her calm-
ness and self-possession as a sign of her strong-
mindedness, and treated her accordingly. Her
guardian let her weep her fill, clasping her in hig arms
as if to assure her of his protection, and after awhile
she raised her head, and looked at him with a smile.

That has done me good,' she said. How weak
you must think me. But I seem all alone in this
sorrow; there is no one but you.'
And you can always rely upon me,' he said, kiss-
ing her forehead and sighing a little as he thought how
his wife ought to have helped him to protect and
cherish this orphan girl, instead of trying to make life
harder to her than her loneliness ordained it. But
Mrs. Jarvis refused to believe that Frank Hatherleigh
was dead, and opined that when he had suffi-
ciently frightened everybody he would corm, back and
enjoy the commotion there had been about him. Nor
to her did Mr. Jarvis confide what he was going to
do. What was Barney Grubb to her? Be was an
Englishman in trouble, and he must get out of it as
he could. If he had been an aboriginal Australian, to
be taught to wear clothes, or a Hottentot, who had
learned from white men how to drink and swear and
commit every sin in the Decalogue, to be reclaimed,
the good lady would have got up subscriptions, and
had prayer meetings, and held forth at conversations,
and looked upon herself as a shining light amongst tho
godly, and made up her daily account with heaven
with a good conscience. The business her husband
was on was too near home for her to feel the slightest

interest in it.
That's right,' he said, as Helen dried her tears and
looked at him once more. Cheer up, and don't give
up hope; they have not found our poor lad yet—and
till they do—'
'A-h! till they do!' said Helen, with a shudder.
You said, just now, you were afraid, there was no
is if" in it now: _

•I fear, my dear, but I hope as well. I am going
to get Barney out of this scrape whether he will o:
no.'

, How ?'

am going to enquire Into the alibi that he might
set up if he would. I shall not put the business into
anyone's hands. I shall go myself.'
Where to?' -
To Hereford. I a sure that wise the place I
mheard
mentioned in connection with the man's absence. I
shall not be away long; the remand is for a week.'
I shall feel lost without you,' Helen said, sadly;
and yet I have no right to keep you away from your
business and your home as I do.'
My business will see nothing of me till I have
found out what has become of my ward and foster.
son,' the lawyer said, gravely; and my absence from
home is equally necessary. I shall not be much missed
there.'
There was a ring of sadness in his voice as he
spoke of his home that Helen did not fail to remark.
He would not be missed, and he knew it, even though
his absence were to be as many weeks as he propoeed
to remain away days.
'lt is the only way to get at the bottom of the
mystery,' he said. If I can find out how Barney was
occupied, and why he will not help himself with an
alibi, it may be some clue. I must see that boy, Jack,
too. I trust you, Helen, to note everything that passes
while I am away. The very simplest thing some-
times is the end of the tangled skein.'
Helen promised and bade him good-bye. She did
not hope much from his absence, except the clearing
up of the mystery about Barney's whereabouts. Mr.
Jarvis tried once more to find out what had become
of Jack; but that young gentleman seemed to have
vanished from Hillford altogether; no one had seen
him, except his mother, from the hour of his release from
the grip of the police. Mr. Jarvis found and
questioned her, but she had nothing to tell; she didn't
know where Jack was, and she didn't want to; his
father would be sure to half kill him when he did
catch him, and it was as well that he should be away.
Asked what he had done that his father should be
so angry with him, Mrs. Donovan replied that she was
blest if she knew. Jack had humbugged them all
round, and she supposed it was that. He said that ha
had worked at a farmer's, and earned some money
somehow; and it turned out that he had never been
on that farm after all, and they did not know aa here
he had been in the time.
Mrs. Donovan further said that she did not know
what had come over her old man. He never used to
be particular what had became of Jack. The boy had
been away for a week at a stretch sometimes, and he
never made such a fuss before. Jack was all right,
and would be sure to come back again when he could
do nothing else. Thank goodness he wouldn't be
always hanging about the Ford, and getting drowned,
when Barney Grubb was banged. No. She had no
grudge against Barney. He had always been very
good to her, and he was Jack's friend. But that was
no reason why he should go murdering people, and
accusing her old man of telling lies. Phil had been
like a man struck for death ever since that night. He
hadn't been drunk above once.
Mr. Jarvis had bidden Helen mark everything that
happened while he was away. She thought there
would not be much to take note of. Barney Grubb
was safe in prison, and all the evidence that was to
be scraped together seemed to be at hand. Mr. Gayford
was reported to be in a bad way, and not able to see
anyone yet, and terribly nervous about the fate of
his cousin. And preparations were being made for
the explorations of Girton's Hole.
Helen shrank from every sight and sound connected
with it; and the excitement was so great that men
and boys were crying about the streets sheets of news
as they came put, telling of every little incident at
the fatal spot.
There were boats on the river and parties by land,
and crowds of sightseers and excitement loving
people with a morbid curiosity—all waiting to heir
what the black depths of the pool would reveal when
it had been explored. The water had suddenly fallen
to about half its former level, revealing a black depth
of shining sides, all slimy and horrible-looking. The
wood was like a fair, while the attempts to get down
were being made. In spite of the police, and the
boards with staring notices about trespassers, there
were people from all carts and with all sorts of
objects. Itinerant vendors of all manner of articles
took up their quarters under the trees that fringed the
baek of the river, and did fair business; for the
weather was warm, and eatables and drinkables in
request. The summer tint had gone from the trees,
and many of them were bare. But the sun was
powerful still, and it was quite possible to picnic out
of doors, and enjoy what remnant of warm weather
was left.
Carefully and cleverly the men who had volun-
teered for the search were let down into the horrible
depths; breathlessly those above waited for their re-
turn. It was far deeper than it appeared to the
surface of the water. The hole was a disused shaft,
and went d even to a great distance. It was un-
fathomable, the country people declared; and many
were the prophecies that the two, men who had
trusted their lives to the stout board and the chains
that had been carefully rigged up on the brinlewould
never come up alive.

_"*47--7