Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-10-07

, the like result-he became more frequen
and extravagant ir his demands. When
} say that he was a systematic gambler an
q drunksrd, believe that have mentioue
only his lighter foibles. The| relics OF he
original fortune only remained to her, whe
he required of her bank check to be file
up at his own pleasure This. backed b.
he. paternal uncle, and sole relative, il
whose house she was then residing, sh
steadily refused to give him; and Heatncote
uttered the most frightful threats, was oblig
ed to content himself with draft drawn b,
Mr.. Raby, upon his own banker for hun
dred pounds. He drew i, merely to saw
his niece, who was in an agony of terro
from her husbands violence, and to get ,h'
man out of the house as quickly as possible
but, as the matter turned out, this was tn,
luckiest thing iu the word. Hesthcote al
tered the "one" upon the order to 'sfive,
and the number 900" to $500" and so go
the check changed by the commission of ,
felony. The next time that this fellow
came for his merciless tax-which was
soon enough-Mr. Raby had policeman in
waiting for him. IT." said that gentleman u
"you ever attempt to persecute my unhappy
niece, l transport you TO: the term Of your
natural life. You may thank her alone that
! suffer you to escape your just punishment,
this time. If it rested with me only-and
luckily the proof of Jour penal crime does
not rest with me. and with no 'milksop'--
you should be shipped off as soon as the law
could ship you" Heathcote hectored a
good deal, and strove to obtain an interview
with his poor wife; but Mr.. Raby was firm g.
He told him out one hundred five pound
notes, and eAclosed them in cover, where
upon he wrote his own name and address, to
remind him of this compact, telling him that
it was the last handwriting and the last
shilling Of his that he should see The con-
dit ions of gift were, that the recipient
should depart for Australia for,hwi it'll, and
never set foot again in England. "The fel-
low five hundred, the forged check, sir, is in
my own possession; and if ever see your
face again, it shall be produced in a cour.
of law"--which penalty the other, there
being no help for it, agreed to. Heathcote's
must have been something excess
i've to have trodden all traces of love out of
a heart like James; but he had succeeded in
80 doing. Although she had not consented
to her uncle s threat being held over him
,nd happy was it that it did not rest with
her to use it-she could not but feel COM
fort from the event. Six months experience
of freedom did wonders in restoring her
'oses and tightening her heart of a sorrow
hat seemed likely to crush it altogether
She began to move about less like an auto
naton, to wear the smile of content, if not
If merrimsnt, and to be in some sort like
he Jane Raby Of five years before. Then
.ame some news which made her serious !
md silent while, but could scarce have
made her sad; Heathcote was dead in the |
,ush, slain by the hand of one of his own
wicked companions. In a concealed pocket
within his vest was found the roll of bank
totes in their still unbroken cover. 1t had |
escaped the eyes of his murderer, or the
,assing by of some honest settlers had dis.
urbed him in his unfinished search, They
orwarded the parcel to Mr.. Raby, with a
of these facts. A year after this
went. il would have been impossible to rec
gnise the spirit-bowed and fragile Mrs.
Ieathcote in the by no means inconsolable
Tidow which she had then become. Thanks
0 her brief matrimonial career, she was not
ich, but beautiful and happy as you see
er now, Mr.. Grantley, or rather as you did
ee her until :hese few months. Ny brother
married. her with the full knowledge of her
primer lite, and has never had a moments
ause, as he says himself, to regret his
hoice."
This narrative, which the kind-hesrted
ut misdoubting little old maid made piqusnt
nth various garnishments of her own, in
be way of fiings at the foolishness young
iris. and the futili:y of early marriages,
I'd not much enlighten me as to what was
ling with poor Mrs. Markham, although it
1creased my interest in her fortunes. Her ,
conduct towards myselfremained unaltered,
r was marked by even greater communica-
veness. She put to me several Hypothetical {
ases of conscience, of which I could see
o possible bearing on herself. and begged |
,e, as a clergyman, to give her my hest s
pinion on the subject. She told me that {
he had often bewailed the having no chill t
rem, which she had once considered to be
ne sole blessing that had beer denied her; c
ut that now she thanked God she was
hildless. The horrible thought began to
ross me that my dear benefactress and q
rm friend was going out of her mind; and q
nat idea grew stronger, although Miss
larkham shook her head at it, and hoped it t
light be no worse. She was as good .
erson as ever lived; but she had the weak a
ess of her order, which somehow is always e
, think the worst that can be Of all her
x. But when had seen Mrs. Markham
,me out of the irwood, under the sand
lift, little after sunrise one morning, and h
ne told me, pale as q spectre, and quiver- L
lg in every limb, that she had only been v
, get an appetite for breakfast; when she $
;ked me at another time for the loan of &
venty pounds for very pressing emergency n
nd begged me to keep it a secret; and O
hen ! coupled with these things ber pit. .
JUS endeavors, so tran sparent to myself |
nd her sister-in.law, to conceal her unhap. y
? condition at all times-a mark most N
gniHcant of an unsettled brain-I felt q
ute sure of my painful surmiss being but
70 true. l was even debating how to v
-eak this horror to Mr.. Markham, that n
'medial measures might be resorted to be- a
re it was too late, when circumstance
;cured which changed my suspicious into t
certainty even still more terrible. v