Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-09-09


around the room, had, when he saw that no
one observed him. fixed it on the prisoner,
who sat in large chair, erect as Before. -
She had removed the vail from her face, and
sat uncovered, with her gaze fixed on his
countenance Neither could see the ex-
preston of the others face Each knew
that the other was looking, but neither gave
any indication of the knowledge. Her face
was calm, but full Of deep, ardent, earnest
love, mingled with impending anxiety
Could his have been distinguished, the ST.
Multitude would have been startling.
| Slowly the night wore on. A little be-
fore daylight stir announced the coming
Of the jury. As they entered. the court.
room resumed its former appearance. The
flights were trimmed; the constables awoke
the clerk reused himself to call over the ma.
mes Of the jury. But they had only come
for instruction.
SIN what the court had said about char.
actcr, we're they to understand that lack O.
evidence of the prisones's good character
was presumptiyc evidence Of bad charac.
ter p
| It was nice question, and, in the pres
ent instance, terrible one. For father
to direct jury in determining the charac-
ter of his daughter on presumptive evidence
was work requiring no small mental de.
termination. But he did it calmly, repea-
ting Whit he had said before, and saying in
substance that though no evidence of bad
character, it was entitled to its weight in
connection with the other evidence in the
case.
| Day broke on the city, and light stole in
to the courtroom and feeble, and
cold at the first, flushing up at length into
the full glory of the sunrise. Men were
now astonished to observe what change
the night had made in Judge Cameron's
countenance. He was haggard, worn, and
thin He looked twenty years older than
on the previous day. The prisoner remain
ed invisible.
At seven o'clock the jury entered Man
by man answered to his name, and the clerk
demanded their verdict.
None leaned more eagerly forward to hear
it than the judge. The prisoner alone
seemed unmoyed. Her counsel sat with
trembling hand waiting the announcement.
1T was given at lengths
"NoT GUILTY"
She threw back the vail from her face,
and it was magnificent now in its splendid
Ls,.sauty First she thanked the jury with a
Hook which was enough, and then suddenly
!, rose and turned to the Judge.
| But he was not visible. He had again
fallen. She was the first by his side and
/ when the astonished officers attempted to re-
move her, she shook them off with the as
founding declaration ''Ho is my father T.
~ Fourteen years more passed rapidly away.
IJudge Cameron had resigned his seat on
the bench, sold his possessions in --Coun-
tv, and disappeared from the neighborhood
in which his active life had been passed -
None knew the reason for all this change. -
4was sudden, and executed with as much
TttAity as it was conceived. His place in
| :. thaapisaunty and in public life was occupied
{ bv fohn Bromley, who, by dint of political
mana cement, had contrived to be elected to
Congress, and almost, although not quite,
to be appointed to the judgeship made va
cant by the resignation Of Mr.. Cameron.
Bromley was in no respect the equal Of
the latter. He was in all respects his infe-
rior. He was man Of low instincts and
low associations Educated, indeed, and
accomplished as the world esteems accom-
plishment, possessed Of many fascinating
ways of hypocrisy, and well fitted to be the
deceiver Of such frank girl as was Kate
Cameron, now long forgotten in the COM
munity. Sometimes, indeed, in hours of
unusual freedom over his wine with boon
companions, John Bromley had limited at
f.;sconquest over the splendid beauty Of the
county ten years before, and had left it to
be inferred that he had been base enough to
deceive and abandon her. But he was new
er known to recur to such subjects when So
Der; and dark cloud often rested on bis
face when he should have been most gay.
He was an accomplished Fcoundrel, and won
his way as such men can do
Steadily and stealthily he had absorbed
all the wealth of his grandfather, and de-
prived his cousins of their shares of it. by
one and another cunning trick of rascality,
concealed so that the world called it good
speculation or lucky hit, he had, for tri-
fling considerations, become owner Of all
the vast estate which old John Bromley left,
and had united to it the lands Of Judge
Cleron, so that his property was one Of
The faest in the State. But, if the truth
were Known, he was not so rich. His large
estate was heavily encountered, and he be-
thought himself, at forty five, to marry a
wife, by whom to increase his wealth, and
redeem his lands, and save himself from
ruin. He accordingly looked about him for
such person.
In the village was boarding school which
had celebrity through all the country
The ladies who had charge Of it were two
maiden sisters Of forty to fifty years expert
ence, who had lived in the village from their
youth.
Among their scholars was one who had
now been with them some eight years. and
who was an exceedingly beautiful girl of
seventeen. She was TALL slender, graceful
and of rare attractiveness of face and fea-
ture. The whole village had learned to
love her, and yet she was never known to
enter house in the place Miss Carlton
was the admired of all, but known by none.
Her wealth was reputed to be immense
Her mother, she stated, was widow, resi-
d;no ol+ornatelv i'll New York and in the