Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-09-09

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all of sudden the certainty flashed
across my mind that it was case
of suicide!
"There was quite q little crowd
assembled round the snowy shores
OF the turbid- looking river, where
blocks of steely ice were rocking,
alfsubmerged in the freezing cur
rent; but they made way in silence
for me, as passed hurriedly through
their ranks There, in the centre,
stretched on bier made of a few
rough boards, lay the dripping and
frozen corpse of Young girl"
We were both silent, in a sort of
hushed horror; my uncle's low,
solemn voice and impressive de
scription seemed to bring up the
very reality before us. He paused
an instant, and then resumed.
"My children, such a sight as
that once seen, is not easily forgot
ten. Although twenty years have
elapsed, can see her now as plainly
as her then; the marble beauty of
her pallid face, the violet eyes, wide
open, and glazed with death: the
magnificent golden hair, whose long.
wet tresses streatned around her
face; and above all the look of ut
ter misery an1 hopelessness that
stamped the beautiful features even
IN death
81 stopped down mechanical, felt
the moveless pulse, aud passed my
hand over the icy lips, but, as l had
been morally certain from the first,
it was useless.
She had been dead for hours
said, turning to the little Gro wd who
were breathlessly awaiting my ver-
dict.
Poor, {" pretty thing.' said one
of the women who were bending
over her; and she's scarce more
than sixteen, to judge by her looks.
To think she's gone 50 early-poor.
pretty child"
Nobody knew anything about
her; she was total stranger in the
village, and even Il @ close cxamin-
alton OF her scantv effects and cloth
ing failed to produce any clue to
her identity. l remained over one
day in the village, to attend the
coroner's inquest, and saw her buri-
ed in the snow covered church yard.
among the gray, dreary old tomb
stones, ere | resumed my journey.
Several years passed by, and
had nearly forgotten the lovely
corpse beside the turbid river, and
the strange, romantic episode it had
formed in my life, when one evening
l received Thornton Gray's card,
bearing the address of a fashionable
New York hotel, and the words,
hu. riedly scrubbed underneath in
pencil, Just from Paris Ofcourse
l hurried through nay list of pat.
tents, aud fastened to the hotel as
soon as practicable, for Gray had
been one of my earliest and dearest
friends.
"Hallo, Mordaunt-the sime So
Der faced fellow as everr
He met me with cordial grasp
of the hand and welcoming smile,
yet somehow l fancied that he was
changed There was an eager
searching look about his face, an
restlessness in his manner
that struck me rs unusual but later
in the evening he explained the Sc
cret of what had puzzled me at
first.
s The truth is, Mordaunt, I am
engaged in a SEARCH he said.
"A SEARCH l echoed; 'and for
whom =? or what?'
For one in whom my life's
whole happiness is bound up.' he
answered with a sort of passionate
energy. -Four years ago, Mordaunt,
| was engaged to the loveliest Great
ure Gods sun ever shone on, but
mad fool that l was Il became
foolishly jealous of another's atten-
ton to her-to Celestine. She was
not rich, in fact she was dependant
on the kindness of a distant relation,
but oh, how lovely, how perfect she
was can't think or speak of her
being maddened at my own
folly. Well, we parted she silent
and dismayed, 1 full of fierce, un-
anger, swearing in my in
sane wrath, never to set eyes upon
her more. sailed for Europe the
next morning-ah, how well 1 re-
that snowy December day!
but when l returned, repentant and
ready to kiss the very
hem of her garment with contrition,
it was too late. Her cousin with |
whom she was dwelling was dead,
MS family scattered, 10 one knew
and all clue to Celestine's
was irrevocably lost.
Now you know the object of my
search. Until find my wronged,
INJURED angel, life has not one hour
,f rest or peace for met
"And have you no key whatever
o the mystery? 2" asked.
"Nonc, save her picture, which,
wen in the storm of my first tempo
AIRY madness, ] could not bear to
cast from me-"
"He took small velvet case from
lis breast, and touched little clasp
it sprang open.
"There,' he said, placing the pic
ure in my hand; it gives but a
'aint idea of her surprising beauty,
md yet it is like what Celestine was.
Gas I looked upon it, a sickness
Is of death passed over my heart.
was gazing upon the beautiful
ace that had lain in the freezing
NOW beside the cruel river Bradford.
Celestine and the unknown corps
we're one and the same.
81 returned the picture to him in