Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-08-23


tie hope by Sanford and myself, but
still nearly heart-broken. Then eth
er little Nellie Wilson, Sanford, or
myself, visited him daily, and did our
best to cheer him; but the prospect
was dark, and the State Prison loom
ed up before him. The day of his
trial was approaching. and there was
not bit of evidence to submit in de-
fence, save good character and recon-
mendations from former employers
and from Marcelin, all of which was
poor hope.
zone day business led me by the
house where Miss Selby had died, and |
| do not know what induced the idea,
but l thought I would go in. The
only idea had, in fact, was to see
the messenger who took the prescrip- |
ton, and talk with him, though |
knew him to be only an ignorant boy.
| saw the landlady-it was board
ing housewife was kind, motherly
sort of a woman, and, after a little
gossip with her, | got her interested
in Charley's case as an orphan, and
without a friend in the world but my
self. Then | found that the old lady
was troubled with dyspeptic pain,
which | undertook to cure, sending
out for medicine Oh the spot, without
letting it cost her anything, and final
! ly won upon Mrs. Bramble so, that,
as | was going away, she said: Now,
Doctor. why don't ye come and take
my little front reception-room, and
put up a sign here? There amt no
doctor anywhares around this neigh
borhood, and III board ye very cheep,
jist to have We in the house on '1asion.
4 laughed at the old lady's propo-
I sition, and told her that would think
it over by next day; | did so, and
saw that Mrs. Brambles house was
much superior in appearance and To-
cation to the one | inhabited. The
result was, struck a bargain with
the old lady, and moved Immediately
to her domicile Ihadn't been there
three days, when, one morning, Mrs.
BrambIe who was very fond of gossip
ing in my room, said, Doctor, | can't
help thinking all the time about that
poor gal that was pisened upstairs
| havn't had that room opened since
the morning after she died. Seems
to me as if it might be haunted
Yes! responded.
There were something strange,
too. about her; and that doctor-man
that come to see her so much
"'Yesr | said again. pricking up
my ears and looking inquiringly at
her.
Thar was 50 much sneakiug in
and out, and coming at all kinds of
/ queer times; and then they'd quarrel,
and, when he went away, she'd fret
and cry so, that she'd be cen Almost
sick
"'IIauor said to myself, heres
a new shape to this matter And
then l said to Mrs. Bramble, Where
did Miss. Selby come from :?
"'WelI, that's the strangest thing
Of all, doctor. She never would tell
where she came from; and the most
that she ever dropped was that she
was from New Hampshire; but then
her name never was Selby in this
: world
@'How do yon know that, Mrs.
Bramble ?
; Because every bit of her under
, clothes had another name rubbed out
on EN-; and one day there came a
man here. and asked for Miss Good
win, and, when he was told that no
/ sich person lived here, he insisted,
and said he'd seed her come in here.
Then when this was talked Of at tea
table, before Miss Selby, she got
} dreadful excited about it, though no.
body said a word about her being the
one that had just come in before the
; man asked for Miss Goodwin
: "The old lady was making some
revelations here that stirred my curl
ositv; but | could not see how they
. could help Charley case, except that,
! if there was anything mysterious be-
tween the dead woman and the doc
. tor, might slit it out and use it to
soften his evidence against Charley
! or, perhaps, force his interest to help
: the poor boy. 'AlIs fair in love and
= war and so | took hold of the slen
- der clue to trace out who Miss Selby
or Goodwin might be. The last,
: thought, was the true name, aud, al
. though it seemed absurd to enter up
on the search in such way, | con
Guided to write to every postmaster
in New Hampshire. [ framed let
ter saying that there was something
Of great Importance pending to fam
lily by the name of Goodwin, some
J. where in that State, and requested
D. each postmaster, if the name existed
in its locality, to please send me ;
Z. list of members of the family presen
IN and absent, especially the latter, ant
lg that, if the necessary information
lc proved to be elicited through him, h
e, should be well rewarded.
se "This letter brought eleven res
n, ponses, one of which was from mem
a. Der of the Goodwin family, into who's
hands the postmaster of the town @
as M-had put my letter. / had n
ne sooner read this letter of Mrs. Sara
a Goodwin, than | cried, 'Eureka!' Th
CD very tone of it showed a mother seek
ID ing for her lost child, from the ez
preston she put upon my asking 70
or the names of the absent. She sough
IN a daughter who had left her a yea
ro before, and the description, which
as read to Mrs. Bramble, was recognize
W in a moment. Of course, Mrs. Coco
er win must be sent for. Her daughter
le. effects were still in the locked room
1t, and they troubled poor Mrs. Brandt
lg almost as badly as if they had been
r. ghost. | therefore wrote to Mr.;
O. Goodwin that if she would come t
III Boston, would giver her intelligenc
lg of her lost daughter. 1t was sa
d, pilgrimage to bring the mother OF
e. but it was better than to have her chill
lost, without track, forever. In fe,