The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-01-28
"Not CONGO Russ p

| in the doorway. The pretty bloom
had all faded out of the young face,
leaving it as white as the robe she
/ wore.
"What has happened, Russ? o,
tell me at once! I have been nearly
wild with suspense and alarm these
two hours" she whispered, clinging
to her brothers arm.
He passed his arm about her waist,
and lifting her as if she had been a
child, bore her through the long hall
to his mothers room, and put her
down in an easy-chair
81 wouldn't tell you there, Lefty"
he said, holding the little limp hand
tenderly in his, for some one might
come out at any moment. The train
WAS very late, owing to the storm
but three other men came through
from Dalton, and he might have
Icome as well as they. If he was i'll
he might have telegraphed, and so
Iavoided this annoying contretemps."
"But some accident might have
happened" she interposed, timidly.
"Or he might have been afraid of
few flakes of snowp' he rejoined,
his naughty lip curling disdainfully.
Russell you are unreasonable"
she said, drawing up her little figure.
"I will not hear Lancelot slandered,
even by you"
Forgive me, Lefty" the proud
face softening instantly. 1T is on
| ly on your account, darling, that 1
am angry. I presume there is some
good reason for his detention, and
doubtless tomorrow will bring it all
right. will go down and tell them
that Morrill, is detained by the storm,
shall I?
eyes, o yes! And Russ, must
| go down? l am so nervousp And
the little hands clutched each other
convulsively.
"No, I'll make it all right with
the company; thank Heaven they
are only our friends. There, dear,
keep up a brave heart;" and he
stooped and kissed the dropping lids
with caressing tenderness, and went
out.
The trains came through regularly
the next morning, but no Lancdot
Morill made his appearance in Blain-
ford. They waited till afternoon
and then telegraphed to Dalton. The
lreply came back that Lancelot Nor
rill had left Dalton on the 10 A. NJ.
train of the previous day, for Blain-
ford.
Poor Lefty Thornton lay in hys-
terics all that night, and Colonel
Thornton swore fearful oaths against
the man who had put this shame
and slight upon his beautiful, petit
ed daughter. Russell started imme-
diately for Dalton, to gather all poss-
ible particulars relating to the
strange affair. They were, however,
of the most meagre and unsatisfac-
tory character.
Mrs. Boone, MOrilFs landlady,
said that he had told her several days
before that he was to be married on
the twentv-fifth of January. He
had mentioned it again that NOR
ming, but had not said whether he
should return there to board. His
trunk and several suits of clothing
were in his room Just as he left them.
HE had also mentioned the fact of
his intended marriage to his employ
er-he was clerk in a large clothing
house-and he had advanced him
two hundred dollars on his salary.
The latest and most direct testimo-
ny, however, was from the depot
master at Dalton. He had sold him
ticket the morning Of the twenty
fifth of January for Blainford, and
had seen him get on the traiu. And,
strangely enough, no one seemed to
have seen him afterwards. The con-
ductor on the train was new on the
route, and did not know Morrill,, and
had no particular recollection of the
passenger who got on that morn
ing at Dalton.
What could have become of him?
In car containing thirty persons,
in broad daylight, he certainly could
not have been murdered? and if any
accident or illness had overtaken
him, it must in like manner have
been known. But no one had seen
or heard of him after the car door
closed upon him at Dalton. Detec-
tives were put to work, rewards were
loffered, and every effort which hu-
man thought could suggest was made
to get some trace Of the missing
man.
Months passed away, but skill
and money were in vain, and the
search was at length abandoned, and
Lancelot Morrill, was added to the
list of mysterious disappearance"
which so puzzle and bewilder human
sagacity.
1t was admitted to be one Of the
lstrangest of all those strange occur
9irenees. A young man in perfect
mental and physical health, with the
pleasing prospect of an advantage
lous union with one of the loveliest
Iof women, disappears on his. marri-
lage day, and drops, apparently, out
Iof existence in breath, in the most
invisible manner possible to human
imagination
Colonel Thornton had only lived
lin Blainford year. He was not a
popular man, from the fact that he
considered Blainford people an inf
mite number Of degrees below him
self and family, and of very little
account, any way. He was rich, and
probably thought that fact sufficient
to awe his neighbors and townsmen
into respect and Difference. Strang-
ely enough it did not, Blainford
people were so obtuse.
Russll and Lefty we're the only
children of Colonel Thornton, but
very unlike. Russell had his IA
theirs naughty pride, but tempered
with q more generous disposition,
and a gender manner. Yet he had
the same lofty contempt for common
people, and the same aristocratic
ideas of birth and station! Lefty, on
3 the contrary, was gentle and suave
to all. A smile, a pleasant word, a
graceful inclination of the head, and
Ilo, all Blainford were her willing sub
; iects. It was therefore with mixed
= lcooI;-,rr of sO,.rov- and n sort of So