Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1870-04-07

talking 6hrlllY demanded
Mrs. Wharton. "Do come in, and
don't stand like q luny-though, 70
be sure,5i added Mrs. Wharton, half
to HERSELF Iihadn't ought to be cross
to her and she half frantic, as one
may say, with her trouble"
Mary wenson made no opposition
to the gentle force with which Mrs.
Wharton drew her in-but as she en-
tered the lighted hall, she looked
down at her crimsoned fingers u
bedabbed dress with a shudder.
aBIood =" she muttered yacantly,
sblood! It's as it should be-blood
for blood! No." as Mrs. Wharton
was leading her towards the door of
the servants hall, "I won'tgo in for
| all the people to stare at me, ask
me questions, and whisper among
| themselves, as If L vas mad! l think
| 1 be going mad" she added in a ali
whisper, which chilled the very
blood of the lady's maidi put wont
be stared at /! Not yet, at a
tfThen come into my room-thaI,s
a good creature coaxed Mrs. WAR
ton.
"Who are you ?" demanded Mary,
looking at her with a vacant gaze.
"Oh, / remember now-and re-
member why / came. / wanted ,em
to know how it came about. Ihe
| bloody cross, you know-they'l IND
it on his forehead J"
"Whose forehead ~ exclalmeo-
Mrs. Wharton, fairly amazed n be-
wiIdered. Who'll find ita Mary
Owenson, you are crazy, sure
The poor young thing nodded her
head.
"I know it,u she said shut it was
that drove me mad! / had all my
senses, until he came riding down the
hill, as gay and gallant as II a mans
life WASN'T on his soul! Well, well,
it's e~venhanded Justice, after all
they can't complain
81 believe,r thought Mrs. Whar-
ton, "the poachers have frightened
her out of the little wits she had left
after her man died / must just
make her as comfortable as / can,
and tomorrow her folks'n come and
fetch her homel"
She drew forward a chair for Mary
Owenson, and had turned to go for
some warming and stimulating
draupht to the servants hall, when
the sound of hurriedc footsteps and
many voices in the great vestibule
beyond, attracted her attention.
Lady Fairfax had heard the unac-
( customed tumult and confusion also
breaking in upon the quiet thread OF
her thoughts. She sat an instant lis
tening, with her heart beating some
what faster than its ordinary wont,
and then rose TO her feet, and was
J hurrying to the door, when it few
suddenly open. and Mrs. Wharton
rushed in, with a face as white as heI
apron.
Lady Fairfax stopped short, at the
sight of the death-pale face.
"Wharton," she cried, "Yhat has
happened? Why do yoni look sc
aNothing, my Iady4nothing,'
gasped the maid, painting for breath
/ and striving TO force the semblanct
: of an unconcerned smile to her lips
"Only if you would please to g
; back -
"What for?n Lady Fairfax looked
at Wharton with vague distrust
"Sir Roy is moi at home, Wharton
! and / must see what the matter is p
She was passing her maid, wheI
Wharton stretched out both hei
hands with a cry of terror!
"Oh, my lady-my lady! don't &c
, out there! For Heavens sake, my
!, lady, stay where you areW she wall
! ed.
"Wharton )" said Lady Fairfax, il
a tone of calm dignity and command
which the maid had never befor,
e heard from her lips, "do not dare tt
: stop me. i eOiH go; 1 DiI see for my
self what all this mystery means ="
4 A little crowd was gathered on thu
: hall-through the wide-open portals
ter wind rushed In, making the
lights fiisker and flare strangely
q Old Morrison, the head game-keeper
was the first person she recognized,
"Go back, Lady Marian !" he
cried. "It's no place for you tC
+ come! Fool!''to Wharton, who fol
flowed her mistress, wildly wringine
/ her hands; "why did you let hel
f Icome here. You should have KEPT
her by mainforce! My bonnie lady,
ne added, in a voice that shook and
trembled, Ego you back again!n
: He took both her hands to lead
! her to the threshold she had just
! quilted, but Lady Fairfax broke
from him, a white, CHASTITY terror on
her face, and ran toward the group,
which silently parted on either side,
: to admit her sight, futtering figure!
Parted, to disclose a sight which
well nigh froze the blood in her veins.
For there on a hastily-constrUcted
willow twigs, in the centre of the
i hall floor, lay Sir Roy Fairfax, quite
dead, with great clots of blood con-
: gealed round a wound on his breast,
from which the clothing had been
torn recklessly away, and a crimson
+ cross drawn on his brow, as if by a
) finger, dipped in the sa%nguineous
: stream!
! Marian sprang forward, and throw
ing herself on her knees beside the
oicoTpse, drew its cold head upon her
' bosom, crying out, wildly
: "My husband! my husband oh,
who has done this cruel thing ?n
I "There! v said old Morrison, in a
] voice choked by emotion, t'take her
away The Lord be praised she has
faintedI"
2 AS they carried the senseless form
) of the happily unconscious lady from
the hall, Mary Owenson's white face
!, glanced over BulwOrth's shoulders at
the CORY corpse.
|, "Ah, poor lady, she said, slowly.
"Then she saw the bloody cross? ]
| marked it fine and plain ~
: "You marked itpi echoed Bull
/, worth, turning suddenly upon her
4 with a face of horror. "Woman,
! what had you to do with it?"
"I shot him" said Mary Owenson,
, quietly nodding her head. "With
Owens very gun / shot him. A life
for a life is what the Scripter saws
who are you to set yourself up against
tho Gorinfuro TJpa oorru for tho