The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-04-20
RIDGWAY, PA, THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1871.

Joyous glitter. could see the course Of
the stream for some distance on either
side, as it wound through low, fiat
meadows, with alder-bushes fringine
either side, and pollard willows uplifting g
their silver-grey foliage; but there was
no dwelling nor other sign of human
presence to be discerned, and the utter
solitude and isolation of the place
weighed upon my soul with fearful in
cubus. Was 1 to starve to death here !
to perish by slow agonies? 1 clasped
my hands involuntarily together, and
the incoherent fragment of wild prayer
broke abound from my lips
"And the sun, mounting higher and
higher in the blue, cloudless heaven,
withdrew its chequers of gold from the
floor of the boat-house, and the day grew
older and more radiant without, while l.
silent and almost stupefed with hunger,
fright and exhaustion, sat, like motion
less log, on the step, leaning my throb-
bing head against the rough boards that
formed the siding; for was quite past
exertion now-l could only await my
fate.
1T must have been past noon when
the welcome sound of human voices
broke in upon the dreadful trance OF
solitude which had come upon me, like
a slow, creeping numbness, and 1 invol-
unfairly started up. ...
"'There's foot tracks here, plain
enough, and the branches is broke
down. said gruff accent. Il only hopes
she 'asn't been and murdered the poor
young ladyp
81 lifted up my choked voice with a
feeble cry for aid. Faint and tremulous
thoagh it was, it was heard, and re-
sponded to with a 'Hal-lo-o-o that
shook the very timbers of the building
like a roar of thunder. .
ERE she is, or Pm no better than q
land-lubberp beloved the gruff voice
Ere she is, my lady But, shiver my
timbers, if the beat-'ouse door ain't
lockedp
"'Break in the door at once, Stephensl
cried Lady Bottoms soft voice, agitated
enough now. 'Oh, merciful Heaven
who can tell what may have happened ?
"There amt a-many bolts, or bar;
neither, as can stand agin my shoulder !
growled the first tones. So, ere goes
One, two, three, and-begin!
"And then there came mighty sound
like the cleaving and splintering asundel
of beams, and the crash of splitting
boards, and the next moment l was
clasped in Lady Bottoms arms.
"'My dear my dearp she faltered
I am so glad, SO grateful to see you
alive once again!
81 heard no more. A binding dark
ness came over my eyes, the rush of the
river seemed to fill my ears with thun-
derous, confusing echoes, and / knew
nothing further until / found myself on
the sofa in Lady Bottoms own room
with little Victorine's blue eyes watching
wlstfully over me, and the faint sweet
odor of cologne and scented waters per-
meating all the air.
"And then, when was able to listen
collectedly, Lady Bolton gave me the
entire clue to the frightful mystery
which had so nearly proved fatally dis
astrous to me.
cit was Victorine's poor mother, my
DEAR she said, sorrowfully, stroking
down my hand as she spoke. 'She has
never had her senses since my son was
killed in duel, eleven years ago this
very month. But we dreaded gossip and
exposure, and never could endure the
thought of sending her to an asylum
though she has always been kept under
what we supposed the strictest surveil-
lance in private apartments at the Hall
But last night her keeper-a very re-
spectacle and steady woman, my dear
and an old servant of the family-got
over-tired, and slept more sounily thar
was her wont. And SO poor Helen, who
had CHANGED to witness your arriva,
from her window, and whose mind is al
ways more disturbed than usual at thil
period of the year, in which her husband
met his death, contrived to steal away
her keys, and crept to your room with
the stealthy cunning of insanity. AL
the rest you yourself know. 1t was g
mercy that she did not either destroy oi
seriously injure you, or herself. AS il
was, they found her halfway on the road
to Earsley, in search, as she told them
of magistrate to whom she could con.
fide her fancied wrongs; and she is now
safe in her own rooms, under Nancy's
soothing care. 1 have not myself beer
able to see or speak to her in long time
for one of her chief delusions is that
was accessory to the murder of her hus.
band. God knows added Lady Bolton
with tears in her sweet old eyes, would
have given my own useless life to have
saved him to her But, my dear, you
must not ask any more questions, for you
are worn out, and need rest
"And that was the end Of my adven.
ture. need only add that 1 lived al
Bolton Hall eight years-until my little
Victorine wore wedding-veil and dur,
ing those years it was my lot to stanc
beside the death-bed of poor young Lady
Bolton, whose mad freaks had terrified
me SO sorely on that dreadful first nigh
at the Hall.
"For God is more merciful than man
and He sets all oaptives free in His Owl
good time" .........
The Best Advertising.