Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-06-10

must be at work, for daylight must find
me out of the city,
Tt seemed as if the renegade had al
ready we'll surveyed the grounds and
building, for he did not appear in the
least undecided where to go and how to
act. He approached window, and it
opened easily. He entered lower room,
and went up fight of stairs, into a
sleeping apartment. By dimly burn
ing lamp, he could see that the bed was
occupied. He approached the couch,
and while standing there, a vivid fash
of lightning came. and the features of the
sleeper were distinctly revealed.
1t was man. His face was pale,
and his hair sprinkled with gray, but
he evidently possessed considerable
strength. A chuckling laugh burst
from the lips of the renegade, as he
clutched the sleeper by the throat, and
shook him violently. Of course he was
soon aroused, and then Hardiker whis-
pered, "John Thornton, don't speak
above whisper, or try to move, or you
are a dead man. [ hold knife at your
heart-don't you feel its point % And
the villain pressed the blade against
the bosom of his intended victim.
"Who are you?" asked Thornton.
81 am Dick Hardiker, the renegade. 3"
"What do you want with me ?"
'Ha, ha, ha /! Can you ask that. John
Thornton? Well I'll tell you. You re-
member fifteen years ago, when you and
[ both lived on the banks of the Missis-
sippi in Iowa?'
Eyes, ! remember it WE'LL" -.a
1--WE both had families then. Where
are they now %
''God took away my wife by death,
and my only child, my daughter was
drowned no-I mean your daughter was
drowned-mine still lives"
''Yes, your daughter Mary still lives,
and beautiful girl she is, too. Ny
daughter would be the same age, but the
angry waters of the river swallowed her
up. Your wife died Christian death.
with friends around her. How did nv
wife die o.
"You murdered her p
Liar! 1t was you, John Thornton,
who murdered her. %
rrarV'rnUI, yvu vUIu Iuo yvuloUII 0HaU
in fit of jealous rage, you stabbed her
to the heart.
"And so | did, but still you were her
murderer. You stole that heart away
from me, and so you sealed her DOOM
l should not have stricken the blow that
deprived her of life had you not come be-
tween us, and so you are her murderer. y
'As live your wife was a pure and
good woman for anything l know. She
applied to me as a neighbor for shelter
and protection against your brutality,
and simply as neighbor gave it her. -
"And l killed her p exclaimed Hard
iker. L should have killed you, too, at
the time, but l was compelled to fly to
save my own life. But | have been on
the watch for you. Less than one month
ago you removed to this city. | have
since been laying my plans, and they are
now complete; this night you die! ]
might have killed you while you slept
but that would not satisfy my revenge
want you to know by whose hand the
blow is given; and there is one thing
more | want you to know e
"What is that %
THAT tonight | carry off your daugh
ter Mary to the mountains, where sh'
shall become the renegade's wife. -
"Hardiker. you know not what yor
say-you know not what you do. Mar,
| is not"
The sentence was not concluded, fo
the villain had driven his blade dee
into the heart of Thornton. The victim
made a brief struggle, in death, and
single cry escaped him, and then all wa
still. He listened. but no sound wa
heard which indicated that the cry G
the old man had given the alarm; an
satisfied that he was still safe, he pre-
pared for further villainous work.
Leaving the apartment of the dead
he was not long in finding that occupie
by Mary Thornton. Again the light
ming flash revealed the face of the sleeper
and that face was indeed fair to loo
upon. While the renegade was gain
upon her, the growing of cock warne
him that the morning would soon dawl
and that he must be expeditions. I
seize the young creature, and so thorough
ly to muffle her as to prevent any ou
cry, was no difficult task; and then /
!, rasied her in his arms and bore her fro
the house. Through the garden he wen
bearing his burden, and then he scale
the fence into the street.
t Here, however, he encountered h
man figure, who. approaching the m;
' exclaimed, ''How is this +? The rem
gade, and woman in his arms p
! Simultaneously with these words t
report of Hadiker's pistol rang out
| the still air, while he sped onward at