Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-03-01

pursue in this matter"
The sons took the light and went to
their mothers room. They opened the
| door, and there, sure enough, was the
body of man hanging half through the
window. The floor was pool of blood.
With difficulty the Oldest son got near
enough to the body without stepping
into the gore to raise the head, which
was dropping ON the chest. He grasped
the hair and raised the head so that the
light might fall upon the face. AS he
did cry of horror escaped them all.
"Great God it is our brother
George"
"What did you say 2" said Mrs. Now
bray, in voice horribly calm, from
the doorway, whittier she had followed
unperceived. "George What do you
mean ?"
The oldest son dropped the head to
prevent, if possible, his mother seeing it,
and all ofsthem endeavored to explain
their exclamation and get their mother
away from the spot. 1t was in vain.
"Boys," she said, in her old, we'll
known tone of authority, stand aside
and let me see the face of the villain l
have slain.
With that she put her sons aside as
though they were mere lads, and walked
through the slippery gore that lay upon
the floor up to the body. She took the
candle from the unresisting grasp of her
first born, and, with hand that trembled
not, lifted the head of the dead man so
that the light shone full upon it. She
gazed at it steadily for half a minute,
then said, gently lowering it until it
rested upon the breast again, cts my
boy George"
Mrs. Mowbray was the only one in the
household who remained calm and mo-
tionless. The family was in the widest
state of sorrow. The three brothers
with difficulty extricated the body from
the window. The authorities were noti-
fed, and everything kept as quiet as
possible The inquest was duly held.
Mrs. Mowbray was fully exonerated, and
the body was tenderly prepared for
burial The real story was known to
few outside the family and authorities.
1t was believed by them that George,
instead of going to Devonshire, had re-
manned lurking in the neighborhood,
and had planned the robbery, and if
need be the murder of his mother. He
knew that she had large sum of money
and valuable jewels in her room. The
old nurse who had held George in her
arms when he first saw the light, took
care of the body and prepared it for the
tomb.
She dwelt tenderly on the familiar
marks upon the limbs and face which
she knew so well, each of which had Il
story of youthful daring or folly con-
nected with it. In due time the funeral
took place. The corpse was laid in the
family vault. Only the family and one
VI bWO IelatlNtS utueii,tcu- 1Io"
bray spent the best part of every day by
the side of her dead son. She showed
externally no signs of emotion. Before
the lid was closed she kissed the forehead
and cut off lock of his hair.
The day after the burial she gave
directions to her eldest son to pay all the
dead mans debts, which was done at
once so far as known. Gloom settled
over the hall. The wing of the building
in which the tragedy occurred was closed
up, and Mrs. Mowbray removed to bed
room up stairs.
On the fifth day after the funeral q
post-chaise drove up to the door of Har-
wich Hall, and from it stepped George
Mowbray, looking better than he had
looked for many long day before he
left home. The servant who opened the
hall door started back, and almost drop
pedwith fright. His ordinations caught
the ears of Mrs Mowbray and her sons,
who seemed to be dumb-founded.
George was as much astonished as any
of them, and gazed from one to the other,
perfectly lost in bewildered surprise.
There was no doubt about it. George
Mowbray, whom everybody believed dead
and in his grave, was living and before
them.
Mother" said George, advancing
toward her, "what is the matter? My
return is easily accounted for. On reach
ing Tawvale, found that my uncle's
family had been unexpectedly summoned
to London, as my eldest cousin, Sir John
Gray's wife, was thought to be dying.
took a nights repose, and then started
home again, and here am"
Mrs. Mowbray walked up to him, and
then, without word, folded him in q
passionate embrace. Each of his broth
ers grasped his hand and kissed him, as
they were wont to do when he was boy
and the pet of the family. The ole
nurse, aroused from her MONDAY slum
ber, embraced and wept over him, ant
the servants gathered around with we
eyes and congratulatory expressions.
ALI this time George knew nothing o
the true reason for this singular recep
ton. Soon, however, the mystery wa'
| ov,,lo;nad 70 hin, Tho affact ,1nOp hin