Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-09-25

OACSA3 IL has UGH udTk IlOIt
'uah an hour, and still the truant does no
oolile nome. Stokes, the millers man, il
10" dispatched with lantern to Waving
uean Farm, and thence, should he ge
no tldlngs there, to the town, in ali ;
.ouno ol some four miles: thus il may b,
Twelve O'Clock before he can get back
"lna' weather and inquiries duly consid
ereu. AT last he comes and not a sign
not word of jeanette. She was seen il
Tue town, near the iustopened railwa,
ss.atlon; but that was quite early in thu
uay. MIR. Reuben, they told him at th,
farm, had walked with her in the morning
ihto CreWhaven; but he had not com.
home, and had said it was probable h,
should take the train to London.
IN! the misery, the agony of tina
night, and of the nine days and nights O.
frutless search and hopeless inquiry
which followed! followed in drear sue
cession, until that morning toward tn,
ehd OF the month, when, by her fierce
words, we have seen what Naomi's solu
llon OF the mystery was.
BY noon on that same dav. old Amos
Grower, having returned to his cottage
was seated by bis fireside. His despond
ency had grown heavier daily, and this
nv Iiau DlOhtu uOWH, anu
lett the mill in Naomi's sole charge, fol
Stokes was away on some business touch
ing the grain, and hence it came to pass
that she was quite alone in the old mill as
she stood looking out from the little win
dow of the grinding floor.
A brighter sun never shone upon an
autumn noon; the crests and ridges of the
hills rose up clear and sharp; the tearin Q
fury of the equinoctial gales of the last
few days had subsidized into strong
southerly breeze, which was sending the
ola mill sails spinning round merrily
Naomi was looking, we have said, from
the window; but it was not at the scene
She was looking into the far distance of her
conlectures, into the remote realm of the
possible and the probable, Specializing, with
dreamy, miserable foreboding, upon the
fate OF the dear missing sister. Mechani-
cally onl y did she turn her eyes in the
direction of that part of the road which,
emerging from the farm buildings, plan
tatIons, began to wind round the foot OF
the steep hill. Mechanically only was it
at first that she looked to see who the
horseman was that had just appeared, as
cendlng the white lane. Presently, how
ever, there flashed from those eyes a fire
by no means mechanical. Her whole
countenance, indeed, lighted up as it
might have done had she been facing the
glow of red sunset instead of the cool
gray of midday. Her lips quivered for
an instant and then became rigid, while
her nostrils dilated, and her dark brow
was sternly knit. She passed one of her
large, but comely hands once or twice
across her forehead, and then, driving her
fingers into her thick, wavy, dark hair,
clutched it fiercely. For a moment
or two more she still stood in
tently observing the rider, as he
urged his horse at the fullest pace the
steep ascent would allow. When he
was about half way she quickly drew
back, as If to avoid being seen, but con
tinued watching him through the crack
by the hinges of the little wooden shutter
Of the window. AS this opened upon one
side of the mill, Naomi, where she stood
would have lost sight of the horseman as
he came close up and passed round to the
door; but he did not pass round, for the
horse, rough, demonstrating brute, Gov
cred with sweat and foam, SHE'D, and re-
fused to go by the front of the mill, where
the sails in full swing, were whirring
round with their rushing, chopping, mo-
notonous noise, and as usual, when the
wind obliged them to be set to the south,
within a few yards of the narrow, unpro-
tected road.
An obstinate contest between rider and
animal ensued: whip and heels were free
ly used. The creature plunged and reared
violently, swerving from side to side, and
doing all it could for mastery. But at
last the rider got the best of the struggle,
and with tremendous lunge, the horse
dashed forward out of Naomi's sight.
The agitated and angry thoughts which evi
IDENTIFY possessed her while she was watch
ing the approach of the rider had been for
an instant halfdiverted by the tussle be-
tween him and his animal; but as they
vanished from her sight, her agitation
seemed to be returning, when again it was
arrested; this time by a strange and aw-
full cry, which rose high above the CHATTER
and din of the heavy machinery of the
mill a cry, part shrek, part moan-hard-
ly a human cry, but one which struck a
chill to Naomi's heart. With the agility
of an antelope she flew down the narrow
ladder to the dressing floor, and out into
the open air by the stair from the door
way at the back Of the mill. She appeared
to divine something of what had hap
pened, for, with a face now nearly as
white as the dust of the meal with which
she was besprinkled, she hurried round
on to the road The sight which there
awaited her might have made stronger
nerves culver. Horse and man lay appar-
emily dashed to death by blow, or many
blows, from the ineXorably revolving
mill sails. At the first glance beth, in
deed, seemed be within their fell
swoop; but when Naomi had sufficiently
collected herself, she saw that the horse
had been thrown quite clear Of the sails
by that stroke from them which had
smashed in the whole side of his
head, and doubtless killed him in an
instant.
1t was hardly possible to believe, how,
ever, that the man could be beyond the
death-dealing circuit of the sails. Each
one as it swept down to within that foot
and half from the ground, looked as if il
was striking him at every turn, for he lay
stretched face dOwnwards. with his head
exactly upon the spot where the beam
passed the closest to the grass; but he
was motionless, and as long as he so re
NAMED was as safe as if he had had his
head on his own pillow. But should he
move or raise it an inch or two he
would inevitably share the fate of his
horse Yet could he raise it? Was il
likelv9 This was what Naomi asked
herself, as, with a rush of conflicting
emotions, she stood as near as she dare
bending forward to him.
And if he could should she let him:
He was evidently not dead, only stunned
his breathing and the twitching of one
of his hands told her that-and, as far as
she was able to see, he was otherwise IN
injured He had fallen, probably, as il