Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-10-01

her. sOw that she saw her position, aud
saw hos much depended upon her.
No, and ysa need not do so though
ii you are put upon your oath. don't
know what you are TO say or 60. Tho
truth, the whole truth aud nothing but
the truth. read a treatise once on that
form Of words, and it seems 10 me 10 10
the most searching oath that could be
framed
God will guide me, said Kate.
The farmer did not kOuW what to think.
When the policeman mentioned the name
Of Luke Meadows. though he could not,
for 4 moment, believe Luke guilty, all
Kate's strange conduct Immediately after
the robbery, and her solemn warning that
morning against moving further in the
business, troubled him sorely. lie was
fully pursuaded that she had seen the
burglars face; her reticence upon this
point, and her desire that the affair should
be hushed up, coupled with her fathers
presence at the scene of the robbery, agi-
tsted and worried the farmer considerably.
Mrs. Smith can 90 and .sit with my
vile, said the farmer, just as he and
Kate were about leaving the cottage.
That | will, saId Mrs. Smith.
Poor Mrs. North, said Kate. How
cruel that | should forget her for a mo-
ment
She is going on capitally,' said the
farmer.
And knows nothing of all this, Of
course ? asked Kate IN an aside whisper.
No. Heaven forbid said the farmer.
No Mrs. Smith you had better re-
main here, Do not leave the cottage on
any account
Kate looked significantly at the farmer
who understood her.
Miss Meadows is right, he said the
missus will get OH all right until we come
back left the dairy-made with her,
aud she's quite capable to get her any.
thing she wants besides. the old lady is to
get up aud be dressed, and have tea with
US this afternoon
Think of this said Mrs. Smith.
.Lor bless US, wonders will never cease
we'll l be glad on it, that | be-
Mrs. Smith was greatly disappointed
and she was not allowed to 90 to the
Farm, whero she could have made her.
self and her warnings important and in
tere.tiag with the burglarious and other
illustrations of their truth but she was
quite content, shortly after the farmer
and Kate had gone out, when the enter
prisins detective officer called, and show
ed her his staff Of office, searched the
house, aud took down in writing all she had
to say about the absence cf Luke Meadows
during the night. She called his atten-
tion to the fact that the masters bed had
not been slept in. She concluded that an
inquest was about to be held on his body;
She knew he hadbce low-spirited, and
her experience was that low spirits al
ways led to suicide. Where did they
find him In Ladkin's barn. All, poor
man, hanged, no doubt. The detective
had said. mot exactly and had gone
away fully satisfied that he would be en-
ablcd to transport Mr. Meadows; it
would have been hanging matter, he
thought to himself, in the old times Mis-.
Smith spent the rest Of the afternoon un-
der her apron in the kitchen, morl idly
enjoying her warnings and death-ticks.
1t was a melancholy comfort to her to
feel that these presentments of death had
never failed, though in her heart she was
sorry for what had occurred
Kate and the farmer were no sooner in
the village than they knew that the 'mur-
der was out. There were two classes of
loiterers; those who were discussing the
squire's return and the festivities Of the
time, and those who were repeating to
each other the story of the burglary, and
and discounting the probabilities of Luke
Meadows innocence. Flags were dis
placed here and there, competing with
the brown and yellow of the trees ard
at Intervals the bells still rung out merri-
ly. The gables of the manor-house could
be seen above the woods on the hill. As
the farmer and Kate made their way to
the county policeman's house, the villagers
stood aside to let them pass. 1t was on
ly cottage, with constable's name paiLt-
ed over the door, On one side of the
entrance was the constable's office, and on
the other his kitchen. Luke Meadows
was sitting in the Office, with his foot ban.
daged and resting on pillow. A reserve
constable from an adjacent village was
standing in the room he walked to. the
window as the visitors entered, and Kate,
going up to her father, put her arms round
his neck, and laid her head upon his,
shoulder. fE,ggl
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