The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-09-22


the exercise of his peculiar talents suddenly
presented itself, and he was tempted to
venture upon the perilous path the near
end of which was destruction.
He was sitting, he told me, in his Office
one wet, gloomy afternoon in January, be-
fore handful of fire, alternately revolving
in his mind his own dismissal present and
future, and two or three startling para
graphs that had just been copied into the
Liverpool journals from the Westmoreland
county paper. To him they were of great
interest, but in some degree unintelligible.
Robert Masters, the quondam bachelor of
Judith Morton, before spoken of, had, it
appeared, been killed at place in Gilgraith
Forest by pistol-shot and according to
one account, robbery must have been the
motive of the assassin, as the deceased's
pockets had been ri6ed and his gold watch
carried off; while, according to another
and later paragraph, Charles Harpur, a
person Of good property, recently arrived
from abroad, had been fully committed for
the murder the suggested cause whereof
was jealousy with respect to Jemima
Morton, young woman, the paper stated,
of great personal attractions. "The mis-
take in the Christian name, Jemima for
Judith" mused Penson, els obvious
enough but how comes it that both jeal-
ousy and plunder are spoken of as motives
for the crime Charles Harpur is not
robber and yet both money and watch
were missing. must even, poor as am,
pay visit to Bedstone. Ha! Well, this is
strange p
A slight noise at the window had caused
him to look suddenly up in that direction,
and to his great surprise, almost conster-
nation, he saw the handsome and excited
countenance of Judith Morton, just above
the dwarf Venetian blinds, the dark, fash
ing eyes, peering eagerly into the office,
wherein she yet, he observed, diserned
nothing. His sudden starting up revealed
him to her kind of wild smile of recog-
milton glanced over her features, and in
another minute Judith Morton was face to
face with Richard Penson-she, this time,
the suppliant for favor.
Miss Morton was habited in deep mourn
ing, and her appearance and manner
evinced much furry and disquietude.
Hastily seating herself, she drew forth
sealed packet from large reticule, saying,
as she did SO, in reply to Penson's ques-
tioning glance at her mourning dress,
"For my father; he died about three
months SINCE" Then holding the packet
or parcel in her hand, she gazed flxedly for
a moment or two at her astounded auditor,
as if to ascertain if the influence she once
possessed over him had been weakened by
time and absence. Apparently the scruti-
ny was satisfactory a bright CLEAN of
female pride danced in her eyes, and there
was an accent of assured confidence in the
tone with which she said, "I am here,
Richard Penson, to retain you professional
ly in matter deeply affecting myself, with
the full persuasion that spite of-perhaps
in some degree because of-bygones, you
will not fail me in this hour of need"
Penson's heart was in his throat and
few broken words could only gurgle
through to the effect that he was soul and
body at her service. The prideful smile
shot more brightly than before across the
face of the temptress, and the voice was
gentle and caressing which replied, "I
knew that would be your answer, Richard"
After hesitating for moment, she took
note from her purse and placed it before
the wondermute attorney it was a Bank
of England note for fifty pounds and, in
the excitement of his chivalrous enthusi-
asm, he rejected it almost Indignantly.
Nay, nay" said judith Morton, "you
must accept it. My father, as l told you,
is no more, and am tolerable we'll off,"
adding, with insinuative meaning, "and,
better perhaps than that am now my
own mistress" Penson took the note thus
pressed upon him, and an embarrassing but
brief silence ensued, broken by Judith
Morton, who, having unsealed the packet
Of papers, said, "These are office copies of
the dispositions made in the case of Charles
Harpur, of which you have doubtless
heard" The attorneys copntenance fell
as Judith pronounced that name, and she
fastened to say, at is not you will find
for his sake that am chiefly interested
but first you must read those papers. l
will go and take tea while you do so, at the
inn below, whore the coach stopped. L
shall not be gone more than half an hour"
The peremptory manner of the young
woman forbade reply, and as soon as the
street-door closed behind her. Penson adj