The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1875-02-17


for which there was no foundation, save
in his own distorted mind. Certain at
tendant circumstances, known to Mrs.
Yorke, were fraught with suspicion. His
staying out that night, saying he lost his
way in the fog, his stealing upstairs in the
dark when he came home, and the COM
plete changing of his clothes, would have
been comparatively nothing; but there was
his prematurely-claimed knowledge of the
murder. Mrs. Yorke heard of the opin-
ion, expressed by the surgeons, that a gun
had probably been used to infict the blows,
and she shivered as she listened. Did her
husband bring home his? She could not
tell. Neither could she arrive at any sat-
isfactory conclusion as to the clothes he
wore, whether they were put away in con-
cealment, or whether they were amongst
those hanging openly in the closet; for Mr..
Yorke was an extravagant ma|in tse
matter OF wearing apparel, and Possessed
several suits for outdoor sports. The ter>
rible suspicion was eating into her brain.
And yet it appeared too monstrous a one
to have real foundation.
On the Sunday morning, though Mrs
Yorke rose to breakfast, she excused her.
bClt lIOu SOlnS W OnC bdlu size
was not sufficiently well; perhaps it was
no false plea, for she looked very i'll. Mr..
Yorke went, accompanied by Miss Har.
disty and Henry Yorke. When they were
gone, Maria entered her bedroom and
locked herselfin. Adesperate determine,
ton was on her face, the index to that
which had settled on her mind; her dread
full fears, her uncertainties, were hard to
bear, day and night they were as one liv-
ing agony; and now that the house was
free from interruption she would search
and find, or not find, proofs. The gum
That was the point; had he thrown it
away as he came home that night, stained
with his crime, or had he brought 1t home
with him and concealed it? Agun appear
ed as usual in the customary place; but
was it the gun he had taken out with
him, or the other one, which he might
have reached from his guncase and put
there? The guncase was fast, and she
had no means of ascertaining.
There was an old-fashioned piece of fur
niture, half bure.u, half chest, In the
bedroom, black with age, very long and
narrow. Mr.. Yorke had laughed when
this caught his eye on their taking possess
sion of the house. "Why, it's long enough
to put a coffin in," said he, in a joking
way. He had appropriated it to himself
cor his private use, and this was the plague
pot of dread to Mrs. Yorke; if the gun
was in the house concealed, it was there.
She had been to the box of tools, and
by dint of exertion she contrived to bring
the bureau from the wall. Her intention
was to break iu the back, satisfy herself,
and then replace the furniture. Knockl
knock hammer hammer Two servants
were at home, the rest at church; Char
lotte was in the nursery, the cook in the
kitchen. Whether they heard the noise,
or, hearing it. what they might think,
she did not stop to enquire; her resoiu-
ton was desperate. She persevered, and
at length the wood was stove in. Not
space enough yet, but she soon made it So
Alasl she did not require second glance
On the very top Of all, quite at the back,
lay the gun, broken How many pieces
she did not count, she could not have
touched them for the whole world; they
were wet, as if they had been soaked in
water for the purpose of washing, and they
lay on suit of wet shooting clothes; had
he got into pool, as he came home that
night, TO wash away traces? Probably.
Mrs. Yorke staggered away and sat down,
pale and sick at heart. Beyond all doubt
| her husband was Edward Jansons MUIR
derer.
Again she dragged up her shaking
| limbs, and, leaving every thing as she
found it, save for the great hole, pushed
the bureau back to its place. The first
time her husband opened it, he would
see the hole, and detect what she had
done. She cared not henceforth, there
was little that she would care for in life.
She took up the heavy hammer and the
chisel, and was concealing them under
her black silk AKRON, lest she should be
met going down stairs on her way to the
tool-box, when a quick knock came to
the chamber door right in front of her.
1t startled her into scream, which she
could not have prevented had her life de-
pended on it.
"Please, ma'am, it's only me-" said the
cook voice. And what Mrs. Yorke an
swered was mystery to herself, but the
servant rejoined-
ats a stranger, ma'am, asking to see
you directly, and won't take no denial"
| " lIu a idCC duu tnd
shook from head to foot, Mrs. Yorkt
opened one of her drawers. and shut az
the hammer and chisel. Then she un.
locked the door, and the cook stepped in
side.
ats strange lady who wants to SCI
you; She Why, ma'am, what's tn,
matter? Aren't you well ?"
i Zone of my sick headaches" muir
INJURED Mrs. Yorke. "a visitor, did yor
say? l am not well enough to see an!
one. Go and say So"
"a few minutes conversation only,
interrupted a strange voice close at thu
door and there stood the visitor, who
must have silently followed the servan
upstairs. Her face, stern and pale, Dor,
the remains Of severe beauty; and Mrs
Yorke grew sick, as unto death, with I'm
defined fears, for she recognized Mr.
Janson's mother.
She utterly lost her self-possession
She did not say, "Walk down to tn
drawing ROOM" or, "Walk in here" sh
only looked up with her ghastly face, tn
picture of terror and misery. Mrs. Jan
son stepped in and closed the bedroom
door, fixing her searching eyes full upcl
; Mrs. Yorke.
~ have come to ask you who muir
: dered my son."
Mrs. Yorke felt as if her brain wer
turning. There stood his mother, put
: ting that startling question, and there, a
her back, were the hidden pieces 9th
: gun; there, in another spot, were tn
, hammer and chisel. Ominous witnesses
all.