The Morning herald., 1876-11-02

mabie father and mother before you were
born, ! would rather trust my child ID
your keeping than in that Of any one I ever
saw, or could see. But listen to this, young
man. have always been prouder Of mi
spotless name, laye,h Thousand times
prouder than Of anything l possessed ;
and if YOU cap salure me that &yonrs i as
stainless, 7 win fieely consent n give you
Margaret's hand, provided she wishes it
herself. | put my whole trust in you,
knowisg, az I do, that Mertimer slronwood
never broke his word. .
The young man smiled, and said: {;
II never heard of any blemish on our
! unobtrusive name, SIR; and there has GER
tainly been none in mine. l can say
without pride, l hope - that we are sim.
pie, honorable people," /
"You had q brother---", began Mr.. Hall,
With some difadeAcej when he was imme-
distely taken up by Mortimer, with:
"Oh, yes, Dick He was wild; but the
best hearted fellow that ever lived, sir. He
never did anything to disgrace U.S." . /!
The young mans face was bent toward
the carpet, as Mr.. Hall glanced at it; bu.
beyond being thoughtful, it was nothing
but the picture of frankness. Mr.. Hall
thought he ought to be satisfied, and men
toned that as Margaret was in the orchard
his visitor might wish to have her sent
for. '..y T
Mortimer preferred to do his own errand,
however; and, finding Margaret among the
trees, was not long in relieving his mind
of the precious burden Of years. .'l
That Margaret requiled his affection,
might be inferred from the fact that the
evenings glory, had only paled to more
delicate tints under the harvest moon, when
the were strolling along lonely lane,
without shade of restraint between them,
to dim the brightness of their happy talk.
Before he left her that night, everything
was happily arranged, aud the wedding de-
cided to take place immediately after the
harvesting. By this time the hour had
advanced nearly to midnight; 80, in going
home, Mortimer naturally took short cut
through the fields, and had just sprung
over a, fence, with school-boy lightness,
when he heard groans, and feeble cries for
help, coming from the roadside.
1t seemed to him but an instant-so agile
did he strive to be-when he was standing
witness to bloody ARRAY; ruffian beating
in the brain of a PROSTATE man, andvGnly
striving with hasphemous words and vio-
lent strength to free himself from third
man, who was holding him back, and who
cried out, as Mortimer sprang in their
midst:
"Great Heaven! /! you'll kill him."
The sudden hush Of the voices, the drop.
ing of the iron weapon, and the flight Of
the murderers, was like flash of lightning,
but the moonlight was very bright, and
while Mortimore felt that he had suddenly
gone mad, he knew that he had seen his
brother Dick and heard his voice.
However, as he was man farmore eager
to help the suffering than punish the sinful
he stirred never foot after the assassins
but, instead, knelt down by their victim,
and strove to obtain some intelligence from
the groaning man.
But being unsuccessful in this, and see
ing that singly he could be Of little use TO
the sufferer, he gently laid back the bruis.
ed head, sped home to arouse the help,and
was presently back with sufficient help to
remove the man to his mothers care.
Medical aid was summoned in fact, the
whole village got out of their beds in the
magnifed excitement; but all the stir was
of no avail, for before morning the unior-
tunate stranger lay dead, without ever
having spoken word. .
Still Mortimer kept his own council,
merely saying that the attack had been
made by two men, and that one Of them
had tried to prevent it.
This, before tie day was over, he repeat
ed at the inquest; but before it was over, a
man was brought in from the neighboring
woods whom Mortimer recognized as the
murderer. He had been found among
some rocks, where but few hours before
he had fallen and broken his leg.
1t was afterwards remembered against
him, that when the man was brought in,
Mortimer turned as white as the wretched
culprit. but remained quite calm; when
he requested to be removed to another
room, in order that he might speak in pri-
vath with the coroner, Mr.. Hall.
The rich man soon returned, and some
what excitedly demanded Of his intended
son-in-law:
'<Mortimer, can you swear that it was
the prisoner who struck the murdered
man."
II can, sir"
Mr.. Hall fairly trembled with excite.
ment, when much to the astonishment OF
tbs little assemblage, he p:opounded the
following:
"Mortimore Ironwood, would rather
trust your word of honor than another
mans oath; but before publish what has
been disclosed to me, will you tell me
whether the other man assisted the muir
darer in anv wav Whatever2 Mind yOur