The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-04-13

The previous night, ere going to rest.
she had seen him safely in his bed, IN a
small room which-adjoined her own sleeping
chamber, and separated from it, only by u
very thin partition.
Very lightly had she slept throughout
the night, but had heard no sound yet in
the early morning, when she had gone to
Arthur's chamber, he was no longer
there.
Gresham demanded "slept your husband
at his home last night? ?" and Margaret
family answered that he did not.
Gresham next asked if Adm Bnrford
had the means, and was IN the habit of
entering this house by night, without
arousing his wife.
And now Margaret gave an affirmative
| r<.-.-.
at is he, then. who has AGAIN posstssco
himself of Arthnr," Gresham said and
Margaret dropped her head and did not
speak.
"Oh the villain has killed my darling
boy !" wcpt Rosale.
"No-no, he would not dare to do that y
urged Gresham; "he has been employed by
Mistress Canelford to remove Arthur be-
yond our reach but not to slay him, l
convinced Of that; The attcmpt now to de-
stroy our son, would be to h.,zar<ioUs even
for your cousin, daring and reckless
in her atrocity Us she has proved her
SELF
And those words were CLEAN of comfort !
to Rosalie's heart, for they had brought con- !
viction to her mind, that Arthur had not |
ceased to exist, and soon her cousin would /
be able, and would now be willing too, to |
say what had become of Rosalie's son, and !
would cause him to be restored again to |
his mother arnIs.
And So as Gresham hurried away to en-
ploy agents who would en4eavor to trace, !
and to recover the stolen boy, Rosalie flew !
to her cousins chamber, and her heart col
lapsed, for they told her that Mistress
Camelford could not long survive a raging
| fever was fast consuming her, and she was
deliriouB and r,aying OF the past, and some
times mutterinE, sometimes screaming forth
with peais of wild laughter, words which
| thrilled with horror those who were beside
her couch, ana compelled to listen.
Throughout that day, and the night that
followed 1t, kosahe Quilted not her cousins
side, continued listening to her cousins
rawlings with the hope that midst them she
would speak of Arthur, would give sonle in
dication by which he might be followed and
orought back to his poor, almost heart
broken mother
But in Mistress Camelford's delirium,
Arthur seemed not for Il single moment to
hold place in her disordered thoughts, no
word Of him. no allusiou to Rosalie's poor
boy.
Entirely exhausted by her long vigil her
heart filled with despair, Rosalie had, at
length, quilted the chamber of her wicked
cousin. and was on the way to her own
apartments. when, as she entered one Of the
corridors door at its opposite end flew
I suddenly open, and Rosalio looked again
upon her son, and he on her.
Rosalie, struck motlonless with surprise
and delight, sent forth \ loud, joyful cry, and
Arthur, bounding towards her eagerly, and
with extended arms, anxious to embrace
her, shrieked out.
"Mother'
And then, he too. stood still, and placed
his hands upon his throat, writhin9 with
the violent pain which there was torturing
G.ln, again strove to speak. but could not,
md sank to the ground exhausted.
lis mother knelt beside him, and enfold-
II bin, within her arms.
sjiQt ion. !. that ,eefeg! 4as sEpshea bin y Ro-
5rett alright.
But 1T was not SO. for presently the boy,
openIng again his eyes, cudeavored TO slnll3
Is he chung around his mother.
Again he essaycd to speak. and could
Q1L. ana tAtIS. Sti ltNi iAtiASiS ~ AiiS
f1roat and wrthed with the pam which
An ATTEMPT to utter II second word, had cost
hlm.
.'Oh desist, dear Arthur, desist - cried
Ros4he IAN overwhelming terror first de-
privel you of your speech, mighty Joy has
now as certainly restored 1t to you-but
MAKE no further effort now; wait patiently
with the blest assurance that you are no
longer a poor dumb boy
And the result was, ultimately, as Rosalle
had now predicted.
In time. and by slow degrees, Arthur re-
gained hio full speech; at hrst ms words
were disonad and unconnected, Ike to a
childs earliest utteranccs, but at length
that strus 5ling hesitation left HIM, and he
could speak smoothly and iiuently.
What h.i befallen him, since two days
before, when ue had parted With his moth
81, Arthur wrote when RosaIle hAd takeh
hilu t. her apartments.
A rou n hand laid upon him had startled
him suddenly from his sleep, and the moon
h.rbt. which was streaming into his cham
Der, had shown him Adam Burford standing
beside the bed. and in his hand knife, the
poiut OF which was directed threatenlngly
towards the boys throat.
Arthur, Notwithstanding, strove to utter
some sort of cry, for he knew that the
slightest sound would have reached Mar
: garet's ear; but most perfectly mute was
, he tAen-not the faintest cry was he able
to produce-a strange, unaccountable ter
ror, far beyond that which the peril OF that
: moment would have occasioned him, seized
upon him as he looked into Burford's face,
which it seemed to him had before con-
fronted him with the same penaelng and
hideous aspect.
e L Ia l-,,,fa
held threatcningly over his head, WAS made
to hurry on his clothes, and was then forced
: from the hut.
!, Burford walked rapidly, compelling Ar
! thur to keep pace with him, through several
: hours of the dark night, and ust before
! daybreak they reached miserable and
empty hovel, into which Arthur was forced
bv the ruffian into whose power he again
had fallen, and the door was locked upon
him, and he was prisoner and alone.
He listened to Burford's receding foot
steps, which soon died away in the distance,
! and then strove TO con njecture what was the
{ fate that was intended him.
! Was he to be left there to starve and
| die? -,
No succor could come to him; for should
! auy one pass near that hovel, he was dumb,
and so could not make known that he was
= captive there, and implore their charitable
aid.
q Despair gave him wondrous strength, and
= ba strove TO dash down the door, but it re-
sisted all his efforts.
! Small and supple as was Arthur's figure
vet was it impossible that he could force
i his way through the narrow loop-hole'
: which was the only window HIS prison con-
n tanned.
| But yet. he must escape! 1t had become
broad daylight; and. once free. he would be
a safe from recapture; for, in the open day,
4 Burford would not surely, dare again to lay
1 violent hands upon him.
Arthur looked upwards, towards the roof !;
j. it was of thatch, and at no great height
above his head
q With much labor, and after many fruit
h.,c tr.iund To cllnh to IL !.