The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-06-25
HANGING IN ARMoR.

at be awful cold, Waddy; / be frozen.
Can't we take 'em down noWi The snow
be stickln' to my limbs"
"Guess We ain try, now. The beeks
be out o. sight, and the guide GiaZen be
stun dead long afoFe this. If it weren't
Maester Mortimer and his own guide
sister what wanted it, I'd never eX-
posed my self to this weather."
The snow came down In driving
storm, and swept the hills of old Eng
land like a melting avalanche. The
wind shr1eked and howled in the dykes
and valleys, and amid the forest trees,
like a very tiend let loose from Nor'land.
Tue darkness was fast coming down,
and figures could scarce be seen at the
distauce OF twenty feet, so thick was
the falling snow.
Upon a distant hill from the city OF
London at this hour, and in this storm,
a kind of skeleton framework, Of some
| three feet in dimensions, was dimly
seen. In the centre hung massive OBJ
| jecJ in the shape of a mans form. 1t
seemed heavy, but the storm was fierce
enough to swing 1t slightly to and fro,
causing creaking sound like the graf
ing Of massive hinges.
Upon each side of the framework
| stood two objects, apparently men, but
| they were SO covered with snow, and
| seemingly rigid from cold, that nothing
but their voices, which sounded dull
upon the dense air, indicated their ex-
| istence. One Of them was Of tall and
nowerful stature, while the other pre-
sented the appearance OF boy of six
teen.
figure. "We must risk 1t now, for / see
YOU'RE gittin too cold"
Judas the boy figure was called
climbed up couple Of rude steps as
quickly as mis- almost frozen limbs would
permit.
"Kin you reach the sprngW asked
the tall man beneath, who cIasped the
sus pended object in his arms anu rails d
it up.
ii think 1 be tall enough" said the
boy, "Look out, Waddy, it be comm"
As he spoke, there was the sound OF
| clicking steel, ana then the heavy tall oil
rattllng iron. But the herculean man
caught the full weight upon his massive
shoulder, and saids
"All right, Jua; come down, quick,
and let Us hurry to Miss Helen's cottage
The skeleton armor bends as though the
body inside beant cold yet; if we reach
the cottage, who knows what warm
fire may uof Pye heard OF such things
alore.H
"Wnat things, Waddy?" asked the
boy, rs he trudged along by the side Of
his giant companion.
"lnese skeleton armors were first In
vented, you see, to add more disgrace tc
the man what's hung. Sometimes they
makts the armor too big Tor tie subjick
+ IAN, when they touches the spring, ii
t don't break mis- neck. DON'T you under
: stand, JudT
: "Yes; and, o l wish it would prove
true in Maester Mortimeps case, for
, don't believe he murdered the earl any
. morn L did"
''Or l." said the giant, In tone o.
thunder. "But hold Oh "a while, Jud
| KNOWS secret which may astonlsn
'em yet"
"Aint it gittin' mighty heavy,
, WaddyW asked the boy.
sony little, Jud. l wouldn't mind
it, though, ii the snow wasn'tso deep
.. KIN you travel any faster, JudW
, Yes, kin run, if needs be-" said the
boy, VINO seemed TO have resained ener.
gy by exercise.
, Then run to the cot, and tell Miss
Helen Pm comm; tell her to have a big
hre on the hearth, and get a heap o
/ blankets ready. Keep away from the
/ old dyke, boy. Keep your eye on tine
cot light; you'll soon git in SIGHT Of it,
Il know the path Well" said the boy,
starSng III run down Lne steep.
"Patn,' muttered the giant, "Pd like
5 to know who could hnd path in such d
storm as this p
= A small but comfortably furnished
# cot stood upon the verge OF u forest
e some hali mile or more from the hll
l. wnere stood the gallows, aud where
- transpired the scenes just described
= The darkness and tue snow were COMING
Z down without, and the wind was loar
@ ing through the forest trees with maui
u acal fury. A faint light shone out from on
OF the windows OF Lle cot, leaving re
CLEAN across the snow. In one OF tn
:. small rooms-it was divided by boar
=, partition i'll the cenLer-beiore a con
a Portable wood fire, sat young girl, o
~ perhaps eighteen, clad in plain but nea
- apparel. Her hands lay listlessly /
,c her lap, while her gaze was rlveted al
i. stractedly upon tue plain oaken foo
= she might have been considered beaut
20 tul, wee it not that her features wer
az worn, as II from recent ut1 ction, an
~ her eyes were dim and almost lusLreIet
from constant weeping. There were
IL tears III them now, however; the Vagu
le ness of despair seemed to llnger on iat
T. and brow, and the liquid OF her Bit
III orbs was apparently CONCEALED. sE
le looked, as she sat there In the treligh
le as though her soul had been suadehi
III suatched from her body, and she hu
'I- died there without pain or suffering.
u Presently, h slight glow oil lie SCENE
"a TO course through her frame ana the lii
VI slowly moved.
"All is over now,' she murmure
It, "Eie tHis, the cruel eXecutioper b
he done his 1atal work on Mortimer and
IL am alone in the worldl Alone-is til
3n all? y, heaven! not only alone, but di
ne gfaced-dishenored! Sent tor,h upt
,r- Ihe world with the brand of shame up,
dy my broW-cursed AS the sister OF IL mu
le- dererW
o. Sue paused Tor n moment, and a co
Ie shuduer ran through her frame, as s.
ss thought OF the fate that awaited he
EN- Then brighter look mantled ber face
Sc look or conscious purity and affectio
as she exclaimed,
Mt but, U! | know he was innocent! l
ly was too manly and noble to do sucn
,e- actI Besides, he has served the earl
re-. long and faithfully; and though 1t W
nc strange that he sent him back, yet Nj
NJ timer was innocent! 0, why does Wa
he dy stay? He promised me to bri
ed back my brothers corpse, that 1 mig
ed We him decent burial; yet it has grow