The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-04-03

pected so direct an attack. In TACT,
Beardsley told ire nfterward that II was \
the first time the subject had been
broached TO her in plain words. How
ever, she made no reply, and proceeded
in the same formal tone:
4" I shall place before you the facts
which are in my possession, and require
your assent to such as are within your
knowledge. On the afternoon of Tues
day, October g., 1854, Houston Simms
left the Pine Valley station, carrying
valise containing large sum of money.
YOU"
She had been sitting on the other side
of the table, looking steadily at me. She
rose now. She wore blue morning
dress, with lace ruffies and other little
fooleries in which women delight, and 1
remember being shocked with the
strange contrast between this frippery
and the speechless dread and misery of
her face. She gained control of her
voice with difficulty.
"Who has said that was witness
of the murder 2" she gasped 4" always
explained that 1 was in another part of
the wood. went to aunty Huldah-"
Pray do not interrupt me, Miss
Waring. am aware that you were the
witness-the sole witness-in this mat
ter" (She did not contradict me. was
right in my first guess-she had been
alone with the murderer.) con return
ing from your nurses cabin you left the
direct path and followed the sound of
angry voices to the gorge by Mill Spring
c
81 did not go to play the spy. Helied
when he said that" she cried feebly. g
heard the steps, and thought Colonel
Merriclz had come to search for me.'
"That matters nothing You saw the
deed done. The old man was killed, and
then robbed, in your sight''-I came to-
ward her, and lowered my voice to
stern, judicial whisper, while the poor
girl shrank back as though L were law
itself uttering judgment upon her. If
she had known what STACEY guess-work
it all was "When you were discovered
the murderer would have shot you to
insure your silence"
"I wish he had. 1t was Thad who
would have done that. The whiteman'
way was more cruel-oh, God knows it
was more cruel ~
There were two then. was very
sorry for the girl, but 1 had keen pleas
ure in the slow unfolding of the secret,
just as 1 suppose the physician takes de-
light in the study of new disease, even
if it kills the patient.
"Yes," said with emphasis. 81 be-
ieve that 1t would have been less suffer-
ing for you, Miss Waring, to have died
then than to have lived, forced as you
were to renounce your lover, and to
carry about with you the dread of the
threat made by those men,"
"I have not said there was a threat
made have betrayed nothing" She
had seated herself some time before by
the table. There was u large bronze
inkstand before her, and as she listened
she arranged half dozen pens evenly
on the rest. The words she heard and
spoke mattered more to her than life OF
death; her features were livid as those
of corpse, yet her hands went on with
their mechanical work-one pen did not
project hairs breath beyond the other.
We lawyers know how common such
puerile, commonplace actions are in the
supreme moments of life, and how sell
dom men wiring their hands, or use
tragic gestures or indeed words.
"No, you have betrayed nothing" /
said calmly. Your self-control has
been remarkable, even when we remem-
ber that you believed your confession
would be followed by speedy vengeance,
not on your head, but Colonel Mer-
rick's."
She looked up not able to speak for
minute. "You-you know all ?"
mot all, but enough to assure you
that your time of suffering is over. You
can speak freely, unharmed."
Her head dropped on the table. She
was crying, and, 1 think, praying.
You saw Houston Simms killed by
two men, one of whom, the negro Thad
you knew. The white mans face was
covered. You did not recognize him.
But he knew you, and the surest way to
compel you to silence. wish you now
to state to me all the details of this
mans appearance, voice and manner, to
show me any letters which you have
| ii FL. IL.