Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-08-01
CCoutinued from first page.)

"Oh no, of course not A: its only stupid
fancy | had. There's no officially about
the journey; shall do it all right
enough" Yet thought he forced him.
self to say this, and didn't mean it.
Well. nothing particular happened dur
ing the next week. only | noticed that
young Chase was little more dreamy and
odd than usual. | said to him on the
Tuesday Gas he was to go on the Wednes-
day.; You don't really mind this Job, do
you? or would you like to have some one
With You? We might send the ostler lad !,
think" Whereupon he said, very hur.
riedly and anxiously. | thought 'Oh.
dear no; certainly not on no account ~
and ! answered: well, | think YOU are
right: IL would look rather silly; you
might get laughed att" Though | am
bound to say OF late wears, since the rail-
ways have brought London so much closer
to us, people have more than once said
they thought it rather ioolhardy of me 10
come back AT night alone in the winter.
seeing that there was always a good sum
of money in the drivin g-seat. the farmers
payngs-in, and the like. during the day.
you underst md. But. bless your heart. |
never had any fear, and could not un-
derstand why anybody else should; so
was quite relieved when young Chase
plucked up aud would not hear OF having
ANYBODY with him.
Well. off he went. We were very busy
all day, aud thought no more about him.
Ny time home from Meresdene had usual
" been little before seven. according to
The roads and the weather. | live over
the office. yoa understand, and have done
so ever since was made chief clerk. !
looked at my watch after had my tea,
and was astOnished to see it was half-past f.,
seven. was 8stonished, that is, because |
Young Chase was net back; and confess |
| began To get a little fl igetv, when an !
other halt-hour passed, and still he had not |
returned | looked out of the window
and saw there was thick fog so thick, |
could not see the lamps on the other side
of the market place. This accounted for
his delay in my mind; the thing had hap
pened TO me but the roads are so white,
and Jenny. The old mare, knew them so
well. that beyond going slowly there was
no difficulty but still. when ten, half-past,
and eleven came, and no sign OF young
Chase-wel. didn't like it, and | was
going to send over to the chief of the po |
lice. when the horse and gig came trotting
up to the door.
looked out. The fog was all gone,
and il was bright starlight night but
you may judge my state OF mind when,
going down, who should be at the door
but Joe MuzzIe, the turn-pike-nan from
Dene's Gate, and another.
Says he, very excited and hurrying over
his words: Your young man, sir, foun l
for dead just below the Whteways. We
can't tell nortbin' at all about it, My mis- |
sus and ! was Just going to turn in. when |
we heerd somethn' clanking agin the |
gate like, and on examination find it
bees your gig, reins cut or broke, and |
dragglin' on The road, with meier driver.
There bees bit Of fog about and | |
sings out, but no one answers, so | rout
my youngster out o. bed, and sends him |
off TO Gray's Farm, the nearest house, for |
help. Tor know'd there must ha' been an |
accident. for let the young gentleman
through the gate at the regular time, soon |
alter five this afternoon, on his way home, |
and he gives me sort of sleepy nod Ike, |
without speaking; and Now where be 'es |
'unT l says to my missus, for it was just |
nine then. and cnaise and he ought to have |
been at Clarendon long ago. This man,
Farmer Gray's foreman, comes back with |
my boy in about halt an hour, and with "a |
couple of lanterns, we goes slowly on to |
the Waterways, leading the horse and GIG !
with us speeding to find the young gentle |
man pitched out or something like that. |
And sure enough. just when we gets I'M
der that there old chalk-cuiting this man
here comes upon his body just above the
edge of the slope, for the fog had lifted
then, and we could see plainly. He
seemed quite dead, and we thought the
best thing we could do was to take 'un
back to the pike, which was done, in the
gig, as quick as possible. Then | sends
my boy to Meresdene for the Doctor and
he's with 'un now. and then he sends me
on here to tell you. I've spliced the reins
up bit, and we got through, and VERY
sad it all bees, baint it /? and now what
bees best to be done ?'
This was puzzling question, truly. but
went and woke up tue police, and two
or three of our clerks, and then we had
some more talk with Joe Muzzle. Joe is
quite character in his way, and if YOU
give him start, hell run on, cacking
like clock. did give him "a start, and
then he said Searching about the place
where we found The poor young gen'lman,
as well as we could with the lanterns. we
hnds The cushions pitched out and the
whip broke in two-'traid left that at the
pike; but here bees some proper murder
GUS weapons, and he produced from his
capaclous pocket, pair of small flint-lock
pistols, There warn't notbn' else to show
what had happened but the off gig step
seems TO have got twist-like, and the off
lamp be stove in--that, ! reckon, was |
comm agin the pike with meier driver" |