Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-10-04
NO. 235.
Gales aud Sketfhes.
THE SILVER LOCK.
Continued from Yesterday

And now commenced life OF bicker-
ings and disagreements between all three
members of this i'll assorted family. Oliver
either could not, or would not, give any
very clear account of who OF what his
wife was, merely telling his grandmother
that she was his equal in point of birth,
| and standing up for her vehemently when
ever she incurred, as she frequently did,
| the old wOman's wrath. Old Mrs. Ayl-
mer, consumed by jealousy, was only too
glad to be forever finding fault with little
Norina's soft Incidence, and want of
knowledge OF English ways and manners,
| and as for the poor young wife herself,
even divers devoted love could not COM
pensate to her Tor the loss of her home.
her religion, her mother tongue. She was
| strangely ignorant. and beyond Just read
ing. writing, and working, knew nothing,
! and was as little able to enter into her hus-
bands intellectual tastes, as she was into
| the mysteries of cooking and butter-mak-
ing accounts, which engrOssed so large q
share OF his shrewd old grandmother's
thoughts. The poor child grew thin and
white, shivering over the fire through an
English winter and even when her baby
| came. little mite of girl, it failed 10
| rouse her from her mt lancholy lethargy.
She was destined to be reused, howev-
er, In way that she little dreamed of.
One lovely spring evening, when the air
| blew in soft and balmy as in her own
| Italy, and she was seated at the open win
| dow, with her baby in her arms, Oliver
| was carried past her into the house by
two laborcrs on the farm, and borne all
unconscious to his bed, from whence he
was never TO rise again. He had been
out riding all day, and had been found ly-
ing half in. half out of the ditch, about
mile from home, to all appearance dead.
How the accident happened. no one knew
tor he never spoke again; only his horse
had returned t. its stable with its knees
broken.
The village doctor was very ignorant,
| and evidently had no idea how to treat the
case and Norma. wakened by love and
jealousy, kept away from her husbands
bedside the only person capable of doing
| him any good-his grandmother. Wheth-
| er from the want OF proper care. or from
the nature OF his ccdent. certain it is
that, at the end of a week after his fatal
fall, poor Oliver was no more, aud Norma
left Il solitary young widow. alone in a
strange land with stern old Mrs. Aylmer.
One day towards the end of July, old
Mrs. Aylmer, with sudden energy, deter
" ho for months had been clarmoring for
repairs to their tumbled- down cottages.
and investigate their complaints herself.
Down Hollow, the hamlet for which she
| was bound. lay considerable distance
| from Fair Beeches. so she started early,
leaving Norma sitting as usual in the or
chard with her baby IN her lap, apparent
ly indifferent to her departure.
The old woman made a long day Of it,
and was not home till nine o'clock at night,
owing to an accident to the cart, her con-
veyanCe. On her arrival a. Fair Beeches
she was greeted by the solitary maid-serv-
ant with the intelligence that Norma had
been out all day with her child. and had
not yet come home. Mrs. Aylmer was
both tired and cross, so she merely told
Sarah to sit up for Norma. and herself at
once repaired to bed, where she was soon
sleeping heavily.
Meanwhile, through the long July night,
the faithful servant sat anxiously watch
| ing for her young mistress's return, and
still Norma did not come. The whole
| house was early astir, and quickly the
| news Of her disappearance spread through
| the farm, and men and boys dispersed
| round and about the val to look for the
missing woman.
As the day waxed and waned, the news
| arrived that Norma and her baby were seen
| four miles, six miles. latterly eight miles
| from home, and beyond that nothing more
was known of her. Hencetorth Mrs. Ayl-
met lived tor one object only-to omass
gold and for this she starved herself, her
| servants, her animals, allowed the house
| to tall into decay, and almost. in parts, to
| ruin, and Tor fifteen long years after No
rina's disappearance, turned Fair Beeches
| into the dismal abode of a miser. Dur
ing these fifteen years, Sarah continued to
! live with her, till one morning six years
ago, she found her dead in her bed at the
advanced age OF eighty-nine, having re-
tainod all her faculties to the last
| And thus the last known owner Of the
house and property passed away, leaving
no successor. no will, surrounded by igno-
rant rustics. who knew nothing either OF
law or property. As months rolled by,
and no one claimed them. the farm horses
and implements were sold, Sarah Fielding
mrrried the head laborer, and, on the
pickings they had made, they set up the
| little village inn, in which | was at that
minute sitting.
Through all this long story, which
have related in my own language, had
spoken no word to Sarah. afraid OF inter-
| rupting and confusing the old woman.
She now paused. breathless with SO much
speaking, and gazed inquringly into my
face. Tbereupon | assumed an air OF pro-
found wisdom and said
1t is quite clear, Mrs. Fielding. that the
property belongs to divers daughter;
and she ought to be found, ii she is alive"
ITO be sure. SIR she answered. 81
thought you were maybe. relation Of
them all, for you have got the white lock,
and are like Mr.. Oliver"
| started. What do you mean" |
| asked.
"Ah | forgot to tell you that the Ayl-
mer's-many OF them, at least-have u
siver-w hite lock of HAIR just where yours
grows, sir; and they were very proud OF
it. Tor they inherited II for generations.
Mr. Godfrey had it, and SO had Mr.. Oliver.
and even that little baby that disappeared
with her mother had tiny one amongst
her curls."
Here was problem for me 10 work out.
n t. Ia, ~.sI Al