Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-12-26

/
Where? Where is she p cried BIZ
wife. sThere-no--in the park-wher,
are you looking
/ There look in line with the three
beeches. Now don't you see?'
At this moment the church clock
chimed the halt hour--halfpast eleven
i do What can She Mrs. Lock
wood caught the right spot, and go,
SO far, when she cried, sOh, mercy
she's fallenp
Fallen was hardly the word. The
retreating figure sank slowly to the
earth as the last chime died away in
the warm Summer night.
Mrs. Kirkman proceeded to London
by an early train, and vas punetuaI
at the scholastic agency. where The
sale of her house, furniture, &c, and
the good will Of her school was to be
completed.
q shall be glad she told the pur
chasers. two sisters 'to see you as
my guests tomorrow or Friday, SO
that | may introduce the young ladies
to you before their departure. On
Monday | will give you possession
'When we hope you will do US the
favor to remain as our guest until all
| your arrangements are made was
the not wholly disinterested reply.
'All my arrangement are made,
said Mrs. Kirkman. i shall leave
Dighton on Monday
i really do think interposed the
gentleman who conducted the scho.
lastic agency--a square, pasty man in
black, who looked like a dean, but
missed his h's-sthat it would be
'ard!y fair to leave these young ladies
alone SO soon. They quite 'oped you
would stay and introduce them to the
neighboring gentry
Il made no stipulations TO that eff
feet, Sir was Mrs. Kirkman's quick
and rather excited answer. 'They
can 60 to church with me on Sunday
and SO be made known. As for tine
gentry, | do not know ANY, made
my way without introductions. l will,
however, do all can for YOU (this to
the sisters) Sin this way till Monday
when l 60
Never mind. my dears,' said the
scholastic man, when Mrs. Kirkmap
had gone; never mind If q disa.
greeable old woman like that can sue
coed at Dighton, you'll be sure to get
on beautiful
Soon afterward, when they had also
gone, and he was entering his fee for
the transaction, he cast il over in his
mind, and hoped it was all right. Tel
egraphs to me- he unused, 'to sell out
for her /; offers me fifty pounds extra
If can do so in week !; takes two
thirds of its value, and runs off d.
rectly she gets the money. Hum
well, its no business of mine now. So
he banked his tees and his fifty pounds
ert,c, and locked up his conscience.
The now Observation-Disclosures invested
the purchase money and some more
in circular notes, bought two large
trunks and many other necessaries for
travelling, obtained passport and
had it vised at the Italian Consulate,
dined at the terminus of the railway
that was to take her back to Diglton,
and started by the train which was
due at Salincham at IL P. Nj.
The line from Salincham to Digh
ton was single one, eight miles long,
and its traffic was conducted on a
system of signaling under which it
was said that accidents were per-
fectly impossible but on the night
of the 18th of June tired telegraph.
operator, talking to a friend, did not
hear something that the station mas.
ter sailor said be said-and the
consequence was that two trains were
dispatched, one from each end of this
line. They met with appalling force
about halt way, just as the clocks
were Ginning halt past eleven.
About midnight DR. Fletcher was
awakened by two messengers-a rail
way porter with telegram calling
him to the scene of the accident, and
a mounted groom from the Honor,
bidding him come at once for God g
sake to the three beeches, in the park,
for Miss Stella was dead. sAnd you're
to take my horse, Sir said the man,
'and not spare him, and if you please,
i Sir, came first
That settles it, said the doctor. q
must attend to this case first,' he told
the porter, as he mounted. sI'll be at
the station as soon as l can
The horse was one of ST. John
Lockwood's best hunters, and the
Doctor was straight man with a
| good mount under him. AZ soon as
he got out of the village, he made a
line tor the three beeches, and there
he found Stella Lockwo stretched
on the ground insensible, and close to
her right hand, as though it had fallen
from her grasp, was the cracked
tumbler.
The drivers of both trains and four
passengers were killed outright by
the accident before mentioned, and
eleven others more or less injured
one fatally. This was Mrs. Kirkman.
When she became conscious, she in.
sisted upon being taken to her own
house, to which DR.. Fletcher escorted
her. He had disposed OF his first case,
and by this time Stella Lockwood
was in her own bed again, still un-
conscious, but by no means dead OF
in danger.
Il thought l could get away from
Dighton, Doctor said Mrs. Kirkman
family, but You see there Is fatality.
How long can | llve?'
Il will answer you frankly to-mor-
row. In the meantime, do not weaken
or excite yourself by speaking
Tomorrow may be too late my
voice is failing me now. l must use
it while / can. Doctor, those ques-
tons yon put to me the other day
about the present Mrs. Lockwood are
troubling me. Did they mean that
you suspect her of something? Do
you think that the Squire's FIRST wife
met with foul play?'
After the first shock OF the discov
cry made in the park was over,
1 hoJ -, ts,,,a xh.,t, auox