Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-02-06

file as the door was shut. However, his orders
were to drive off the instant they were in the
carriage; so off he went, as fast as he could
back to the house they had come from, where
the gentleman lived.
"When they stopped there, the young lady
was quite insensible, and had to he lifted out
She had tainted away"
depend upon it, she was only acting" said
Armstrong.
"No, she was really unconscious, and looked
actually as if she was dead. The gentleman
said something about her being very nervous
and the excitement proving too much for her
The coachman caught glimpse of her face
as she was lifted out, and he declared it made
him feel quite uncomfortable to see how white
she looked. He began to feel, then, as il
maybe he had been bribed into doing some
thing wrong. ....-
"The gentleman having carried the beauti
full young lady into the house"
"How do YOU know she was beautiful p
interrupted Armstrong.
"Of course she must have been. I can i'm
agine exactly how she looked. Having car
ried her in, he returned and paid the driver
and charged him to remember his promise oi
secresy, as the welfare of the lady and of ev'
cry one who cared for her, depended upon it
Then he bundled the other person out of the
carriage, and the coachman drove off,"
"And was that all ?"
"All for that time. When the coachman
went to look in the carriage, after he got
back"
"Got back where ?"
'Oh! I don't know-to the stable, sup
pose, or wherever he kept his horses. Don't
tease so When he got back and looked
about, he found the lady's handkerchief that
she had dropped under the seat of the car
riage."
"How could it possibly drop under the
seat?' questioned Armstrong, tormentingly
"It was there, at all events, and the coach
man found it. At first he thought he would
carry it back to the owner, but he reflected
that it was too late, and the house was long
way off: So he changed his mind, and de
termined to take it the next day, instead"
"But he didn't"
"No, he didn't; for that very night he go'
a dispatch from his father in England, telling
him to come home and see his mother, who
was diving, and he started right off at day
light" ...... .....
Taking the handkerchief with him, how
ever" -.. .... .,a.- .... ,. ...
=. "Yes, he put it in his pocket, and nevel
thought about it any more but when he go1
home he gave it to his sister, the very person
who told me the story" ......
"But what about the sad fate of the mys
terious young lady? You haven't told us
that"
"Oh well, there was no certainty about
it; but rumor was set aAoat afterwards
that something terrible had happened to her
She was never heard Of again. When the
man went back to California"
"Wherei" suddenly interrupted Frank
speaking for the first time. He was trying
to repress his excitement, but he looked
strangely startled and pale.
"California-it was in San Francisco thai
it had happened. Did forget to tell you ?
"Go on, pray" said Frank. He mastered
himself by strong effort, and listened with
assumed composure, as she continued
"There is really not much more to relate
Marianne could not tell anything definite
about it. Her brother went back to Sal
Francisco, and there in some paper he saw 6
piece relating to the affair. Indeed, there was
quite an excitement over it, and large re
ward was offered for the young lady's recov
cry"
"Why, then, he was fool not to tell wha
he knew" said Armstrong. "Why didn't hi
90 in for the reward ?"
"Marianne was confused about that part O
it. She either could not or would not tel
what else he did. But she said as liked the
handkerchief, she'd be glad if I'd take it
She seemed to have taken sort of fancy te
me-people do, sometimes, you know"
This last remark, and the coquettish glance
which accompanied it, were quite thrown
away upon Frank. He was absorbed il
thought. The conjecture, amounting to 8
positive belief, which Claire's story had ava
kened in his mind, thrilled him to the core
and it was all he could do to refrain from be-
traying his excitement His impulse was to
jump up and rush away, on the instant, on the
track of this new discovery; but he remera
bered that what he had 80 far heard could be
of little help to him, without his cleaning
first, some more particulars.
~ think" he said at length, speaking
slowly and meeting his companions eyes full
ly, in order the better to maintain show o1
calmness, II have heard something of that
history before. should like to know, really
what its true ending might be. This coach
man, you say, who was party to the young
lady's disappearance, is now in San Fran
cisco?"
81 do not know" said Claire "He was, al
the time that saw his sister. She lives with
Mrs. Charles Bertrand, in Worcester Place
London.
Frank carefully noted the address, though
without appearing to pay any special atten
ton to it. But his resolution was immediate
ly taken to see this Marianne Rexford, and
learn her brothers name and address.
That day, at dinner, he announced his in
tention of leaving the next morning. His
hand, he said, was nearly quite we'll, and hi:
M, ,yor1d ,ot norp,;t hin, fo rop,oin ony