New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-29
THE COLD HAND OF MORBECK
BY B NJ. RANKING.

tell this tale as nearly rs possible in the words
ofmv old friend the Rev. John Chalmers sometime
rector OF Gilthwatc, in the county of Durham.
Did never tell you the history of Lucy Gedge
Ali well il is a sad one but strangely interesting
for all that stir the file, my boythe nights get
colder | think. this spring instead of warmer
and ght your pipe, and You shall heal it,
Poor Lucy If you had seen her even as last
saw her you would have said that she was Just the
girl 10 make an honest man happy, and to live out
placid. honored life OF wife and motherhood
without any great trouble or even excitement to
disturb it size such an innocent, pretty lass.
II was not AT all the sort of face that man would
dream Of as being connected with IA tragedy, but
doubt if YOU ever heard of bittereF tragedy
than that ] nave to tell you. Do you remember
Norbeck Hall, the great house you exclaimed AT
when we were driving yesterday, though you could
only get a glimpse of 1t in the distance through the
frees I That was Lucy home. and IL has been on
nav mind TO tell YOU about her since. She
nav niece on the mothers side, for the last of the
Gedges of MOrbeck, as old family any between
Tweed and Trent, married my youngest sister 1t
was a love-inatch to be sure, for she had not a
stiyer though you know, lad, the Cha mers are as
werr happy couple, God rest them, But there
Uas never bat one child, nv niece and goddaughtcr
Iucy and her dear mother vas taken when she was
Inta tte bit Of thing: she grew up her fathers
NET ana piayihmg, and his chief companion for he
would not put any other woman in my dead sister
Narians place-and the Older she grew the BONNER
she became till. what with her beauty, and what
with the tales of her fathers wealth. the heads OF
half the young men in the county were turned by
the holress Of Morbeck.
Well 50 II fell out that lust before she grew to
nineteen. Old John Gedge died. and when his
will came 10 be read. 10 was found that Lucy as
was inst, would inherit everything when she
came of age saving few legacies to old servants
and the Ike hut meanwhile she was left under
the iont guardianship of myself and her fathers
sister Mrs Fostlethwayte. and could not marry
without our lont consent. OF course the poor child
could not come TO the rcctOry here, with no com
panion but an old bachelor like me besides 1t
seemed wrong that the hall. should be shut up SO
- s.,ff IN ffN~n IN
was arranged that this aunt of hers should come
and live there with her as chaperon and what
not She made great talk, ana Aunt fostle-
thwayte, about the sacrlhce she was maklhg lVr
the sake of her family, in buryIng herself IN such
an ont-of-the-way corner of the world but for my
part thought showas IL the luck Of It, to he hvlng
az rack and mauger at Morbeck Hail. with such IA
companion az my dear lassle. instead OF eklng out
her widows jointure amongst lot OF olu lanDleS
I'm some stufly London street. But TO 90 her JUS
Nc think the woman meant we'll and she was
kind To Lucy after fashion OF her Own, LOT 90
believe she loved the poor cHid as HiuGh as sne
could love any one bat herself liter all she was
Gcdre of MOrbeck. and nobiesse obhge You
know my boy She lust one OF those women
i daresay you have seen plenty of them II London
no can't forget at fifty that they ere beauties
nj half the age. ana who have managed by hook
and by crook 10 get their own way all their lives
| suppose her husband knocked under 1or peace
and 0uetness sake, aud she never had any children
10 worry so she came to dOmlneer over Lucy WITH
All the delight of having found new pastime, L
remember time when she was III, ana IKE the
obstinate fool she was, wouldn't obey the doctor
She said that She had had her own way all her life
and not going TO be contradlcted at her tlne Oh
life | thought I should have chOKeo when that
slipped out but IL no laughing matter lad, the
mischief she made through that way OF hers
Well 20 make long story short, the aunt had
hrnly determined thai her niece should marry
some scapegTace OF fellow whose name don re-
member and don't want to- never saw hlm his
chief recommendations were, broken constitution,
an empty purse distant relationship to the late
Tom POstethwaytc, and an Old title. 80 madaHi
had settled that bonnie Lucy ledge should De my
Ill. rN.rflg full IN u ar
the broad lands ana full Golfers OF MOrbeck han.
Unfortunately for her schemes II takes two 10 make
bargain and my niece was as sensible a girl as
stepped IN shoe rather, so IL vas open "It DC
tween them. or rather passive resistance on Lucy
part and a course Of alternate naggng ana
wheedlIng on her aunts. knew the man reason
of the girls stcaGfastncss well enOugh-sne wQuid
tel ngthing to her old uncle John; DIess hef
There was true love and faithful trOth between Der
am Young Hush Nelson. of Giithwalte; and ne was
OF my own blood too, though not so near as Lucy
and | had watched HIM grow up from d pIISut
believing bOy to the handsome, brave Young
squire for whom every one had slhte anu g CO't
woid-iust the man. thought. to make my daIilng
happy. But, as | told you, they couId 90 nothing
independent till Lucy was OF age SO t1eIo Mass
nothing for IL but TO wait, and they dld wait
patirutv whilst We three kept the secret, and now
the poor gir put up with all that OLD woman ;
yagaries All the time Will Always De "OH"o1 ~
me
However. time slipped away and the twenty-htst
birthday came, and tiIen, by my advice Hueh ap,
pearcd at Morbec6 Hall. 70 greet ms cousin ana
MAKE formal OIcr OF HIS manu- anu HcaA q anu 4
need not tell you that she took hlin tHeh anu
iou should have seen Aunt Postlethwa{tSs laee :
thought she was going 70 nave a ~ o''u oio
thought better of IL and after torrent OF abuse
directed al Hugh. some flowers OF speech speclaIly
devoted tO me- aud general peror9tIon I1"hIg
10 ingIai.iude, conspTacy tand tIe L. SUI ~
announced her intention Of Washing n"t hal'h VI
The whole AFFAIR, and gong BACK 10 LOAuOil - ooii
as her boxes were pafked-and precious gIau W.
al were | can ter YOU, when they were brought
Gown into the great hall ready c0rdcd idhcy
she managed TO feather her nest pretty well during
those Two years
60 madam having taken herself OF IN cudgeon,
There nothing left to hinder, anu aifahEIne
!or the weldiur were set on foot at once. III was
% be very quiet affair at my own niue chuISh az
gllhwaite and Of course was 70 marry sn ne a.
e0as would have bees TOO far lof Lucy 70 ~
the morning and. besides that. she coulq not Wen
be married from her own great lonely nous We
settled that should fetch her over on the previous
evening to seep at the rectOry, and that the we'd
ding should take place from thence. ana 10"
comes the sad and strange part Of the STORY c.u
II was early IN February-lust week aIteT nm IN
e.emas, os remember only 100 vel" yen ! az
n'ed, late n the gray afternoon, az McrDeth, ~
was 20 dine with my wand before We 7t"l U'u 4oi
OLinwate rectOrg. The winter hau Dreh az w
Usually severe ono even fer these parts but ~ inc
'iast days Of January the frost had broken up ana
= seemed as If our old nOrtA-counify edyl1s as -
wet Condemns were 10 be Literally carrier ouO'
IoT ever since the ID when it had been one con
s.ant GowupOur, there had been succe soii OI n'e
1s5y days, with az overcast SKY anu 81 ~
9A.@fie' As the carriage thhJ .ba4 Dss't; S ~
1steA me drove up tie avenue ln tle IhiIDS 4ltHk
y the afternoon there something Ia the ar lt
st4ed 10 weigh ones heart down a coo, " I'm
kEell rose 10 from the soakedllearth where last
3sar' leaves lay rotting under the bare branches
slas dripp,d slowly as the thick 'iis5 9iung ana
1spt fodnd them. But the feeling OF QeRi csS'on
BASED away as We drew n at the open hall door,
n ~. which tie ruddy glow Of great ire s[feared
ys INTO the dim ar and Lucy, locking IoYsle re-,
ia hen ever. with a plaid thrown over lei sO' 80.
e ell came running down tie steps 10 Qpeu tne
ssisse door herself. and she hung her arms
All S5Io ny neck, her kiss seemed to charm a"a4
In t.afa fler al