Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-01-17

never WJhc ups Ouiy 6AOahCN VhSC
and all was over, This awaken
ed his wife. She started up in
the bed clasping her child 10 her
heart, and begged pi,ifully for
the child's sake and her own. l
hesitated, she looked at me so.
But Dan, never flinching, drew
his knife across her white throat,
She Immediately fell back upon
her pillow, In a few seconds all
was over. The little girl reached
out her arms to me as ii afraid OF
Dan | took her up, but he want
ed TO finish her, too. | said no.
"She shall live, even if she hangs
me for it . 1t is strange, but /
love the girl as ii l was her father.
| don't know why, but l know
it's so.''
At this moment | heard the bar
push from the wooden shutter.
Moving cautiously to the OPEN
ing, | found Rose there, standing
on ladder. She babe me de-
scend as noiselessly as l could,
closing the window after me, l
removed the ladder and followed
my guide up the road short dis
lance, where / found that she had
brought two horses. She babe
me hasten.
Il am going with YOU" said
she.
We were soon both in the sad
die putting a wide distance be-
tween us and the log cabin. There
was not much danger OF the ras-
Gals pursuing us, as we had taken
the horses. We kept up a good
gait and arrived safe at Farleigh.
The first thing / did after getting
there was to send officers on the
Williams track. But on reaching
the place they found that they
had made good their escape.
/ pitied the poor girl, she had
no relatives to go to, and desired
me to assist her to Montreal,
where she would apply to the SIS
tiers of Charity for an asylum, un-
til she could think about what
she could do. She explained to
me how she came to know OF the
Williams design upon my life.
Three months before, she had
been brought home TO nurse the
old woman that had been her fos-
ter fathers housekeeper. She was
a half-breed, and had always been
kind to her. She was very sick
when Rose came, and soon she
knew her time was short. Her
burdened conscience grew intoler-
able, and she confided to Rose
how her parents had been MUIR
dered, by the man whom she con-
sidered her father, and his COM
panions, Williams of the deepest
dye. Their business was to en-
trap all travellers who were sup
posed to possess money-murder
them and take all they could get.
"When / saw him come home
in company with YOU" the girl
said, 81 knew your fate was seal
ed. One mans chances against
three was small. had been try
ing to escape and adopted this
plan to save you as well as my
self, A box taken from my par
ents contained papers and precious
stones. The old woman said after
the murderers had taken all
the money and jew elry they could
find, they gave this box to her.
Six months ago she was moving
it about and accidentally let it fall,
breaking a spring and disclosing
secret drawer in the bottom, which
the murderers had not found out,
containing many precious stones.
Here they are. l entrust them to
your keeping"
We carried the gems to a lapida-
ry on our arrival at Montreal, who
was delighted with the beauty
and splendor of the stones. He
astonished us by saying that the
diamonds were worth twenty-five
thousand dollars. This had very
saddening effect upon me, as it
precluded the hope had formed
concerning my fair preserver.
On looking over the paper she
found her name was Rosamond
Levalls. Her parents came from
France, expecting to meet kins-
man of the same name. looked
for him and found that he had
been dead for some years, SO my
fair Rosamcnd was obliged to
take refuge with the kind Sisters
of Charity.
She blushed, and requested me
10 come and see her again; but
business compelled me to leave
Montreal and L did not see her for
six months. AT the end of that
time / went to the Sisters home
and called for her, She came to
me with both hands extended,
and gave me warm welcome l
could not fail to observe that she
was glad to see me again, not
..at Il l. L. Il l. -.