Sharp County record., 1880-09-23

poor, sweet Debby Scambler, whose only sin
| was in her beauty and tears, of which she was
ashamed but which she could not repress,
| flowed over her fair cheeks on TO the pillow be-
| low. How lonely it all was What a terrify-
ing night How much she wished that father
had not gone away, and that he was there in
his own room, with just the little passage be-
tween his strength and her desire for protec-
! ton!
Hark what is that?
Through the bowling Of the wind and the
| splashing of the rain Debby heard the garden
gate click and swing; then a heavy step came
up the little paved inclosure that led from the
gate to the front door; and then she heard
that front door tried soon to be burst in with
a sounding crash of broken iron and shattered
timber, while the wind tore in like troop of
demons and shook the whole place to its foun-
datons. And then she heard that same slow,
heavy step come nearer, nearer, step by step
till il halted at her own room door. And then
the room door opened and man came in.
He was tall, broadly-built man, dressed in
a kind of loose overcoat which hid all details
of his figure, and with black mask covering
the whole of his face. He was as completely
disguised as if he had been one of the Miseri-
corda of Italy; but he was evidently power
full, and one would have instinctiyely said
brutal man as WELL more than match for
slight young creature like Debby-paralyzed
by terror as she was, unable to scream, or
make even the weakest attempt at defending
| herself
The masked man came up to the side Of the
bed, grim, terrible, silent as the grave. Be-
fore she had fully realized her fearful fate he
had bound a handkerchief round her mouth so
that she could not cry out and had piniOned
her arms behind her back so that she could not
strike. He took her out of the bed dressed as
ba 1IyoSo oDI y-ronDa5 har narafullv nDOuph In
cloak and blanket, in which he secured her
like bundle; then he slung her over his
shoulder; carried her down stairs; and so
through the little garden; and along the close
lane, at the entrance to which stood cart.
He lifted her into the cart almost as if she
had been q farm-beast which he was taking to
market; but he covered her up in sackng so
that she should not get wet and thus drove
out into the open and the wild moor beyond
the village.
The journey took good three hours and at
the end of that time the cart drew up before
| the door Of small cottage that stood in the
bleakest part of the moor-a kind Of shelter
place for shooting parties and the gamekeep-
| ers, when the former came for sport and the
! latter looked after the eggs and the young
| broods and tried conclusions with such poach
ers as might be about Here the man, always
masked and always SILENT carried poor Debby
again slung over his shoulder like huge
bundle or lifeless sack; putting her down in
the middle of the floor, while he set to work to
make fire and to boil some water that stood
there, handy, in kettle. All that he did was
| done in a stolid, mechanical kind of way, with
no unnecessary haste, no stirring of feeling
| ANYHOW but as task that had to be got
through no matter what the cost or what the
result The girl had to be trapped and Sc
cured; not killed outright-Only kept from
the mischievousness of freedom, and if she
died in the process that would not be his fault,
but neither would he hasten nor cause that
death by undue neglect or gratuitous bru-
tality. Therefore he boiled the water in
the kettle, made some hot tea, into which
he put a few spoonfulB Of brandy, then going
up to where poor Debby lay, stunned, dazed,
| helpless, he took the kerchief from her mouth
and made sign that she was to drink what he
provided.
When shuddering, she turned away her head
she said: "No, 1cannotP' he gripped her
arm so savagely that for very fear she obeyed
| him and took the stimulant which was to save
her from cold and ague.
By this time the storm had abated, and the
flying clouds gave glimpses of the moon and
stars overhead. Still the masked man neither
spoke nor removed his disguise, but went
about the little hut arranging this and that
for the better comfort of his prisoner Food
and fuel were put within her reach enough to
last her for some days-anda bedwas arranged
in the corner near the chimney. She was not
then to be left to starve and she was not to be
tortured. No, she was only to be secured
and left. In truth it was very safe security
that was enforced. The windows and shutters
of the little hut were fastened so that no light
came through them save in narrow slits and
chinks. Fixed in the wall was huge staple
and fastened to the staple was an iron chain.
| The man who had poor Debby in captivity
buckled strong leather belt round her waist,
then fastened this to the iron chain leaving
her tether enough to move about the fireplace
SO that she could prepare her food and keepup
the fire, but not allowing her to reach either
to the wall like wild animal and she might
shrek till she died, no living thing, save the
| birds and the moorland beasts would hear her
twas bold game to play, but it was an effect
ual one; and it accomplished with the incest
precision all that it was intended to do.
With the first streaks of dawn the masked
man, giving one last look round to see that all
was as it should be-taking final survey of
the staple-giving final pull at the chain
then left the hut, pulling the door behind him
and locking it from the outside,
IS Trapped cleverly-and effectualy,n he said
aloud to himself with grim smile, as he took
off his mask and turned his cold cruel face to
| the light "Now the family honor is saved
and no crime committed.n
Naturally there was a terrible commoton
when the girls loss was discovered. The under
| game-keeper, Joe Wilson, passing the house
the next morning saw the gate and the
door both open, and went in to find the bird
flown and the nest cold. No one had a doubt
but that she had gone to join Julian in London,
and the most positive of all was Clarence. To
hear him one might have believed that he had
taken her ticket at the railway station and
heard of her arrival at the terminus, he was so
sure of the whole matter. The thing was
as plain as the traditional pikestaff ac-
cording to him; and no other solution
of the mystery was possible. Hugh Arm
strong and his wife took the same line
and agreed with their brother; but when
James Scambler came home he shook his
head, and said he could scarce credit it OF his
| girl. There was something in it all so unlike
| her-she who had never been other than care
full and thoughtful, obedient and sincere
that he was forced to think twice, he sa d, be-
fore he condemned once; but as he had no
| other hypothesis to offer, his mere negation
went for nothing. Moreover the circum-
stances of his own absence told against
Julian and Debby For when he got down to
that oddly spelt place in the heart of the
| Welsh Mountains he found his uncle alive and
hearty, with no intention of bequeathing farm
or fold for twenty years to come; while no
neighbor had written any letter whatever sum-
moning him to those parts, and the name at
the foot of that which had brought him was
unknown hereaway. And If that did not look
like planned thing to get him out of the way
| "a ,1,o1 No al, Ill n