The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-06-19

80 Aunt Edith. She was, she told me af-
terwards, restless and nervous, two most
unusual things with her. All efforts to
sleep were unavailing, and she gave up the
attempt at last, and rising from tie bed set
down by the fire to read, Twice she fam
cied she heard footsteps In the corridor,
and opened the door to listen. Your aunt
was not afraid of the White Lady. our fam
~ ghost, or anybody else, girls. Twice
she threw herself on u couch with the in
tention of resting, since slumber was out of
the question; but between the storm and
the mysterious sounds through the house,
rest was impossible. At length, about Q
o'clock, she fancicd she heard some one
moving about the room very cautiously;
and, nothing doubling but that was Us
wakeful and restless as herself, she resolved
TO- come in and speak to mo. A sudden
gust OF wind in the corridor extingushcd
her candle, and she entered III, pom in the
dark, save for the faint rays OF he moon
light which shone through the carelcssly
drawn curtains.
''As your aunt gently approached my bed,
she saw form advancing OH the other side
with uplifted hand, in which something
white cleaned in the moonlight. Quick as
thought, without a moments hesitation.
her arm was thrown across my neck. The
KNIFE OF an assassin descended with a terri
bic force; and glancing off the bone, in
h'ctlng long and Jagged gash in her arm.
The assassin, who had not seen or heard her
approach, instantly fled, leaving his weapon
Detlnd ; aud was aroused from my slum-
Ders by Edith's shrieks, to find myself
bathcd in her blood. Binding my silk
handkerchief around her arm tightly, to
check the bleeding, I sent scrvant-for
the whole house was aroused by your aunt's
shrieks and the violent ringing of my bell
tor the nearest surgeon, and then proceeded
to search for some traces of the murdcrous
intruder. Mechanically 1 went first to
Jeit's room, probably because was aston
ished at not having seen his face among the
wondering group gathered round my door,
1t seemed amazing that he should slcep 40
soundly through such commntion. The
door of the east room (Jcn's) was open,
and so was the window, but the room was
empty.
Where was jeff? Why had he gone so
suddenly and mysteriously Why the
open window9 I was all the more pain
fully perplexed, as the most careful ex ami
nasioF If failed to discese any other Of
have escaped. Every door was securely
barred, every window except that of the
cast room was safely fastened. In the
flower bed underneath there were tracks of
mems feet leading from the window, none
whatever leading to it.
These things made me terribly unhappy,
and some suspicion of my thoughts must
have crept into my countcnance, for Edith
devined them at once. However, she re-
mained silent about the appearance of the
man who attempted my life, and refrained
from questioning her. At best there could
be but a conjecture-the room was dark,
the man disguised and your aunt frigh'cl-
cd. The knife which lay upon my bed ap-
pealed with terrible force to us both. 1t
was my pruning knife, and that very af-
tcrnoon Edith HAD seen me lend it to jeff
Lawson. Whether the knife had been
poisoned, or whether your aunt's wound
had been badly dressed in the first instance,
| do not know, but Inflammation set in and
for weeks she was dangerously ill. For
days her life was dispairod Of, and it was
oaUn1 ot lnS 0t hn r,f
brave right hand that had saved me SO well
from terrible and sudden death.
"rhe matter made sensation, which
was something more than nine days won
der in our village; but as 1 kept my sus-
piclons to myself. no one else vcnturcd to
express any, and Jelfrey's name was never
mixed up in the matter. Indeed it got
circulated that he left Garrick the evening
of the attempted mlrder and no one con-
trad.ctcl it. The object of tho attack,
which was evidently robbery as we'll as
murder, for every drawer and desk in my
room was thoroughly ransacked, caused
much woader and discussion. 1t was pretty
generally know that my allowance as a
minor was scarcely adequate to my few
simple wants."
'""'What became of JEFF Lawson, father p
Jess asked, with a stolen glance at aunt's
face.
''From the night he said goodbye to us
in this very room, thirty-one years ago, l
have never heard of him nor from him. He
disappeared in the most extraordinary man.
ncr. Doubtless he Is dead; and rs far as
he is concerned, I have no hope of the mys-
terry of that awfnl night ever being cleared
up"
And his mother, papa?" Fred ques-
toned.
"Ah, his poor mother, she broke her
heart over his disappearance, my boy.
Mothers will do such things over the most
worthless sons. Well, Upton, what's the
matter?"