Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-09-22
speat by them-and there was woman
all iii white beck Oninp under n bip OfIks

speat by them-and there was a woman
all IN white reckoning under a big oak
tree; so he cried out:
II say, missus!"
She made no answer, but kept on that
waving Of her hand, and Jem cried out
again:
bridget"
In another moment he was up beside
the goodman, saying, eco on, George;
l can't hear what she says, but she mods
and beckons to say it's all right, and we
drove on. can't tell you how it hap
pened exactly, my dear boy, but just as
we got to the middle of the bridge, there
was horrible crash and crackle, and we
were all struggling fol- dear life in that
hill-torrcnt. 1 managed to get one of
the doors open, and dragged Lucy,
drenched and insensible, on to the wreck
of the carriage, and between us we got
her to shore. Both the horses we're
killed, partly by drowning in their traces,
partly by kicking each other to death in
their agony I fancy; but George, Jem
and 1 managed to rig up sort of litter,
and make the best OF our way back, with
Lucy on it, to Morbeck Hall. We got
her in, and the womenkind put her to
bed, and the doctor was brought; but it
was too late. Apart from the shock and
the cold, she had some injury to the
spine, 1 believe, and she died just at
midnight, without ever moment of con-
seriousness.
I leave you to imagine what I suffered
that next day, which was to have been
my darling's wedding morning now
they were streaking her for the grave |!
[ could do nothing but sit dazed in the
library, thinking Of what might have
been and what was; but my reveric was
interrupted by old Mrs. Partridge, the
housekeeper, who came in for instr,lc-
tons. After had said all that 1 thought
necessary, I noticed that she fingered rs
if 10th to go, but l thought little of it.,
till she half muttered as she reluctantly
turned the handle of the door
"Ah, poor lamb, knew how it would
be when I heard her speak Of the Broad
Terrace"
This reused me to curiosity. "What
do you mean, Mrs. Partridge?' I said.
" What is there against the Broad Ter
racer"
She turned and looked at me with a
gaze half sceptical, half-apologeticas she
said
EDO You mean to tell me, strand
you half a Gedge, as body may say
that you never heard of the Cold Hand OF
Morbeck? Did you never hear of Mis-
tress Alicia, then, her whose portrait
hangs over the mantle-piece in the oak
drawing-room?
There rose before my minds eyes a
picture at which [ had often gazel with a
strange underlined feeling Of pleasure,
pain, and pity combined. The face was
that Of a proud and lovely woman; but
it bore the expression of one who had
passed through some terrible agony,
which had hardened instead of softened
her nature. I answered that knew it
we'll, but not Of any story especially
connected with it. "And what has that
to do with-what did you call it?-the
Cold Hand of Morbeck said 1, as there
came over me, with rush of uncxplain-
ed apprehension, that strange assertion
OF poor Lucy's, just after we had started
on our lll-omened drive.
g Well, sir, it's longish story, but
III tell it to you as I had it from those
who had the right to know; though the
family didn't much care to have it talked
about-but they're all dead and gone
now, all dead and gone! And you were
nearest to my young lady, for I don't
count that Mrs. Postlethwayte, with her
naughty, prying ways. As if I didn' t
know how the house oughtto be managed
Il who had lived here, girl aud wo-
man, for better than forty years! It was
In the old troubles, sir, before the As,
and then, as yesterday, there was naught
but an heiress to Morbeck, Mistress
Alicia. She was great beauty, they
tell me, and her fathers idol, and half
the young gentleman in the country
were ready to cross swords for her smile.
Amongst all her suitors, the only one
whom she seemed to favor was her cous-
in, Mr.. Arthur Gedge, and Captain
Won Loom, an officer in the queens
guards, who had seen her first at the
county ball, and danced with her half
Intervening; they were both handsome
young fellows, and folks said they had
fought about her next morning, but
nothing serious had come of it, and no.
body could say which she favored, or if
she had a fancy, it was thought to be
for her cousin.
''You know, sir, there were great
many of the gentry here ebouts who
would have liked to see the old Stuarts
get their own again, but the Gedges had
always kept to themselves, and had never
been suspected of plotting or the like.
You know all about the retreat from
Derby, sir? 1t was just after that, when
Mr.. Arthur came suddenly to Morbeck,
just for visit, every one thought, to
court Mistress Alicia, and for whole
week everything seemed to go swimming
ly between them, But one evening there
came news to the hall that there was a
messenger in the village, come down
from the court, with a silver grey hound
on his sleeve; and then Mr.. Arthur took
Mistress Alicia into side room, and he
fell on his knees before her, and prayed
her, for their loves sake, that she would
help him, for he had been mixed up, it
seems, In q plot for Prince Charles, and
it were death if he were taken. So she
agreed with him that he should hide all
night in a secret room in the. west wing
that by the Broad Terrace, sir-and
then she would come and guide him out
by the postern that he might escape.
The night came, and she came, too, with
out light, for she said that would be
dangerous, and guided him through the
passages, until she, opened the little
door; and. as he grasped her hand and
kissed it, it was cold as death. And as
he stepped out on the steps, there was a
CLEAN of steel outside, and Mr.. Arthur
was IN the clutches Of q troop of the
guard with Captain Won Loom at thei1
head. He was executed, sir, like many
another brave lad at that time; and be-
fore year was over Mistress Alicia was
married to Captain Van Loom, who got
his colonelcy for his services.
"They say it was a wretchcd life the,
led; he turned out drunken, gambling
brute, and broke her heart; but none
ever knew whether it was true what foll
whispered in the country side, that sht
sold her cousin to her lover. Anyway
she died q miserable, childless woman
rest her soul! But, sir, they say tina
I