The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-12-07

ing the rattle of wheels coming towards
her. 1t was not Mr.. Forbes, but Ellen,
returning from the London and North
Western terminus.
"Well ?" Margaret asked.
The cousin shook her head.
AT this moment, the porter appeared
with the lock-smith, who evidently had
been found a-bed. He was scarcely
awake.
"I'm afraid, lock.smith," said the
porter, ''that you will find this a trouble
some job, for Mr.. Forbes had a Chubb's
double.tumbler lock and u bolt put on
not month since"
To the great astonishment of the por-
ter, the door was opened with perfect
ease. The box of the lock gave way at
the lock. smiths second blow, and the
door flew open.
The chambers consisted of five rooms
An ante chamber, q sitting-room,
bedroom, library, both opening by
different doors from the sitting room,
and kitchen, opening from the small
and very dark hall.
Margaret sees that the hall and the
sitting-room are in their usual order,
and that the door leading to the bed
room is halfopen. Hastily she ran
over the threshold of this door, all
foolish thought of the proprieties aband-
oning her.
The next moment, Ellen heard ter
rible cry.
She ran forward. The first thing she
saw was Margaret lying insensible in
the centre of the room.
Near the bed, half upon the floor, half
against the bedstead itself, lay a man,
bathed in blood.
Before the body, and upon the leaf of
note book, such as you may see carried
by stockholders and City men for
making entries, was to be read these
words, actually written in blood =
"MARGARET-AvENG WAS"
Death had frozen the hand of the vic
tim as it began to trace the name of his
murderer.
1t was left to justice to write in the
name of the assassin.
The police appeared upon the scene of
this tragedy, at once certain preliminary
Investigations were made. Amongst
other proceedings the unhappy lady
whose husband the hapless man was so
soon to have been, pvt the terrible inves-
| tigation into the hands of lawyer
recommended to her by the police-in-
| spector, and immediate means were
taken to bring the perpetrator to justice.
The criminal lawyer and the police
were not long in piecing together the
following particulars of the murdered
mans life:-
Graham Forbes was born at Newark,
two years of age. He had lived in Lon
don since his twentieth year. Between
that time and his death, owing to
ability, intelligence, and exceedingly
hard work, he had not only made a
good income, but had amassed very
considerable sum of money.
He was upon the Stock Exchange.
Arriving in London as clerk upon
trial in the office of broker, it took
him very little time to obtain an insight
into the mysteries of broking, and before
he came of age he had completed several
transactions on his own account. By
the time he was thirty, he had mastered
his future, and was quite easy upon that
score; but this end had been achieved
as the result of unceasing industry and
| Hx1itx tn htroiY 10
capability not to be met with at every
street-turning in the City of London.
Graham Forbes had even found enough
tact and strength to remain man of
the world, and, to some extent, a man
about town, even while working as hard
as any man in the City at building up a
fortune.
His strength and health was enor-
nous. He appeared to be a man incapa-
BILE of fatigue-a long headed man, who
knew the world in which he lived.
Now 1t so happened at the time of his
death that he was about to marry a very
lovely woman, whose only dowry was
little more than composed of her beauty,
added to character beyond reproach.
Margaret and her cousin had been
away for time In the country; he was
to meet her upon the return of herself
and cousin and we know the result.
1t appeared that the one old servant
kept by Graham Forbes had left about
two days previously to Margaret's start;