Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-09-22

will save us half mile"
Then she went to put on her hat and
cloak; it was nothing to me which door
we went from, and in fact [ felt rather
glad at the prospect of shortening our
Journey, even by half q mile; SO in due
time Lucy came back and we started out
for the carriage. [ must tell you that
in order to get out of the way Of the
Broad Terrace we hal to traverse little
used part of the old house, and came
out at last through a long passage by q
small postern door, with a flight of sew
eral steps outside. The unused rooms
and the passage smelt damp and musty.
and I was glad to feel even the clinging
outside air when the little door creaked
open at last to let us out. AS I went
down the steps, they were so slippery
with the wet mist that it was all could
do to keep on my legs, but Lucy tripped
down after me like nymph and we
reached the carriage safely. We had not
gone far before she stretched out her
hand caressingly to me, and said, Gun
Gle John, are you sure you are wrapped
up warm enough /? Your hand felt SO
cold Just now as you helped me down the
steps.
CT help you, my dearw said I, "I
never helped you; had quite enough
ado to keep my own legs!'
"Oh yes, uncle, don't you remember
AS [ came through the postern, you
stretched out your hand and let me down
the steps and it made me shiver all
through-your hand was like ice! Are
you quite sure you wrapped up enough p
[ would have taken my oath in any
court of law that had nothing to do
with the girls safe exit, and she would
have sworn Oh the other side; so I held
my tongue and allowed her fancy. You
know what old Sir Samuel luke says:
| s'If she will she will you may depend ont
And if she won't, she won't, and there's end
| on't?"
So we rolled on, chatting of this and
that until we reached what was the only
really serious obstacle to our drive.
There is dip in the road, at the bot
| tom of which runs a brook, with broad,
level meadows on the other side. In
summer time, or even in ordinary
weather, it is just a bit OF beck that a
child might Jump over; but when the
floods are out will be roaring torrent in
half an hours time with the moss water
coming down from the moors. / felt
| just little uneasy about it, but nothing
to speak of; we had to cross by a wooden
bridge that had done duty for good
many years in storm and sunshine, only
it did not come into my head what q
bother it would be if the bridge should
have been carried away, and we should
have to go back to Morbeck after all.
Just as we came to the beck the horses
SHE'D and stopped, in spite of all the
coachman could do to soothe or urge
them. So at last says he to the lad who
was beside him:
"Jump down, Jem, and see if the
bridge is all right"
| Down got Jem, and hunted about for
q while in the darkness; but all of sud-
den the mist lifted on the other side of
the beck-which was roaring down in
speat by them-and there was woman
| all in white reckoning under big oak
tree; SO he cried out:
g [ say, missus!"
She made no answer, but kept on that
waving of her hand, and Jem cried out
again:
81 say, missus, can we cross that
bridge?"
In another moment he was up beside
the coachman, saying, eco on, George;
| / 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 a horrible crash and crackle, and we
were all struggling for dear life in that
! hill-torrent. [ managed to get one of
the doors open, and dragged Lucy,
| drenched and msensible, on to the wreck
of the carriage, and between us we got
| her to shore. Both the horses were
killed, partly by drowning in their traces,
| partly by kicking each other to death in
their agony fancy; but George, Jem
and [ 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, I believe, and she died just at
| midnight, without ever moment of con-
seriousness.
[ leave you to imagine what I suffered
that next day, which was to have been
my darling's wedding morning-and 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 reverie was
interrupted by old Mrs. Partridge, the
housekeeper, who came in for instruc-
tons. After [ had said all that I thought
necessary, I noticed that she fingered as
if 10th to go, but I 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 l heard her speak of the Broad
Terrace"
This reused me to curiosity. "What
do you mean, Mrs. Partridge ?" [ said.
"What is there against the Broad Ter
race?"
She turned and looked at me with
gaze half sceptical, half-apologetica as she
said.
edo you mean to tell me, strand
you half Gedge, as body may say
that Won never heard of the Gold Hand of