Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-09-22

spcat by them-and there was woman
all in white reckoning under big oak
tree; so he cried out:
II say, missls!"
She made no answer, but kept on that
waving of her hand, and Jem cried out
again:
bridge?'
In another moment he was up beside
the coachman, saying, SEQ on, George;
l can't hear what she says, but she mods
aud bcckons 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 q 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 were
killed, partly by drowning in their traces,
partly by kicking each other to death in
their agony l fancy; but George, Jem
and l managed to rig up q 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, | 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 we're strcaking her for the grave
[ could 90 nothing but sit lazed in the
library, thinking Of what might have
been and what was; but my rcveric was
interrupted by old Mrs. Partridge, the
housckeeper, who came III for instrnc-
tions. After [ had said all that [ thought
necessary, [ noticed that she fingered as
if 10th to go, but [ thought little of it,
till she half muttercd rs she reluctantly
turned the handle of the door
"Ah, poor lamb, [ knew how it would
be when heard her speak of the Broad
Tcrracc."
This reused HE to curiosity. "What
do You mean, Mrs. Partridge o. L said
What is there against the Broad Ter
racc?'
She turned and looked at me with {,
gaze half sccrtical, lalf-;,pologcticas she
said.
"Do you mean to tell me, STRAND
you halt Il GcdGe, Il, a body may say
that YOU vcrllearu Of the Cold Hand OF
M"rbrik? Did you never hear of Mis-
trIss Alicia. then, her whose portrait
hangs over the mantlc-piece in the oak
drawing
There rose before my minds eyes a
picture at which had often gaze,l with Il
strange underlined feeling of pleasure,
pain, and pity combined. The face was
that Of a proud and lovely woman; hut
it bore the expression of one who had
passed through some terrible agony,
which had hardened instead of sotteneu
her nature. ] answered that l knew it
well, but not Of any story especially
ronn"cie,l with it. "And what has that
to do with-wI,at did you call it?-the
Gold Hand of Morbcck said /, as there
came over me, with 4 rush of 1lncxplain~
ed apprehension. that strange assertion
OF poor Lucy's, Just after we had started
Oh our lIl-omeucu drive
" Well, sir, its a longish story, but
LII tell it to you as 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 [ don't
count that Mrs. Postlethwayte, with her
naughty, prying ways. As if [ didn't
know how the house ought to be managed
i who had lived here, girl and wo-
man. for better than forty years! 1t was
III the old troubles, sir, before the As,
and then, as yesterday, there was naught
but an heiress to Morbeck, Mistress
Alicia. She was a 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 s11itors, the only one
whom she seemed to favor was her cous-
in, Mr.. Arthur Gedge, and q Captain
Won Loom, an officer in the queens
guards, who had seen her first at the
county ball, and danced with her half
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 fancy, it was thought to be
for her cousin.
"You know, sir, there were great
many of the gentry here obouts 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? It was just after that, when
Mr.. Arthur came suddenly to Morbeck,
just for a visit, every one thought, to
court Mistress Alicia, and for a 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, aud 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 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, strand
then she would come and guide him out
by the postern that he might escape.
The night came, and she came, too, with
out q 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 ont on the steps, there was a
CLEAN of steel outside, aud Mr.. Arthur
was in the clutches Of troop of the
guard with Captain Won Loom at their
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 they
led; he turned out a drunken, gambling
brute, and broke her heart; but none
ever knew whether it was true what folk
whispered in the countryside, that she
sold her cousin to her lover. Anyway,
she died a miserable, childlcss woman
rest her soul! But, sir, they say that
ever siucc that day any Gcdge who
passes the postern by night will feel an
icc-cold hand leading them down tho
stems as if to destruction, and that there
is always harm comes of it, If Miss