The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-07-12
THE STAIN OF MURDER.

Pheasant circumstances occurred to the
writer. l need not go further into nv
family history than to state that was
the only child of = clergyman Of remote
parish in Wales. Ny mother had died
when was an infant. Her maiden name
or her family connections never knew
perhaps never inquired about. That she
had been very beautiful woman dis
covered from small miniature which nv
father always kept in his writing desk.
and which / often saw him gaze at for
hours together. This portrait was one of
the earlier works of Sir Joshua REYNOLDS.
executed in water colors and very highly
finished. 7 he premature death of nv
mother had been q crushing blow to my
father, and had at one stroke deprived
him of 10 wing wife and considerable
income, in which she had life interest
only: The marriage, as l gathered after
ward, had been much opposed by her
relatives, W ho thought that the alliance
OF lady 90 young, accomplished and
wealthy with poor country curate was
worse than folly. Thus / grew up alone
With the exception of the guidance of
Jacob Smithers and his wife, the former
Of whom used to do the outdoor work,
and the latter to attend to the domestic
requirements of the little household. 1
never remembered to have seen a human
creature inside our doors. There was
an air OF mystery about the couple which
repelled and terrified me-
Jacob never went to the public house,
and his wife still wore the gowns and
linen which had been given her from the
wardrobe of her late mistress. They
were saving pair heard it whispered,
moreover, that Jacobs wife was rich.
Never mind where the money came from
she was rich she did not need to labor
Tor her daily bread-nOt she But the
two were clOse-very close-misers al
most-so the village gossips said. These
hints and insinuatiOns / neither under
stood nor cared about at the time: /
avoided Jacob and his wife from sheer
instinct, and came to love to be alone.
rambling over the hills, or fishing for
hours together in the little lake near the
parsonage. My father, who seldom left
the house, was buried in his books, rusting
IN his little sphere, cramped by poverty,
with no sympathy for the great world
without, and not having single friend or
relative to cheer him in his solitude.
When | was little over II | Quilted
England for Australia, having bidden
farewell to my father, never to see him
again. In the course of ten years, dur
ing which time my adopted country had
been making rapid strides toward pros
perity, | became the owner of large
tracts of pasturage, when the first dis
cOvery of gold gave an extraordinary i'm
petus to my fortunes. My land lay in
the very centre of the gold-6elds; plains
and hill-sides, which had afforded but
scanty susteDance to a few sheep, were
transformed into busy encampments.-
Villages and even towns sprung up as il
by magic, and l found myself one of
tI.>, ~ss~lGhiaA4 mon in AnsA-~lin- but, h
| had attained riches, the charm of my
simple rural life was gone, and de-
termined to revisit England My father
had now been dead about eight years,
and only once during that long period
had | received any communication from
home. Shortly after his death a local
newspaper was sent to me, and my atten-
tion was arrested by a pen-mark at one
side OF the following paragraph:
"Great excitement has been caused in
this neighborhood by the sudden and very
suspicious death of the wife of Jacob
Smithers, who till lately has lived with
her husband in the service of the late
vicar Of the parish. After three ad
jOurned meetings the coroner's jury has
found an open verdict. The husband is
missing, and it is reported that he has
left the country; at all events, every
effort on the part of the police to dis
cover him has entirely failed. 1t is well
known that the unfortunate woman-whO,
it is stated on good authority, was the
natural child Of person Of high rank
at the time of her death had large sum,
probably in bank notes, in her possession.
Although a strict search has been insti-
tuted, no money has been found"
At the time, the dark hints coptaiRel
in, the above produced deep and painful
impression on my mind, but. gradually
it faded from my recollection yet, as
stood on the deck of the homeward bound
vessel, and each day brought me nearer
to the shores of England, the subject re-
curred to me again and again. would
return TO my native village, see once. at
least, my mothers grave in the quiet
churchyard, and make such inquiries Of
the old inhabitants of the place about the
death of Mrs, Smithers and Jacobs dis
appearance as | wished.
Filled with thoughts like these. unused
quietly, looking at the sun as it dipped
It's red orb below the watery horizon,
when fellow passenger, with his young
wife leaning on his arm, accosted me.
@What do you think of doing when
you arrive in the old country? After 80
long an absence yon will find all much
changed !; things move with railway speed
nowadays"
ayes; changed enough. no doubt, - re-
plied /. restraining sigh and / donot
mind admitting that this and other mat
ters makes me less cheerful than per
hans ought to be. have no friends;
shall possibly travel about soon after my
arrival
g II you yisit our part Of the country
Builth, in w Ales "-said the gentleman,
my wife and I will be pleased TO see
you. If yOu could endure for few days
the tedium Of country house.
On the day after my arrival at Aberyst-
with-which ! determined TO make my
headquarters- II walked over to my native
village. which was about nine miles dis
tant. / was tired and melancholy;
would 90 into the little inn and call for
= glass Of cider. Il had in former days
been the centre of gossip: perhaps
w~.oue lAhaW,a anxna mQ<nrnainfmrafn ~