New-York tribune., 1881-11-27
THE MILLER'S NlECE'

which once upon p haItla hut was fought in meadow
nInso b{v its now crumbling walls. 4 mile or Two
Of following the winding rKeI aL p of pns ~ the
where the hounds meet, is the wreck Vi ono VI -
chjef cities of our Roman conquerors. So' Wua' I
,,ith homes and skulls poughed up from the oatte
6eid and coins and fragments OF eartheh"sie Nes,
nci dr % nm from the grave OF the dead and burled
ety the museum at Battleborough twhicn Is seuoA n
In n hack street and fills some cherries rooms ",
nroached by "a naked wooden stalrcasej Is NOT DAn
place wherein to pass an ldie hOur ;, y,
Mr. Josiah Smith, +. r. 5. A., was musln8 on
these matters one bright January afternoon as ne ne
sat az the open window OF an OLD DatIieooi""s"
hotel which looks down the High-st r,
The High-st. looked so sleepy ana SO Pea'olorr, r
that if JOSIAH had not caught siShI Over % tbe nor
tentous Market Hall, he would hato %ayc a
whether anyone spoke here IN voice soorr on
whisper Into this stiffness snudeIIy s't .Ie a.; III
syLo .eened of quite another race from that "iCh
neoples BattlebOrough He came up tne hiii iio, ,n
the railway station, and OF course mign' w tnon baS
have come from any WHITTIER suppos'IG no ud u%
reached Batteborough 10y rail. But MS SolloJ
boots and his mud-bespattered trousers showeu
that he had esen ronS wSlhg g;nndv lanes The 1.-THE,
straight figure with the swinging Walk soehleu NeIy
familiar TO Josiah aud as the newcomer partly
turned his head to look mp at the wlhdow WutIo
the Gagged bird was singing he saw with SURPRISE
that it was Frank Fisher. ,,,a
Frank was IN old schooliollow whom JOSIAH nad
met i'm later years IN London, where he was doIIg
something Irore than studying for an artist he
was really selling his pictures, ana seemleu ou
fair way TO competence if not TO fame ms nus @ was
long time ago nearly ten years, anu IN the ihe~u-
time Josiah had lost sight of him. They were boI5
bnsy. and had other things to think OF than olu
schoolfellows and lisappearances WHICH, Il su''u0"'
were not attIactIvely mysterious. l.
Josiah asked about him once or twlce W'eh n6
found An opportunity, and received replies Wt'iO %
bad bso,.- } in the country. SoHc said Frank
was marl . others that he had loved ana lost
whist some of opinion that no han io'ru smo n
had failed ta win. Information was vague Dut tue
Impression n precise. , :. ~
Frank h , chosen to 80 his own way snH IL W. was
nj this B.. leading him down the Hlgh-st at
rapid =, lgi.. "ace which caused the medltatye
iradesr o. IT open doors slowly 10 turn their
heads aside aud cape at the phenomenon
Josiah added TO their perpeXty aud impaired
something like an atmosphere of excitement to the
street by presently rushing after Frank, catching
him mp Just before he fell under the black snaaow
of the stupcndous Market Hall. lie was not quite
so glad TO see Josiah as that p,acid Personago io
Thought he should have been. But ms ieenhg
passed of in moment ne haG eEiqen ssnSS or
fOrbidding Old instincts prevailed, aud Battle.
borough received another shock by the spectacle oi
two men violently shaking hands with esch other,
working away for their liVes rs II tber arms "eto
pump and the house on fire. s
Battleborough had had enough OF excitement tor
one day so Josiah suggested that " FRANK Worc
remaining in the town he had better come ana stay
nj his hotel. where they coulG he rs orsk as 'hey
pleased without bringing about iatal disturohce III
Yes, Frank would stay in Battleborough. Such
indeed had been his intention. lie had arrived IN
the town at some dead hour of the night Dy inc
mail train going north lie had left his luggage at
the station ana then gone for walk; 49,,
After dinner, Frank. whose friendship had beeh
rather spasnodic than soothing began 10 settle
down into something moro Hike his own manner
He once more produced out ot his trousers pocket
the huge wooden piece OF arcmtectnre wh'cnt Nc ne
called a pIpe--a thing with bowl large enough 10
serve a store fol a weeks reserve OF tooscco ioi
After sIi. il did not come to much what he told
Josiah of his life during the past ten years. lie
had been abroad. he said, studying. de had spent
a good deal of time in Germany, and had learnt 70
drink thin beer and talk thick language lie had
seen all the picture galleries between Dresden ana
Madrid. Antwerp and Florence lie had sketcned
in thom ALL selling his pictures on the spot ms lSSt o Ior
were the earnings thereof, and Frank-who II he
had only decently married, and embarked upon the
Queen Anne house at Hampstead or ~. Johhs
Wood would have speedily paid on the mort gage
probably had not at the present moment nity
pounds in hand. He had in his wandorlngs plcked
np a good deal Of health, little flesh and mnch
muscle. His twenty five mile walk after his nIght
journey in the train had apparently taken no more
out of him than we suffer after adopting Ine great
.JOhnsOnsn suggestion Of taking Walk oo"n
Fleet St He scarcely as yet III the prime ot
life being nearly Josiah knew. thlrty-hYe
Frank had evidently had trouble. 1t may have
happened years ago 1t may have been the cad!o
of his going abroad; or 1t may have come TO MIN 10
foreign lands But whatever it was or wherever 1t
had chanced the memory OF it hSd evidently come
back recently with acute pain.
He was as restless as If lie had the toothache or
suppressed gOut. . -.
Among other of lis peculiarities. Frank did not
appear to have any notion of going to bed. Mid
night had sounded from the old chnroh tower close
by deeper stiffness had fallen the solitude of
JattlebOrOugh The lights were put ont In me pas
sage, and Frank aud Josiah were probably the only
people awake in Battleborough; :. ., H..
= [ know this place verg WELL rank SAID atter
long pause during which he had sat steadily star
ing at tho lirc and q adnally disappearing amid
earned was for a sketch made of bntcheTs shop
with tho proprietor standing at the door.
Did you paint anything else in BattleboroughT 7
Josiah asked.
Yes. / made a very good sketch of a Magistrates
Court in a little room OFF the Market Place. There
was not much to be got out of the room. -Four bare
little space rallied of In which men stood. charged
with all sorts of crimes, from killing rabbit to
slaying man. But made very good portraits OF
The three sober, not TO say stupid, men III the three
chairs and Of the clerk TAXI ing down the evidence
] suppose you did the prisoner
Yes think did him pretty well too, though that
was naturally the hardest Job
Have you got the sketch"
No could not bring il away.
How was thatV'
Well YOU see did it with black-lead pencil
Oh the wall of the cell 10 which was removed.
after the three wise men in the three Windser
trial on "A charge of wilful murder
Frank said this so quietly, without the slightest
variation from the low, almost sleepy tone IN which
b. had been speaking. that Josiah thought IL was a
JOke.
thrust the pipe-steni into its appointed recep-
iacle 1T is no Joke Ten years ago was tried for
~ilful murder in this charming old town, and |
suppose very narrowly escaped being hanged. So
now goodnight will tell you all about 1t III the
nlorning il you care to know But when a man has
walked twenty-five miles. and only had eight pipes,
h. Iegins to feel IN need OF rest
.Iusiah began to suspect that much smoking had
made Frank mad.
H.
josiah came down to breakfast the next morning
little late. and with general sensation OF having
faken in by the pores too much tobacco smoke. lie
rang the coffee room bell, and asked IL tho
gentleman had breakfasted.
oh. no. sir said the landlady. evidently glad to
get nd OF Frank on any terms. He would not
have any breakfast but paid his bill and told rue
70 tell you he had gone for q walk and that you
were not to wait breakfast for him. as be might be
lot