Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-02-09

He would be arrested In birmingham,
and in due time he would be hanged
or sentenced. 10 i pens serrvitude for
the better psrAa4 his -Aife. How
would this story m aissed? and if
it we're. believed. .har ~buld it justify
him? The pusiis saodscry against him
would be all the sfester, as he was q
clergyman! and now that be had
thrown the girls things ont of the
carriage in the first moment of his
panic, the evidence Of criminal inten-
tion would seem complete :-s'Why
cid 1 throw the things oat2'' faltered
Mr.. Gloam speaking to himself; and
then he groaned again: ''My God,
what shall do?'' jsfa ssa s..t 'a-
1t was between bennington and
Birmingham that the girl had fallen
out of the train. As the express
neared Birmingham the tension on
Jude Gloam's nerves was such as few
men ever experienced. Within five
minutes he endured an amount Of ter
ror and anguish to spread over a life
time; yet he had the craft to see that
all his chances of escaping unsus-
pected might depend upon his be-
havior when the train stepped. He
must alight quite coolly, he must not
run nor appear anxious to get away;
he must control his terror, though
his heart throbbed to bursting.
The train glided into the station;
the porters ran along the platform
opening doors one of them opened
Mr.. Glosm's carriage. "Any lug
gage, si"'" fs. 80
eyes, l have some Iuggsge," said
Mr.. Gloam, and he stepped out, shai-
ing In every limb, but apparently Sc
date and calm, as it behooves cler-
gyman to be. Next moment he was
mixed up with the throng of paople
who were foraging for their trunks
and portmanteaus.
Nobody paid any attention to him.
He heard no one talk about shrieks
having been heard during the journey.
The passengers all attended to their
own business and left him to his. Mr..
Gloam's business was TO collect a
portmanteau, box and hamper !;
having done this he turned to ask a
porter to call cab for him, but as
he was about to speak his words froze
on his tongue, for he saw standing
beside him girl who was the very
image of Miss Aviss.
If the girl had looked at him she
must have noticed his confusion, but
he was glancing toward an elderly
gentleman and lady who were walking
toward her.
"Here's her box, papa, but Pve
not seen her pass" said the girl to
the elderly couple.
1--WE have looked into every car
riage," said the gentleman addressed
as papa, 81 suppose she has missed
the train
"But how comes her box to be
here?'
wasn't there change of carriages
somewhere between this and Lon
DOM" suggested tho elderly lady
Il think there's change at Dicot
Perhaps she got out there and after
ward entered the wrong train"
''How very provoking!" exclaimed
the girl. 81 dare say We shall find
l telegram when we get home," sait
the elderly gentleman; ''but we mus
ask the station master to take care o
/ Mary's box till she comes to claim it. ,
Mr.. Gloam had glanced at the DO,
beside which the girl stood, and b.
saw on it card with the nam
"N1iss Mary Aviss." The miserabl
man shrank as the father, mother an,
sister of the poor girl with whom b
had travelled passed him. Then b
! helped the porter to lit his portman
-, teau and walked with him into a cab
He had a six-mile drive before b
could reach his parish at Rorleigh
which was on the outskirts of Biz
mingham. However, the drive wa
accomplished in safety, and that nigh
, was spent by Mr.. Gloam sleepless, i
his new parsonage.
The body of Miss Aviss was foun
dead on the line on the following day
, and afterwards her travelling bag wa
discovered 20 miles further down th
line. But for this discovery of til
bag the poor girls death would hav
been attributed to accident; as it was
'' when it became demonstrated ths
. somebody must have had a share i
her death, nobody accused the Re,
Jude Sloan. Nor was anybody els
u accused. The porter who had pr
: Mr.. Gloam into the carriage at o.
! ford had not noticed that there was
~ young lady in the compartment, an
I" simply owing to this slight fact {
nom observance the story of Mi.
- Ayiss' death was fated to remain
" mystery. F..
, 1t became known in time, howeye
to one man TO whom Mr.. Gloam con
- municated the facts in writing SON
" five years after they had happene,
: He, the rector of Rorleigh, ended b
letter by saying: 81 have lived in
" purgatory of remorse and sorro
i osnao h,k Il