Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-04-05

Her face still kept its white, set aspect
however; and when / offered to go up
stairs to get her pair of gloves, she
refused, with more vehemence than
was usual to her. At last Victor APP
peared at the door and announced that
the carriage was ready.
"All ready, you say?" said my aunt
"Then we will lock the front-door, and
do you take charge of the key, Victor.
You have seen to the windows and to
the other doors, I suppose?"
"They are fastened madame"
"That is well. And now, to the sta
ton"
That drive-that drive! / have felt
ice and marble, in my day; but any
thing SO mortally, penetratingly cold,
as was the hand wherewith my aunt
clasped mine, I have never yet encoun-
tered. / commenced to interrogate
her, in a whisper, but that frozen hand
was at once pressed to my lips, and l
forbore. Some danger threatened us,
even then, it seemed. So we went Oh
in perfect silence.
That drive-how interminable it
seemed-how welcome shone the glim-
mering lights of Waterdale when first
we discerned them in the distance.
Finally, Victor checked the horses in
front of the brightly lighted station,
with its usual group of loungers, and
its waiting porters and railway officials.
My aunt sprang from the carriage,
and / followed The next moment she
had caught Victor by the collar with
two frenzied hands, crying, as she did
so, in shrill, piercing tones;
"Help, help! This man is murder
erp
In an instant all was confusion. The
horses plunged and reared, and Victor
after the surprise of the first moment,
wrenched himself loose from my aunt's
grasp, and would have effected his es-
cape, had not some halfdozen strong
men started forward in answer to my
aunt's appeal. In the twinkling of an
eye he was seized and securely pinion-
ed. Then came the eager question,
from dozen mouths:
"Who is it that he has murdered
Whom has he killed, Mrs. Musgrove p
my poor, old faithful servant, Bridg-
ct O'Donnel. And his accomplices are
even now waiting in my house to MUIR
der my niece and myself, on our re-
turn"
A cry of horror arose from the by
ISLANDERS. My aunt looked around,
with dazed air.
II think-Lizzie-that we are saw
ed" she said, vaguely; and then she
fell insensible upon the ground, in the
first and only swoon that her vigorous
nature had ever known.
We did not return to Ravenswood
that night, as may we'll be imagined
A detachment Of the Waterdale police
was sent by the local authorities to
take charge of the house and its con-
tents, and also to superintend the re-
moval of the corpse of poor old Bridg'
ct. My aunt and I took refuge at the
Waterdale Hotel, where we remained
to await the response to the telegram
that was at once dispatched to hel
oldest son, who was lawyer in exten
sive practice in New York. But i,
was many days before her nerves had
so far recovered their tone as to per
NIT of her giving me detailed account
of all that had taken place on tha
memorable evening. Her story, wher
she did tell it, ran as follows:
"When I left you, Lizzie, to 60 up
stairs and make some changes in my
dress, had no light, as you may re
member. When I reached my dress
ing.room was unable to find the can
die and matches-some one had dis
placed them, but as the moon wa
shining very brightly I contrived t.
wash my hands and change my collar
without ringing for light, as l had a
first intended. Then I started to come
down stairs, feeling rather surprised a
finding that Victor had not lighted tn,
hall lamp; but attributed his negli
gence to the fact that he had had sc
much extra work to attend to. Wher
/ reached the foot Of the stairs be
came aware of voices in the butler's
pantry-the voices of several men
talking sort of half whisper. I wa
startled, and paused to listen, struck
at once with the idea that thieves hat
gained admission to the house. Stand
ing on the mat at the foot of the stat
case l could hear every word that was
said. They were completing their ar
rangements to murder you and l, Liz
zie, and to carry off the silver. / dis
tinctly recognized Victor's voice, ant
his peculiar foreign pronunciation. Hi
: confederates (there were two of them
! so far as could make out) were anx
ious to finish up the job at once a
one of them phrased it; but Victo
opposed it. The house was too nea
7 the road, he declared; there might b,
screaming, and any unusual noise nigh