The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-12-27

windows. He learned from Che police
that from the first alarm it was impOs-
sible To enter the house. Hence their
fear that the boy and possibly the old
woman had persisted.
In the face of such horrible events it
was clearly impossible for Walford TO
sing. Grattin had taken hanson the
whole way down for the sake of speed.
The best thing for Walford to do was
TO take a hanson hack and let Grattin
go through the part So said everyone.
And one of the good-natured members
of the company, who had nothing to do
that night, volunteered TO accompany
HIM. So the poor father, assisted by
those around him, took of the gay
trappings of the stage and resumed the
sober garb of every day life and went
off mutely with his friend to the scene
of desOlation.
When he got there the house was all
ablaze, and he was assured that nothing
could be done until morning.
Had anything been heard or seen of
his boy? No; nothing. Had anything
been seen of Martha? Yes: she had
come back, and her story was a strange
one. 1t ran as follows:
Very shortly after her master had
left the house, and just as She had put
the boy to bed, a knock came to the
side door. She went down. leaving the
paraiiiue oil lamp burning on the table
close to the bed. She found at the
door ragged little boy, who handed
her note. This she read i'll the
kitchen. 1t was to the effect that if
she came to certain public house the
writer would tell her something which
would he greatly to her advantage and
the advantage of her master. She
did not Mt all like the notion of leaving
the house. In the first place her it,
structions about the boy were clear
In the second place, the fastenings Of
the house We're not satisfactory. The
spring lock on the side door little better
than touched the hasp, and as the
master himself knew, strong push
was sufficient 10 open that door from
the outside, except when il was holted
within
Por long time the woman hesitated.
/ Then, thinking there might really be
some advantage TO herself and her
master behind this note. she resolved
to risk going. Before leaving she went
upstairs, and lest the boy might feel
lonely-she had been accustomed to sit
with him while he went 10 sleep she
told him she would leave the lamp
alight on the condition that he lay
still, and did not get ont of bed while
she was away. The 10y promised and
she went.
At the public house indicated she
found stout slatternly woman, who
appeared TO be the worse for drink.
/ This woman said she was the writer Of
the note, and then, to Martha Grace's
horror, assured the faithful old servant
that she had no intention whatever of
benptiting the master of Albany Lodge,
but her design was that Martha, beng
in position of confidence. as she was
informed, should gradually pillagc that
house that she, the strange woman,
would dispose of the goods, and that
they two should divide the money be-
tween them.
Martha broke away from this wretch
ind gnantly. and hurried back with all
speed to the house. She had been
more than half an hour absent, and
when she got back the place was in
flames, and all possibility of getting at
the room where she had left the boy
was over. No doubt the child had got
ont Of bed, and while playing with the
lamp. it fell and fred the house.
There was nothing for the disconso-
late father to do but to wait there
through the drcary watches OF that
desolate. dim night, looking at the nm
certain flicker of the gradually dying
fire
With morning came the possibility of
search Then the remains of the lamp
were found, but no trace whatever of
the boy. This puzzled people skilled
in fires They owned they could make
nothing of it. They could trace por
tons of the bedding and the floor, but
nothing whatever that spoke of the
presence of a human being. Walford
urged the scarchcrS to renew their
quest, but in vain. Absolutely nothing
belonging to the boy was found, except,
strangely enough, some buttons which
were known TO belong TO his clothes
and shilling. Both the father and the
nurse agreed that there could not pos
sibly have been another silver coin in
that room than the one given by the
father to his son the evening before.
| The coin, too. was found in place
close beside the iron bedstead. which
would roughly correspond with whore
the muse had put his clothes. What
mysteries upon mysteries were these !?
Even now, although it was 9 o'clock
in the morning, Walford refused to
leave the ruins, and has friend, who
had stayed with him Loyalty all the
time, set off in search of some refresh
ment. He came back very shortly, and,
preoccupied rs Walford was, he could
not but see that some new and startling
surprise had overtaken his friend He
asked Ia stily what it was.
81 don't think | ought TO tell you,
/ Walford. but if | don't some one else
will III few minutes. There was a
bad break down ut the Cremona last
night.
Il know there was, and / was the
cause of it, said Walford, sadly. But
who can blame me? Look ut this.
Where is my boy"
az don't mean you, Walford, but
! Grattiu. He fell on the stage in faint