The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-12-28

49,
the man who was walking wlth-wlth her,
#. The could not speak her name yet withou
: q pang, poor lad-''it al points to me- an,
I yet am as innocent a. baby; | woul,
r have died rather than hurt hair of he
head
81 know you would the squire knows |
= too" | said; and Cherry Rugged him. anC
cried over him, but all that wouldn't he'll
him, and there seemed no help.
II ended in Ralph's being committed fo
! trial, and sent away to the county prison.
Luckily the assizes were not far of, only n
fortnight; so the suspense was not so long
as IL might have been, though it seemed
years to us; and the squire engaged clever
man from London to undertake the defence,
though he was so silent about it that felt
sure ne had no more hope than we had that
things would 90 right.
lhey let us into the court, Cherry and me,
and were very kind to u.s. but it was awful
10 see Ralph standing there, charged with
Such fearful crime, and to think when il
was over That there would be only such n
llttle tlme left to us to see him again. ,Jem
lackltt was there too, and / could have
stool up IN the court and denounced him.
was SO sure that his hand, and no other
committed that crime.
Ralph said, mot guilty." What else
could he say, poor dear? And the trial went
| on heapng up TACT upon fact, till could
almost DelleVe that he must have done il in
some moment of madness. But the prosecu-
uoh dldnt have 1t all their own way-there
was turn IN the tide presently, when the
gentleman the squire had engaged had his
e''rh. lie was very quiet-ooking man,
olt win GLIB tongue, and said he had
piece of evidence to offer that he thought
would settle the case at once.
A very dirty, sodden bundle was mt on
the table, and looking at Jem Hackitl's face
saw nm turn CHASTITY white, and make
move as If he would have gone away. There
was a motion from the LAWYER, who hardly
looked up, and policeman came from
somewhere, and put his hand on Jem's
shoulder There was connection for a
minute or so, but wasn't looking at him
any longer was waiting to hear what the
gentleman mad to say, and to see what was
in the bundle.
lt,waS suit of Ralph's clothes-one he
had not missed, and to this day we have
never found ont how Hacktt gotthem-and
tIlere was someone ready to tell how he had
seen Jem Hacktt sink them down an old |
well that was not far from where he lived. |
Someone else had seen him near the place
where the girl lived, and remarked on the
slrangenesS OF his dress, and swore TO the |
coat as the one he had on, and the London
gentleman told how he had had him watch /
ed and found out many little things that in
themselves, would have convicted him. |
heard 1t all at the time, but don't tkink |
understood II; could think of nothing but
halpl' dear Ralph, who would soon be free
to come Lone, free from the awful stain
that had been cIinging to him.
Hackitt, taken by surprise lost his head.
ana SAID some passionate words that fully
proved his guilt and it all ended In Ralph's
oeihg let ont and coming home with us:and
thought we should never get there. and
mat the people would tear him to pieces in
,heir anxiety to shake hands with him and
Is HlcNltt wasn't hanged. He saved the
country the trouble and expense. He spent
hearty whole night in writing out a state
ncnt full of hatred Of Ralph and bitterness
against the poor girl he had killed, and then
he hanged himself to hook in his cell and
hey round h!m stone dead when they came
o nm a-aln. There was great fuss mad
'nout 1t, but don't want to say anything
lDout that. We were glad to forget him and
lilnk no more about him.
We would have moved away from that
art OF the county altogether, Cherry and
le' II we mad been younger, but old folks
re ike Old trees hard to root up and we
Isl stayed on and lived ii down as best we S
,luid' kalpn went away; the squire got !
IN good place in another county, where /
q colId see him sometimes. 1t was many +
day before he could get over what had
appened, out time is a great healer and r
'ere were other women in the world be- il
Il poor Harriet Belt. His wife is a good V
H. WIN apleasant face, but she is no beau 5
, ana Cherry and think it good thing: +
she were beautiful, perhaps there wouldn't h
room Tor so much goodness, and she is -
ed, thoroughly good, and her children are a
'a'uly'happy little creatures, that brighten
lr oId place when she will let them coma
er';lt Isn't as often as Cherry would like. II
T she says we spoil them, as they are nj. VI
avs unruIy when they get back again.
dare say we do, we are old and foolish az
d we love the little ones so, and there's W
me excuse for us when we remember that W
ey are RaIphS children, and that he only al
cap q by hairs breadth, as it were, from h;
sing his life for the sake of the woman d.
10 met her death by Dredgitt's Pool. m
TIE END M