The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1884-03-05


"Ihe lgrg road ronnd BY tie
hin"
aRouu1 II the HIP echoed aIr.
Naskgn in alarmed surprise.
Why AID hs lake that vays
Alisop hashsd and ralld alter
uately; het lips were trembling.
TIE fesi creeping upon hsr was
Ishat be ana young Yayasonr had
nssaa5 lpatrelsd. Perhaps fought
and iaaisa one another fatally.
lhthese d'ead moments Of Suspense
Ehe Hiitd isapt to cdnjure apIEF
Itetchel opdsuniikely thoughts.
Masked him to 70 around that
gayR ahereplied; in . timid tone,
''Ivau|sd hin5to leave a note for
neAt laa dfessmakeT's.'l
Oh s Bstkyn sank into a
iss ins tis bands before bis
Troubled face. II zee it all, he
breashed family. ale must have
fallon down the Scar"
Alison nultorcd ascream Of hor.
ror.
Deceived by the mist, he must
hsse walked too near the edge,e y
continued The old man. oHeayon
grant that it may not be so, but l
fear it. Was be mad TO attemptto
cross The plateau on such q night2"
catohingnp hishat, Mr.. Watkyn
went out swiftly. Mrs. Reece grab.
bed her daughters hands. They
were icy cold.
ALLISON, what passed between
you and Thomas last night?o
"Don't ask me, mother. Let NC
follow Mr.. Watkyn, Icannot rest
indoors. Oh, it cannot, cannot be
as he fears2'
"Not one step until you tell me
what passed. said the mother,
firmly. "There's more in all this
than meets the eye."
ale asked me to-give up talk
ing to Mr.. yavasour."
"And you refused. Well2"
"He told me l must choose be.
tween them" continued Alison,
bursting into tears. "oh, mother,
it was all my folly, all my temper
he could notsee that, and when he
went away he said he went for
good.1
Mrs. Reoco drew her thin lips
sternly. She was thinking.
sand what does it mean about
your giving him a note for the
.dressmakef2 Ido,not understand.
You had nothing to write about" /"
The girl had got her hands free
and flung them before her face to
deaden tho sobs. But Mrs. Reece
was a resolute mother at times, and
she extorted the confession. Ali.
son had improvised the note and
sent Thomas around the long way
to deliver it, and so keep him from
passing by the willow walk.
ooh, child, child" moanod the
dismayed woman. "Tf he has in.
deed fallen over the Scar it is you
who have given him his death"
And it proved to be so. In tax.
ing the two miles round between
the cottage and tho farm a high aud
perpendicular precipice, called the
Scar, had to be passed, The table.
lid, or plateau on the top was
wide and a perfectly safe road by
daylight, since q traveller could
keep as far from the unprotected
edge as he pleased, but on a dark
night, or in a thick fog it was most
dangerous. Thomas Watkyn must
have drawn near the edge unwil.
liDgly, and fallen over it. There
ho lay, on The sharp rock, when the
poor father and others went to look
for him, his death like face up.
turned towards the blue sky.
"speak to me, Thomas, speak to
mel" walled Alison, quite beside
herself viii th>remorse and grief as
sho knelt by him, wringing her
hands. "oh, Thomas, speak TO me!
| loved you all tho while"
But Thomas neither spoke nor
moved. The voice that had moth.
ing but tender words was silent now
the heart she had so grieyed might
mover beat in sorrow or joy again,
No person had seen or spoken
with him after quitting her the
previous uight, save the dressma.
ker, little industrious Miss Ford.
She had answered the knock her.
self, she related, and he put the
note in her hands, saying, "Miss
Rnnnn hnd nsl,nd him m lnnvn Il In