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

woman was sure Of ID, or why should
have seen her again tonight? Ii was SOM
!hlng-let other people say what, If the
can, | can't--come to warn me of what Ia
happened don't think am a superst
tlouS man; never thought anything abol
ghosts, and have always laughed at tn
idea OF the dead coming back again TO thi
world Tor any Of the foolish things that pee
pie say influences them.
II might have been fancy-I have bee,
told since that it was-but it was a curiou
fancy that | should see a strange woman
and only know her afterwards for the poo
thing that had been done to death so crue,
ly. was all in kind of daze and cOuldn'
pull myself together bit; and / think th,
squire thought was gone bit out of m,
mind when told him what had seen.
you are a little ont of sorts, | s,fspect
Graves" he sad, "Or your imarinatio,
would never play you such pranks The
poor thing was alive doubtless the first tim,
you saw her, and tonight you fancied hel
because of what was happening"
NO, sir" said, there was no fancy. II
she was a live woman, where did she 20 to:
| There's no place there that anyone couId
| hide IN. She just vanished, and that was
what was the matter with the swans-they
| knew it,"
Nonsense man." he said again; make
haste and get well, and put such megrims
ont of your head; there are no such things
as ghosts nowadays. 1t is a serious thing
to make the matter point to that young fell
low llaciitt, as your notion of the ghost
does; there Is nothing to connect him with
the affair"
There was such strange look in his ewes
as lie spoke that | was frightened for it
seemed as If understood what he meant.
There was nothing to connect Jem Hackitt
with the detu girl, but there was something
to connect someone else-my boy whose tie
was round her neck, vino had loved her so
and suffered 50 much for her sake.
Don't say 1t, sr-don't say it!' cried.
"Ralph never did it; he loved her too well p,
There's terrible evidence, Graves"
What evidence, sir?"
The weapon that the deed was
WITH 1t is bludgeon belonging to Raj
lie had lost it, knew what stick
squire meant, and Ralph had search,,
u everywhere, and spoken of how he
loSt IL FOR some time past; biz thorn st
with terrible end TO it, which he had b
used to carry in the game season W
poachers were about.
'lic lost n, SIR" said. lie"
"lle will have to prove that Graves;th
Is more than that lie was seen with
girl the very last time she was known to
alive. There is more than one person
prove it,"
He wasn't sir; have heard that before.
The poor lass was not with him, though her
mistress says so. He was elsewhere; he
told me where he was"
lie viii have to tell that to others as well
as to you Graves,-tle magistrates"
You don't mean to say they have taken
him, sir" | said, now for the first time real
izlng that he was accused by anyone else.
by everybody, Graves--eXcept me-" the
squire added, and coudfhave worshipped
him for that word. 81 have known Ralph
too long to believe that he did this awful
thlng though everything points to ii. But
facls are against him, there's no doubt of
that and he will have to prove that he was
somewhere else at the time the deed was
done If the time can be got at"
That he can, sir, if II was the night he
was said to be with her, he was in quite an.
other place, Where is he? Can / 20 to
hm?"
mot tonight, Graves. You ear see him
tomorrow and arrange with him what Is to
be done. We will spare no expense to have
HIM properly defended"
| could not realize 1t: II was too much orr
bright boy prisoner, and formurder! Cher
ry seemed quiet supplied and off her head,
poor soul, and could give me no help Rahh |
had been taken right away as soon as he
came home, she told me- and they had all
thought was dead had been msensible
near an hour. twas fit Of some sort, and
was to be kept very quiet, MS il | could be
quiet, body or mind, while my lad was in
such peril.
Things were no better the next day; ther,
was the stick and there was the tie; and the
girl had not been seen since that evening.
when Ralph was said TO have been with her,
md her mistress ind another person swore
hat he tpdS with her, and there was moth.
ng not one single bit Of evidence, to show
hat he was not. He tod his story, how he
lnd made up his mind 10 have IL out with
lem llaciItt about her, and had gone to
eek him, and found that he was not at
iome; gone to the nearest town, his land
ady said, TO do a lot of things partly for
Ter and partly for himself.
He had been there. II came out in evil
lence and my poor Ralph could not tell
What he had done with himself for the rest
" that long evening. knew, and so did
IT'S mother He had walked about In III,
misery and Just let the time 70 by, thinking
VI the girl who had been 50 much to him
mi whom he was never to see again I'm this
World They just laughed ut us when we
Old our story Cherry and M, and pert
awyer fellow snperad and asked rs # we
expected to be believed ;and then the squire
.ot angry and said If everyone cou d BIZ be.
IeNed rs well as my wife and me there
YOU'D BE- more truth in the world, and oue
" two gentlemen said the same. but ali
hat DID moi help our poor Ralph and Ina
vas remanded for more evidence, though
here 'enlcd quite enough to hang him,
80 tina, knowyou don't think neguiltv
can bear IT," ho said, when the remand
vas over and he was to 20 up again, 81
I0n't see what * to help me now. whoov,r