Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-06

er1NhNCa anu " do lADlEuAuZ lO
little pleased to his mothers account of
Charities visit, and the three happy days
the two young girls had spent together,
when Marin Marg'et was announced.
Come in, Margaret" said Mrs. Fearne.
You have become quite a stranger; l
haven't seen you since the doctor was
sick last fall. l thought you would come
and see Escotte."
Yes. ma'am; thank you, ma'am. am
too busy at home to do much visitin. L
trus you and the doctor is WE'LL"
Eyes, we are well. Won't you sit down,
Margaret, and rest"
ssWeH. Miss Mary, L amt got too much
time, and if the truth must be knOwed |
did came cause of a little business |
have got on my mind to tell MIR. Es-
cote.
"AIe?" said the gentleman, who, after a
kind ''gOod morning." had left Marin
Marg'et to his mothers care. Suddenly,
connecting the servant with Charlie, and
thinking she had brought a note or mes
sage from her, he said quickly: "Come
upstairs, Marin Marg'et, to my room if
you wish to see me-"
This arrangement suited her ideas ex-
actly, and she followed him willingly
enough upstairs. As he closed the door
of his room he said pleasantly:
Il am glad you have come at last to see
me. L have been wanting to ask you if
you were going to give up your young
mistress willingly. You know l am go
ing to take her soon, don't yOuW
''Of course do, sir; my child not going
to pick out a husband without a word of
advice or help from me, which has
tended her ever since she came into this
world"
"Certainly not, Marin Marg'et. hope
you are satisfied that she will be in good
hands: l trust it NAV prove acceptable to
you,'' he said, jestingly.
"Well, yes, sir; after thinkin' and Civ
in myself TO prayer over il, telled the
child 1 wouldn't STAN in your way.
Generally speakin'. l don't so much take
to boOkish men, and then you has been in
furrin parts such spell l didn't know
but you had tuck up with some Frenchify
ways; but then l considered the raisin'
you had had, an l said to myself eff your
pa and mas child amt fifteen to be Miss
Charities husband, where on the tOpside
of this yearth is she gWine find One?
So, you see, l takes you on trus-like ac-
count o. your raisin'."
Il am glad you look at the subject so
sensibly, Marin Marg'et. Is your young
mistress quite well to-day|'
''Well? just as we'll as well can be, and
as pretty as a pink-but," continued the
old woman, looking around suspiciously,
and speaking in amysteriOus whisper. Il
didn't come here to talk of the child,
though there's plenty to say for her any
day in the week. Fve come on pOw'ful
unpleasant business"
Every We'll; let's have it, said the gen.
tleman, pleasantly.
Marin Marg'et squared herself, put an
! elbow on each knee and began:
"Mr. EscOtte, sure as me and you is
livin', breathin' creeters, there's murder
goin' on in our hOusev
ssWhat in heavens name do you mean?"
he asked, no little excited.
EFF you'll listen patientful I'll tell it
! straight as l can. Mr.. Beltham alters
| had hankerin' after old masters wife,
and she, poor child-creeter, had for him
/ too, though she didn't no more know it
/ than you did. Well! master he died fair
and square; died of sickness, cause L
/ watched to see fair play. Then he got
/ Miss Annie indecent soon, too, but that
/ amt none o. my business; then he sOt to
/ work on his devilish plots and plans, me
watching him like a hawk all the time.
! 'Twant long fore / foun' him out. He
| dyin' all the time for my child, Miss
/ Charliei No, Mr.. EscOtte, don't 'rupt me ;
! you needn't turn so mortal red and
white; no harm could tech her with me to
] the front. Do sit down again and hear
me out. Time and agin he tried to talk to
Miss Charlie by herself, but the child
] SDuED hin ike ulIL uuuGF uCE lGGL-LndI
was fore the weddin'-then tindin' be
couldn't git her no other way, he marry
/ Miss Annie for the money, you see, den
/ kill her Outen his way, den marry my child,
which would see him dead and buried
/ afOre she'd low him to tech even her lit
/ tie finger. Please don't 'rupt me, Mr..
Escotte. Let me tell my tale my way
4 then you can say your say"
$50 on, Margaret; for Gods sake 90 on
/ as fast as you can"
4 is; l is goin' straight on. Alter a
while he begin dOsin' Miss Annie; she
/ cit WOrser and WOrser, he talkin' sweet as
! honey all de time, and She poor thing,
thinkin' he! better AN the angels in
heaven. Well, | watched and l watched
day in and day out, but, though l seed it
clear as sunshine, | knowed l couldn't
/ speak without proof"
''And the proof? the proof?"
'DOn't git excited, Mr.. EscOtte," she
said as she drew small package from
! her pocket and began carefully, most
| carefully, to unwrap it.
! The gentleman looked on eagerly. All
/ the while she had been talking he had
| been piecing together such scraps Of in
/ formation and such impressions as he had
! gotten from Charlie and from his own OBJ
/ seryation of Mr.. Belthams character.
/ and mixed up with it all was a burning
| sense of insult that he had dared lift his
! lustful eyes to his affianced wife. He al
most cursed his own want of insight, and
| felt himself almost the dupe of daring
villain. Still he had selfpOssession
| enough to know that, though he must act
/ quickly, he must act cautiously, and not
| build too far on the negrO's testimony.
| Still he was fully determined to sift the
matter to its foundation.
"What have you there|' he asked. i'm
| patiently.
Marin Marg'et slowly united the tiny
bundle, saying not word until she
found the object of her search. This
was a very small, irregular scrap of
White-checked muslin, which she handed
to Mr.. Fearne.
"LoOk at that, Mr.. Escotte, but for God
in heavens sake don't drop itV
He looked at it intently and silently.
"What you call dat, Mr.. Escotte?'
''Wait mOment!" he said.
Going to the bureau drawer he took
from there a pair of magnifying glasses,
and, carrying the scrap to the window,
looked intently through them at it, but he
said nothing.
''What hit look like. Mr.. Escotte?" i'm
patiently questions the woman.
He took the bit of muslin, and folding it
carefully placed it in an envelope, sealed
it and put it in his breast pocket.
''NOw," he said, resuming his seat,
'tell me exactly how that scrap of lace
came into your hands,"
ut amt lace; hits checked muslin"
"Well, checked muslin, then?"
''Well, I'll tell you. He never VIII
give her no medicine when anybodv's by;
so l 'termined I'd see him; so hid behind
the bath door curtain where l could
watch 'em. l watched there bout two
hours-all this time he talkin' to her
sweet and kind-like. tellin' how he grieve
bout her failin' health and all SIGH: then
he say, 1T is time for your medicine, An
ME- Then she sigh-like and say. We'll,
Albertp mighty pitiful and sad. So he
put some powder IN a spoon and some
water, too, an ham it to her. She was a
lynn on the couch. He went to put it in
her mouth, an she say, Give it to me, Al
bert; l will take it, So she tuck the
spoon from his ham and tuck the medi-
cine. | was watchin' through rip in
the seam of the curtain. l saw her spill
a little bit of the stuff on her gown, right
in the gathers at the side where there is
a little pocket. His eyes is sharp as a
knife blade, am he said sOrter outer pa
tience-like, you have spilled some, An
ME- No. she said, I think not But he
warn't SATISFIED. He looked, and looked,
and looked; all this time l had my eye
glued to the spot where the stuff was
split, so mortal 'fraid he would find it.
At last she said, 'Oh! Albert, what does it