Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-07-09

eays In a husky KIND OF voice tnht is pccuha.
10 him. .It's goin' to be black night Miss"
Margery mods kindly, with feeling OF pity
for the unfortunate creature.
Continuing her walk, she soon comes 10
rude little dwelling that scarcely deserves
the name of house, IL is so small ana mean.
| IL is occupied by an old woman known as
| Aunt Hepsy Lee. Having lost three sons In
| the war she receives a pension sufficient Tor
| a more comfortable living than she anords
| herself. She is inclined to be miserly, ana
prefers TO hoard her quarterly returns from
| the Government.
IL is not vet quite dark, and the old woman
| sits outside her door knitting. Margery says
''Good-evening," and is passing by when
Aunt Hepsy calls after her.
| "Can't We stop a bit Margery? It's lone
| some like feel tonight, settlng alone anu
| a dreadin' robbers"
"Robbers! Why, what do you mean' Aunt
HepsyY'
| about o. nights for quite a spell, and last
night see a face peekln' in at the winder.
"You must be mistaken. No one could
wish TO narm you, says Margery, assur-
ingly. :.
| "Maybe not hut they wants my money"
"You ought TO put 1t in the bank, Aunt
Hepsy."
''Pse allus been afeard of the banks a
bustin' so Use kept my savings In a tin box
in my bed but guess I'll take IL to the
bank tomorrow"
Margery turns away, but Aunt Hepsy
catches her arm and says, in half-whisper:
"Ive liked you, Margery, from baby, and
know you tie an honest gal. feel so scared
and strange. I've notion to let you take
care OF my tin box tonight. sha'nt sleep
a wink without II under my piler; but
want to dIsappoint the thief IL he comes"
Margery hesitates about taking the box,
but Aunt Hepsy will not let her refuse.
Take it quick, and run right hum, child.
| Don't tell a soul you have II, and I'll come
| and Oit IL fO-mOrrOW. Re dreadful careful
There's more than thousand dollars in that
box, all In new greenbacks."
Margery never had so much money In her
hands before, and she felt a little nervous as
| she hurries home, wishing Aunt Hepsy had
/ chosen some one else to take care of her
precious tin tox.
AS Margery reaches the house she meets
| Miss Atherton, who is going to the hammock
for the book that she left there in the after
"You seem to be in O hurry" Miss Ather-
ton remarks, glancing curiously ut the box.
| Margery makes a confused reply and runs
directly TO her room where she locks the box
safely in her trunk, lights lamp and sits
| down TO read.
Drops of rain soon begin to fall, and a
| thunder storm rises in sudden fury. Mar
gerry is frightened and goes to bed, but does
not sleep until she hears Ned's step on the
| stairs.
The morning breaks bright and pleasant.
| Ned rises early and eats his breakfast before
| the boarders come down. Telling his mother
he has business at Martinsburgh, town six
teen miles distant, he saddles brown Molly
| and rides away.
| About ten o'clock the butchers boy from
Clintonyille drives up in a state of wild ex-
| element and informs the household that
! Aunt Hepsy Lee has been found dead in her
bed with bullet through her brain, her
house ransacked, and money gone.
There is a great commotion in the VII
| lage," he says. 'SThe Sheriff and all his men
are out looking for the murderer"
Margery is shelling peas for dinner when
the news is told. She drops the pan that she
has on her Lap and turns so white that Mrs.
with the idea OF preventing faiuting ut.
Between the fright and the wetting, it is
| some time before Margery can speak, and
then she finds the boy gone.
She runs out calling after him at the top
of her strong younT lungs, intending to ask
him to tell the Sheriff of her interview with
Aunt Hepsy tho previous evening, and of
the box in her possession The Toy drives
| furiously and the wagon rattes SO
| that Margery's voice is unheard. She is
returning to the house, when she suddenly
stops. There is something by little puddle
OF water in the road that arrests her atten-
tion. 1t is a silk handkerchief soaked in
blood so that IL has stained the water near IL.
! Margery stops to look at IL more closely, and
is horrified to find it is a handkerchief that
she knows belonged to Ned. There are his
initials In the corner that she had awkwardly
embroidered a year ago. 1t seems as II q
hand of ice is clutching her heart. Ned 6
earnest wish for n thousand dollars, his
absence during the evening, and hurrie II de-
parture I'm the morning occur to her mind.
Could IL lie possible that her dear, brave
brother Ned, her hero, was guilty OF cruelty
taking the life of that defenseless old woman
for her paltry savingsI 1t might be he was
maddened by intoxicating drink, and was
txesAaRsiRle. . for his dee deeds but Marsery
these grounds if he is really the one who
committed the murder. She resolves to save
him IL possible, no matter what the conse
quences 10 herself may be. With a
slckening shudder she picks up the
suspicious looking handkerchief and rolls II
in large burdock leaf. Then she goes
stealthily TO the back of the garden, quickly
digs hole with n stick in the soft eaI tn
under gooseberry bush, and buries 1t out
of sight feeling all the time like an accom-
plice In the horrible crime. Her face is
ghastly in its whiteness when she appears
among the group of boarders assembled in
the sitting room. Presently there Is a loud
knock at the door, and every one except
Margery is surprised TO see the Sheriff and
two constables.
''Is your son at home, madam inquiries
the superior officer of Mrs Barton.
"Ned2 Why, no; he went to Martinspurgh
| this morning. is the wondering reply.
The men look at eack other meaninRly.
II regret to tel you, Mrs. Barton, that we
terrible work." says the Sheriff, Eravely.
''Oh, no, no, nor exclaimed the mother.
"You are mistaken-my boy would have
died sooner than harm Aunt Hepsy.''
1--WE are sorry TO think Ill of him. butevery-
| body knows TO whom this revolver belongs"
says the sheriff, producing one OF the
| ivory-handled weapons that had been Neds
pride. 'It was found In the grass near Aunt
Hepsy's house with one chamber empty, and
the ball taken from the poor woman's head
| exactly corresponds in size"
| Mrs. Barton is agonized with fright and
| grief. The boarders are shocked and silent.
Margery looks on I'm rigid, dazed state. As
| the officers turn to leave the house she comes
forward and says, unhinchingly:
"You are judging Ned wroDgfully; ! lost
| that revolver"
'How did you come by itY' asks the Sheriff.
sternly.
IL took II from his case without HIS knowl-
edge" says Margery, dropping her head
little as she tells the falsehood, and streak
| of red flashes across her pale face.
| young woman, do you know you are get
| ting yourself into bad scrape? But II can't
| be possible that slip of girl like you d d
| that brutal thing" says the Sheriff.
! At this point Florence Atherton lays her
| white hand upon the sleeve of the man of
law, and says in low voice, quito devoid Of
feeling;
ASK her where she was last evening, and
| what she brought home I'm tin box"
Margery stands, with hunted look OF
| desperate agony i'm her eyes, and tries to OK
plain how Aunt Hepsy's treasure came TO be
| I'm her possession.
lncredulity Is plainly written upon the
faces of the listeners.
| The officers consult together and demand
the box. After it is duly examined, tho
| Sheriff says:
1.-THE aspect of this affair has changed in
the last ten minutes. Margery Orme, IL is
my painful duty TO arrest YOU"
L ne ut ~. -.